I’m sure you’ve already gathered this, but my name is Haeli. I can thank my dad for the coolest spelling of that name ever. Most people know me by my Instagram handle @photos.by.haeli and sometimes refer to me by that more often than my actual name. I think it’s hilarious! But enough about photography for a minute, I want you to get to know me as the very real person that I am.
okay this is our first impression. I think I got this!
That's my guy right there!
I live with my wonderful husband, Travis and our two cats Henry & Nami. We met in 2019 at the end of our teenage years, and we've been married since September of 2024. We both LOVE what we do career wise (I'm a full time photographer & he works in manufacturing). We are currently growing our careers & continuing to build our life together. When we're off the clock you'll find us either snuggling on the couch with the cats, driving an hour away to try this new restaurant we found online, finding any reason to host our friends/family, or planning our next trip. He's my voice of reason, my personal mechanic, and my absolute best friend.
I was born and raised in California. Growing up, I was always the weird art kid in school. I wasn't nearly as extroverted as I am today, and I'm so grateful to have broken out of my shy shell. I love a good iced coffee (but with no ice so it doesn't get watered down), traveling & gaining new experiences, jammin out to music while I drive, and meeting new people.
About Me
My initial answer is that I've always been a creative brained person. I've loved painting, drawing, crafting, taking photos, sculpting, journaling, scrapbooking - you name it - my whole life. When I graduated high school I was working towards becoming a tattoo artist, but I always felt like it wasn't quite the right medium for me. Once I found photography, it just clicked (no pun intended) and I never turned back. That's the answer I start with.
If you asked me the deeper reason why photography turned out to be my calling in life, I'll tell you about my dad- Ken. He passed away from a brain tumor (glioblastoma) when I was 11. He was only 38, so it's safe to say that none of us saw it coming. Growing up, my mom was always SO insistent about taking pictures of all of us. It drove us all nuts at the time. But life has a funny way of making you eat your words, because I couldn't be any more grateful for those photos now. Thanks to my mom & all of the photos she made us take, I’ll always be able to see my dad smiling back at me whenever I need him & I'll never have to worry about forgetting what he looked like. I get to look back at every stage & compare how much my brother & I look like him. I'm so incredibly grateful for that, & I'll happily spend the rest of my life making sure everyone has that same privilege.
I'm sure you're wondering why I got started in photography anyways? I have two answers depending on how deep you want to get
When I found photography everything in life just suddenly made sense.
If I were to have a treat yourself day, I would spend it cleaning my house, calling my mom just to yap, getting some kind of self care treatment (facial, massage or pedicure), and completing the day with a little beverage (most likely iced coffee or boba). Throughout the day, I'll still be on my phone responding to my clients. I genuinely love what I do, so it's rare that I fully disconnect from this world. I'm so grateful to have a job that I want to bring with me, even on my days off.
