the strength of a woman

[ la fuerza de la mujer ]

está entre el cuerpo y respira con el sol.
es mejor que los huesos y encima de los músculos.
está cerca del corazón pero adentro de la toca.
es un poder inherente que no se olvide.
la fuerza en el mundo es callada sin el reconocimiento.


[ the strength of the woman ]

it is in the body and breathes with the sun.
it is superior than the bones and above the muscles.
it is close to the heart but inside the touch.
it is inherent power that cannot be forgotten.
the strength in the world is quiet without the recognition.

Valencia, Spain

Rome, Italy

Valencia, Spain

Granada, Spain

xo, Hallie

When an End, Looms

When an end looms,

life is re-born. 

We are compelled to 

keep our eyes open, 

our hearts unlocked, and 

let our breaths last longer. 

Through this, we remain in a state of mind that 

welcomes serendipity. 

While abroad, 

the speed of my journey slowed, 

I lived day to day, 

and reminded myself to breathe.

Although we may speak different languages or see the world from distinct boundaries, our link relies on being alive. 

Our breath is found in the way we move,

and

time

is the currency

on our path home.

The shadow of my profile reflected against the wall.

La Plaza de la Virgen, Valencia.

A street I walked each day to school.

View of Valencia from the top of the Cathedral.

Los Torres de Serranos.

A man reads on a bench during the siesta hour.

University of Valencia Language Center

Kazumi, Rosabelle, Hinako, & Haidyn

Street art in my neighborhood.

Move away from the doors already known.
Explore, Dream, Discover.
Experimente as if it were the first time.
Your destiny is not a place,
your destiny is a lifestyle.

xo, Hallie

Humans of Granada

For the longest time, when I traveled, I always wanted to keep people out of my photos and solely capture the location or well known places. I would have halves of heads, bodies chopped off, or fingers poking their way into my frame.

I would always try my hardest to get a shot that looked like the ones we have seen before, the seemingly perfect scope of a location that only lives in the back of our minds.

I have started to realize that I like the images I make more with the ones of people in them.

My life is shared with the people of the world and this life is impossible to play without others in it.

--

While on an ISA excursion in Granada, I found myself photographing the people I would see in moments of pure, life. There was no mold I wanted to shape or one pose I specifically looked for. All these humans were discovered in the way they were. I believe the best images speak in ways our words cannot because they make you feel a bit closer to the moment I relay to my viewer.

The images I’ve chosen to share are my representation of Granada. The people in them are the spices, that so many times I have overlooked.

People live in these memories, and these memories live in these images.

Our experiences are our own but they’re most definitely shared.

Sitting on the steps of the Cathedral of Granada

Tourists admire La Alhambra from the most famous view point while also looking at merchandise for sale

A group plays on the walk up to the viewpoint of La Alhambra

People walk through La Alhambra, Granada. Considered to be the 8th Wonder of the World.

A woman bikes through a neighborhood, outside the city center of Granada

A group sits outside the Cathedral of Granada 

Two women look at a menu to a restaurant they will return to

Art students listen to their professor as they draw what speaks to them

A motorcycle zooms past my frame in the streets of Granada

A bar stays open late, as the Spanish night is just beginning

Two dressed up women walk arm in arm from a wedding

Two women accompany each other on a walk above the city, in view, La Alhambra

A mother and son stroll by La Capitania General

Two women mount a motorcycle and speed through Granada

Two older women hold each other on a walk over the bridge

Two women chat in the street after a wedding, before they part ways

A man stays late in his guitar shop while someone dries their jeans above

Two dance flamenco in an original cave, in Granada

A woman awaits her company as the night falls

xo, Hallie

View this post on ISA's blog here. 

Common Language

i believe there is a common language.

it does not lie in our mouths
it does not lie in our minds
it does not lie in our hearts.

it is between our bones
between our skin

and in our eyes.

it is the way we move,
it is second nature.
it is what we don’t formulate
into a word.

it is the feeling of an entity
within.

i could have come to Spain,
to learn
that there is more
than language
that
connects us.

it is within us.
not seen.
not heard.
only held onto.

our link relies on being alive.

xo, Hallie

I Remind Myself When I Travel:

You take up the same amount of space anywhere in the world as you do now. Things are made for humans, it is proportional. You don’t become an ant in a castle. It may seem like it, and in some ways we are, but your feet stay the same length away from your eyes; and your eyes will not deceive you.

What is in front of you is real, and it’s human size. 

It’s not another world. 

Sitting on top of Los Torres de Serranos, Valencia

View into the center of Valencia from Los Torres de Serranos

Street view from the top of Los Torres de Serranos

Inside La Catedral de Santa María de Valencia

Through the reflection of a window, we see a street of Valencia

xo, Hallie

Calpe

My Mom and Grandpa were able to come visit me in Spain which was wonderful! We drove just about two hours to Calpe for one day and it felt like we were in a movie set! It's a town meant for enjoying the heat of the Mediterranean sun. There are a lot of second homes on the beach and plenty of places to get gelato.

It was a bit of a wake up to see family in my new home. They visited after I had been settled in for one month. I had gotten here on my own and learned how to navigate and find comfort in Valencia through my own trials and while they were here, things got easy for a bit, and then I had to re-enter my Spanish life.

xo, Hallie