north bend x victoria

I've been shooting with friends so much lately, so expect to see a few more photo dump posts here in the near future.

leaves

Last week I snapped these photos with my friends at school between classes. I can't believe that one whole month of school has already passed - I'm immensely enjoying my time in college classes and the people I've met there. Also! The leaves this time of year are absolutely UNREAL. Like seriously. That's all I have to say. I hope you're all doing super well!

mt. rainier

These are a few snaps from Fourth of July weekend last summer. My family rented a cabin in the woods with my grandparents and our cousin from California. It was a grand time and memories of it bring a smile to my face. We saw lots of elk and spotted many marmots, heard some strange noises at night (explanation: Bigfoot), took in some breathtaking views, and laughed a lot. Making a trip to the mountains every now and then is so good for the soul -- God's creativity astounds me. Like DO YOU SEE THAT MOUNTAIN. Too much beauty. I'm beyond thankful to live here.

senior // natalie

Lately I have been doing senior sessions for my friends and it has been such a blast! This is my beautiful friend, Natalie. We met last January when she started coming to my church's youth group and she has such a kind soul. For her senior photos we walked around Edmonds, Washington and shot sunset at the beach. These are just a few of my favorite pictures from the evening.

I hope that you all are doing well! I'm hoping to film my q&a video sometime this week - for some reason I didn't think to record it before getting my wisdom teeth out, so as soon as I don't look like a chipmunk anymore I will shoot the video ;)

dreaming of japan

Lately I have been incredibly inspired by all things Japanese - their films, architecture, photography style, music, etc. There is a certain dreamy and refreshing sensation that I feel whenever experiencing these things. To name a few specific creative inspirations:

Film ~ Hayao Miyazaki. forever and always. Also the film "5 Centimeters Per Second"
Music ~ "dakishimetai" by PoPoyans, "Dancing Venus of Aurora Clay" by Takako Minekawa
Photographers ~ Elvis Tang, Steve Chen, Hideaki Hamada, Wilson Lee

Who/what/where has been inspiring you lately?

x Elle

p.s. I'm filming a q&a video soon since many of you requested one in my blog survey ~ please leave any questions you might have for me in the comments here!

central oregon

Last month my family and I road-tripped down to Bend, Oregon and stayed for a few days to explore. This particular spot we went to, Fort Rock, was definitely my favorite. The entire surrounding desert used to be a lake thousands of years ago, and this massive crater was a small island in the middle. I believe it was formed by volcanic activity, and over years and years of the wind pushing the waves against it, one side of the crater eroded. Native Americans once lived in the caves and walked on the island shore; ten thousand year old artifacts have been unearthed since and can be viewed in a ghost town/museum down the road. Something about the incredible history and raw beauty of this place left me speechless and made me fall in love with Jesus just a little bit more.

Another notable memory from this trip - on the way out of the mountains we stopped by a birch grove in nearly the middle of nowhere to take photos. The trees were unreal, but the ground was a bit more swampy than we had anticipated. We snapped some photos and swatted prolific mosquitoes to little avail - the next day I discovered that I had collected a total of one hundred and one bug bites on my legs alone. Remind me to wear mosquito repellent next time.

x Elle

Cannon Beach

 

Earlier this summer my family drove to Cannon Beach, Oregon for a of couple days so that my brother Isaiah and I could hang out at the much anticipated "That PNW Instameet". We had the chance to meet some friends and inspirations that we'd previously only known online through the Instagram app. It was an incredible day taking photos and enjoying good company, not to mention the beautiful sunset and perfect bonfire we all sat around afterward!

The relationships I've formed just by meeting people online and bonding over similar passions are incredible. And the feeling of meeting those friends in person is just unreal! It's always a party. (as long as no one is secretly an ax murderer)

Thank you to those of you who have filled out my blog survey! Your answers have been really helpful and fun to read. The survey is still open if you haven't had the chance to do it yet. Thanks for all the love as I'm hopping back into blogging, you all are the best. I love you and hope you're doing well, friends!

x Elle