Senior Artist: Halle Simonsen

My photographs invite you to realize that you are a part of something bigger than just yourself.

My mental health has been something that I have battled my entire life. I’ve always felt like I don’t quite fit in, like I don’t belong. When I was in high school, I decided to take a photography course, and something just clicked. I felt a sense of place, I felt a purpose. When I go out and shoot, I never quite know what I will get, yet I prefer to be surrounded by nature because I have always been conscious about the environment. I feel relaxed and content when I am outside, surrounded by trees and mountains, or sitting under a starry sky. Sometimes, the workings of my brain make me feel like I have no reason to live, but when I go out and shoot, surrounded by this beauty, I am reminded that life is beautiful and worth living. In my photos, I try to capture these moments, where I am immersed in my surroundings, enveloped by beauty.