Winter Formal

A fun night out with these amazing ladies. A great way to celebrate the end of finals week and the start of my last semester of high school!

xo, Hallie

National Puzzle Day!

Some friends were over one night and we pulled out a puzzle. We started working on it and suddenly we got hooked. I've spent a lot of time puzzling the past couple weeks. It can be a nice break from doing homework as well as something that you can do while watching Netflix! January 29 was National Puzzle Day, thought it was a fitting post to show how much they have been lately!

xo, Hallie

Seattle Trip Video

I have shared this video on almost all my other social medias but forgot to post it on here!

Click the link to watch my 4 day weekend in Seattle with Amy and Sara in October!

https://vimeo.com/142462100

(Happy Finals Week...)

xo, Hallie

Skiing in Sun Valley with Sarah

We love falling, flailing, and face shots.

Sarah is such a good skier... we had a RAD day together on the mountain. It was DUMPING!

We were having so much fun taking photos in the snow, as we skied down to get on Frenchman's chair, there was a ski patrol telling us we had "ducked under the rope" into a closed run... which we hadn't.  We showed him a picture taken 30 minutes before that proved we were in the clear.

You could say we were #savedbythegram. ;)

I've seen that many parts of the U.S. have been receiving snow this weekend, enjoy it while it lasts and stay safe!

(All images shot on iPhone besides first 2 and bottom set!)

BACKPACK: Parkland 

xo, Hallie

NYE Portraits

I am SO behind on editing and life right now because of school work and finals week coming up. Here are a few images from New Years Eve! Ellen (@ellenbhansen on IG) was in the Valley for New Years and we connected and photographed some friends!

Ellen is absolutely INCREDIBLE at what she does, so glad I am getting to know her!

xo, Hallie

Half Way?!

1st semester finals are coming up, so I guess this means we are half way through my senior year. I was scrolling through my Camera Roll, looking for a specific photo, one now that I can't remember because I got caught up in looking at all the memories (mostly selfies at football games or Cross Country meet photos). 

I am so glad that as awkward and weird selfies and random photos are, I took them because they hold a special place in my jumble of photos because I can remember a moment that was funny, unique, and an instant that I will never be able to get back.

This is another reason I am drawn to creating my own images and sharing them. I mark time as I make photos with the people I create them with. 

One of my best friends, Amanda, shared this with me in October and thought it was one of the most thoughtful things I have ever read. 

I hope that in the future they invent a small golden light that follows you everywhere and when something is about to end, it shines brightly so you know it's about to end.
And if you're never going to see someone again, it'll shine brightly and both of you can be polite and say, "It was nice to have you in my life while I did, good luck with everything that happens after now."
And maybe if you're never going to eat at the same restaurant again, it'll shine and you can order everything off the menu you've never tried. Maybe, if someone's about to buy your car, the light will shine and you can take it for one last spin. Maybe, if you're with a group of friends who'll never be together again, all your lights will shine at the same time and you'll know, and then you can hold each other and whisper, "This was so good. Oh my God, this was so good."  

 -Iain Thomas, "The Light That Shines When Things End"

Ever after reading this I have started to notice when things have the potential to come to an end and how groups of friends could not be together again as a group. This has become even more apparent to me because I am good friends with foreign exchange students this year. Realizing that we have one year, fall, winter, spring, summer, and day of each month together has been good for me to become aware of and not take any moments with them for granted. As it is their only year in the valley, it is similar to my situation because it is my last year! Recently I have been taking advantage of being able to ski after school and on the weekends as well as reconnecting with friends I have not kept in great touch with through the last couple years. It started to hit me that this is my last year and I want to have the most fun, joyful, and encouraging days I can.

For this last half of my senior year, I have created a few goals to better myself, spread nothing but good, happy, positive vibes and to be excited with whatever and whoever crosses my path. You could call these my New Year's Resolutions...

• Smile and say, "Hi," to people in the hall (and around town) if I know them just the slightest bit or I consider them one of my best friends.
• Notice that everyone has different passions and sometimes line up with mine. I will take the time to talk with people and become their friend, even if for just the conversation. Showing people that I care and am interested in what makes their eyes light up (like photography and traveling does mine) makes me excited to broaden my perspective of the world. 
• If I think someone is awesome I will tell them because they deserve to know. (If someone thought you were awesome, wouldn't you want to know that person felt that way about you?)
• Take more time once a week to recharge, reflect, listen to some soft music, and do something to remember the fun moments in high school.
• Remember that the future will come as fast as the sunrise. Enjoy every minute and make the best of each moment and person that crosses my way.

School to Skiing in 40 mins

Senior XC Girls 2016

A beautiful collage of funny selfies and moments that I love

xo, Hallie

Chloe + Kasey

Recognize Kasey from a previous post? I photographed her again with her best friend, Chloe! Chloe and Kasey are bloggers from LA who share some rad things and so are so fun to be around. Had some fun shooting in the snow for all of our portfolios and blogs! We got lucky both times I shot with Kasey, it started spitting beautiful snowflakes!!

xo, Hallie

Alaska Airlines MVP!

I am going to start typing more on my blog posts and really start "blogging" here in 2016. There are so many things that go on behind the scenes and I want to share my experiences with you! I'll be blogging about traveling, adventuring, photographing, and whatever may come along. I've learned so much from other photographers, travel bloggers, and lifestyle blogs; it came to my realization that I could blog about both my photography and travel! Two things that I love most! My goal is to share a text post at least once a week with you :)

Some favorite bloggers:

Ben Sasso • Photo
Bon Traveler - Jessica Wright • Travel
Barefoot Blonde - Amber Fillerup • Lifestyle
Bethany Marie • Photo & Fashion

(Didn't even realize they all start with B until I typed them haha)


Thought starting off with this topic would make the most sense as we turn the calendars to 2016 and reflect on 2015.

This year I became an Alaska Airlines MVP flyer! Since home for me is split between Seattle and Sun Valley, I find it easier to rack up the miles... Plus a few trips to the east coast and Europe helps too. As much as the miles count up, so do my experiences, airport savvyness, and confidence seem to heighten and shape a more knowledgeable person. As a traveler, most often by myself, I seem to realize that I pay much more attention to my surroundings, just like anybody else when alone and a little nervous. After I started flying to Seattle from Sun Valley more often, I gained more confidence and more ability. Obviously Hallie! But anyways, I wanted to say 5 things I have learned from traveling alone, and how I have learned to love it.


1. Independence

I have always considered myself pretty independent after making the move to Sun Valley when I was 10. Living with a single working mother and being an only child, I quickly learned the bus schedule and how to get from point A to point B when something needed to get done. I have always been someone who wanted to travel, see new cultures, and expose myself to new experiences that got me out of my comfort zone - and my home town. I've always been someone trying to get somewhere, so traveling has filled this niche, and I love it!

2. Time for yourself - disconnecting

When I travel by myself, there is a lot more time for me to tune out and listen to my thoughts and observe- especially when we have to put our phones in airplane mode! I think that is one big thing that traveling has made me more aware of. We are all guilty of spending way too much time on our phones and devices, myself included. While on the plane, I find myself starting to love to read more and look out the window and see what is below. It gives you a bigger perspective, literally. I don't have much extra room on my phone because the majority of space is taken by photos and video, so I don't have any music. Not having music - except Spotify with wifi - has made me even more aware of my surroundings. Although I think it is something I need to figure out for longer trips, the short flights to Seattle/SV have forced me to read or do something productive. Everyone needs that time - on airplane mode - when no one can reach you and you can have other things on your mind! A lot of people - myself included when I was younger - don't like sitting on a plane for hours on end, but recently I have found these hours to be rejuvenating and relaxing. I don't have the ability to endlessly scroll through feeds, text friends, or worry about the assignment my teacher posted on Google Classroom. My brain is not remaining stagnant by just scanning posts or statuses. My brain is actively thinking without anything to block the creative thoughts. It is so important to disconnect! We need to be doing more of it. It's time for me, myself, and I!!

3. Getting away - rejuvenating!

I have often found that I need to get away and rejuvenate! I truly believe traveling is good for the soul. When I leave for a trip I am so excited to be going on a new adventure. Sometimes I need a change of scenery, I need to meet new people, and I need to be able to relax and change my thought process and routine. Just like what I mentioned before, traveling gives me space to do just these things and rejuvenate for whatever is next in school or life.

4. New Experiences Yields a New Eye

After traveling, I come home with a broader sense of the world. Just being in a new place, standing there, can feel like the world is moving at a million miles a minute. News flash - it is. I never take for granted each flight I take. As many times I have flown to Seattle this past year, makes me just want to be there more than ever. Each experience is new, along with the sites I see. Since I am obviously drawn to the beauty in every day life experiences by being a photographer, I like to come back to SV with new images that are not the same. Every time I travel the photos I make are from different views, angles, and locations, partly due to the fact that having a new seasoned eye due to my travel excursions.

5. It is amazing what planes do!

Planes fly about anywhere between 300-600 mi/hr and can get you to extremely different and diverse locations in the world. We are lucky to live in a time that we can almost go anywhere! Imagine what it was like when there weren't all these modes of transportation. We would not have the same knowledge we have, nor would we ever gain new perspectives of the huge world out there. It fathoms me to think about how planes work and how we can fly around the globe! It's really amazing to actually realize how planes get you to new places with new adventures awaiting. It's like opening a chocolate box; you never know what you'll get, but you know it will be good ;)

xo, Hallie