savanna // portraits

Last week, Savanna contacted me to take her headshots. She goes to my school and we arranged to meet and take them on Tuesday. This was the first official shoot I've ever done that I didn't know the person I was photographing before-hand. I wasn't nervous about meeting her, I was nervous that something would go wrong with my camera (for instance: forgetting a memory card, battery, etc.). But all went well. She was super nice and easy to talk to–not to mention very photogenic. 

"Worry is a misuse of imagination."

                                                                                     -Dan Zadra

xo,
hannah

marky boy // basketball

Sport is where an entire life can be compressed 

into a few hours, where the emotions of a lifetime

can be felt on an acre or two of ground,

where a person can suffer and die and rise again on six miles of trails

through a New York City park.  

Sport is a theater where sinner can turn saint

and a common man become an uncommon hero,

where the past and the future can fuse with the present. 

Sport is singularly able

to give us peak experiences

where we feel completely one with the world

and transcend all conflicts as we finally become our own potential. 

-George A. Sheehan

I've honestly never met another 10-year old boy who can throw, dribble, or hit a ball as well as this boy can. I know I sound like an insufferable, boasting older sister, but it's true. Mark is a Jack-of-all trades, he's good at everything he tries. Basketball, football, tennis, baseball, ultimate, hockey, you name it and he's done it with success.
I'm dreading the day when he outruns me, I'll never live it down ;)

xo,
hannah

"...something to hope for."

I was with my dad in the car the other day, and we were talking about some old story from my childhood. When we were finished laughing and remembering, he said, "You were such a happy kid, Hannah." I didn't take this as "Geez, you used to be so happy, what happened??" I took it as "Your childhood years were so full of joy and so many priceless, jubilant memories are the result of them." 

I really was happy. Looking back, I remember myself as a carefree, curly-haired kid full of laughter and creativity.

I still am happy. I'll admit it, I'm not satisfied, but I'm happy. I just feel like there is so much I could be doing with my life, so many different paths to choose from, and certain things are holding me back. It's unsettling, knowing I could be living my life to the fullest when, at the moment, I'm living it...ordinarily. I never thought I'd be afraid of such a thing as living an ordinary life, but I am. I never even thought about it until this year, when I'm discovering limits I didn't know existed.

So I have a lot on my mind, a few big decisions to make, and positive attitude to maintain through it all. I just have to hope and pray that everything falls into place. And so I'll leave you with a new favorite quote:

"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."  -Joseph Addison 

marin+holiday lights // a winter shoot

Amidst the strands of falling lights, difficulty with reflectors, and Marin and I chatting away about anything and everything, I managed to snap a few photos.
Marin is a total natural. This shoot was one of my very favorites because I got to experiment with "studio" lighting. This is the first time I've attempted to shoot indoors, and you can decide for yourself if it was a success. I tried out different reflectors and lighting angles, and of course strung some holiday lights for a little bokeh effect.

How were your holidays?
xo,
hannah

marin+holiday lights // preview

Hi. This is my lovely friend Marin. Marin and I went on a holiday lights shoot. Yes, you should probably get excited to see more :)

xo,
hannah