For over 24 years, Erika has committed herself to storytelling through long-form photographic essays, short-form video documentaries, and monographs that interweave narrative and imagery. Her work delves into the human experience across cultures and explores a range of themes: beliefs, rituals, consciousness, spirituality, humanity’s connection to nature, traditional ecological knowledge, and the processes of transformation. Erika’s work has appeared in numerous publications, including Time, Field & Stream, New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Der Spiegel, Life, Discovery, and The Economist. Driven by a quest to understand the complexities of consciousness and diverse spiritual practices, she has often collaborated with communities deeply tied to nature. Since 2011, she has been a contributing photographer for National Geographic and has produced 12 feature stories. Projects include documenting the lives of Sámi reindeer herders in the Scandinavian Arctic; exploring the cultural significance of horses within Native American traditions; a deep dive into the science of belief; and examining the interconnectedness of Florida’s ecosystems and the West Indian manatee. She also contributed to the single-topic issue Yellowstone: Battle for the American West and served as the primary portrait photographer for Women of Impact: A Century of Change, highlighting groundbreaking women in various fields. As a Fulbright Fellow, she studied the North Sámi language, inspiring her first monograph, Sámi: Walking with Reindeer. Her second monograph, Materia Prima, reflects on ritual, time, and meaning. As a National Geographic Fellow, Explorer, and Mentor, she led workshops and lectures on storytelling, including as Lead Explorer for National Geographic Photo Camp. From 2018 to 2023, she was a visiting lecturer in the Department of Communications at the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences in Lima, Peru. Recently, Erika completed a master’s in religious studies to broaden her storytelling practice, engaging new mediums such as long-form filmmaking inspired by traditions that grapple with humanity’s search for meaning.