a collection of thoughts

[joshuajhaller]

A last blessing...

Some thoughts on one of the last photos I took in Beijing this year.

Sunset on Kunming Lake.

There are a few times in my life when I the photo just takes itself. I’ve had a few of them this year, at this place. Valentines Day with Tanya & XiaoWei comes to mind. 

This is one of the last photos I took in #beijingbefore I moved back to the USA in August. It will always be that one last thing given to me by a city I called home for over 20 years, in a country I…

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[joshuajhaller]

"Adding some drama..."

"Adding some drama..." - my latest blog update is now available. I talk about some new editing techniques and where I learned them.

Temple of Heaven – Beijing, 2020

That quote is something Joel Grimes kept saying in a class I took a few months ago has stuck with me as I have been working on adding to my workflow. I know that I react very strongly to some of the overdone editing I see online. I end up not trying new things because I don’t see how they fit. However, in Joel’s class “The Retouch” (not a sponsored link, just…

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[joshuajhaller]

Rush Over Me....

This shot was a lot of fun trying to get. It was windy at the Summer Palace which created these little waves on the lake. I wanted to get as low as possible without falling into the lake. I shot in LiveMode so I could at least frame the shot. Really liked

I snapped this photo at the Summer Palace while I was waiting around for the sunset. It was a very impromptu visit as I noticed it was a clear day and I wanted to get out to take photos. I didn’t really notice that it was very windy until I got outside. I figured it’d be warm enough in the sun, right? Just about. I’m just glad I didn’t go in shorts & t-shirt. 

I was really liking the movement…

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[joshuajhaller]

"Do what you must to do what you love.”

“Do what you must to do what you love.”

You would think with “all this time” I’d be able to write more. Part of me doesn’t even want to write this because I’m really not in the mood to. Another part of me is telling that part of me we can always delete this and no one would know. Then another part of me says that both of those parts are wrong and you already sent this out! Dorks!

Finding the space to write isn’t natural to me and I…

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[joshuajhaller]

"Here Comes the Sun"

"Here Comes the Sun." This song was playing in my head while hiking the Great Wall for a sunrise photo shoot. Good reminder for me. Also, I’m really grateful I got to get out and take photos to add to my #personalproject.

While waiting for the sun to rise over Huanghacheng, the first two lines of “Here Comes the Sun” kept playing in my head. Maybe it was getting out and taking photos again. Maybe it was the effort made to get here in time. Maybe it was coming here with a good friend. Maybe it was all the memories connected to this section of the Wall. Probably a combination of all that and then some. Anyways, I…

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[joshuajhaller]

Roadside Storm

My latest blog post has some thoughts for this week along with a photo I took in northern Tibet.

While going through my archives, I was drawn to some darker images with a lot of shadows in them. I hope this isn’t a reflection of my mood at the moment. I think it’s more a reaction to a lot of my recent photos being bright due to being out in the snow. Gotta balance out all that light! 

I do love playing in the shadows to create a feel for my work. I think that there are times when a photo…

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[joshuajhaller]

"First" Bike Ride

"First" bike ride to the hills north of Beijing. Felt great to get out there!

This last Saturday, I went for my first bike ride into the mountains north of Beijing. I had been waiting for it to be warm enough for a longer bike ride. Funny, I stopped by the side of the road before the climb up a hill and was told by some older Chinese men that I had too much clothes on. They kept telling me a I was going to be too hot and that I shouldn’t have dressed so warm. I laugh…

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[joshuajhaller]

Imperial Ancestral Temple (劳动人民文化宫)

Still processing a lot of feelings here in Beijing. Its good to be reminded of how much I love this place. Not just the beautiful buildings, but the amazing people here. I know the buildings are gonna be beautiful, but the people make this place amazing!

While I was in the USA for Thanksgiving, I kept seeing these gorgeous photos of the snow in Beijing. While I loved what I was seeing, I was slightly (ok, more than slightly) jealous of missing out on getting some photos in the snow. Considering how little snow there was the previous winter, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get some winter shots continue my personal project of Beijing seasons.…

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[joshuajhaller]

Chasing Sunsets

"Chasing Sunsets" is my latest post. In it, I talk about my trip back to the US during the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a great trip with some really calming sunsets. Please let me know what you think.

I was recently in Washington visiting family over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a great time to catch up and relax after a busy few months. I decided to take more camera gear this trip. I did this for a few reasons: I wanted to take some portraits & I wanted to try to get some sunset photos. I was able to do both and I’m really pleased with that. 

As I look back on this year, learning…

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[joshuajhaller]

Pre-Order 2020 Calendars

You can now order my 2020 calendars. Links & details on my blog.

My calendars are mostly done. I say mostly because I still have to reformat for the different size options, but that will not take as long as making the four calendars I did this year. Yes. Four. I know. I tend to go over the top with things. 

Here are a few thoughts with a sample of each calendar. 

Tibet Calendar

I hope that this doesn’t sound smug but I love how there is a timeless…

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[joshuajhaller]

NeiMengGu - The Outdoors

My latest post from my trip to Inner Mongolia is live. Please let me know what you think! Thank you!

Something about being in the woods for about a week reminded me of growing up in the woods of Wisconsin. While they weren’t exactly the same trees I grew up around, they looked very similar to my memories. I felt so at peace when I could just walk in the woods and take in the beautiful layers of trees. The shadows were amazing to me as well as catching those rays of light when the moment was…

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[joshuajhaller]

Website Redesign!

Hey everybody! I (finally) redesigned my website! Please check it out and let me know what you think! Thank you very much!

I’m really pleased to say that I have (FINALLY) redesigned my website. Its been a ton of work! Mostly because my OCD took over and I decided I needed to re-edit every single photo that went onto the website. Though, my OCD is also pointing out that I didn’t change the photos in old blog posts. Shut up OCD! You’re not helping here!

Anyways, if you could check it out and let me know what you…

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[joshuajhaller]

NeiMengGu - the Reindeer

Check out my latest blog post about reindeer in Inner Mongolia.

I’m unsure what I expected when it came to the reindeer we would see. I knew they would be big but I think I expected them to be similar to deer from Wisconsin. Maybe because that’s the only “live” image I had to reference. I really enjoyed finding out the differences that were unexpected. So, here’s a few thoughts on that along with photos. 

The first thing I noticed was the horns. Not only…

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[joshuajhaller]

Beijing Mini-Shoots

I am offering my Beijing mini-shoots again. This is a great opportunity to get a family shot for the holidays. Details on my site!

Book in for one of my upcoming mini-shoots and get a holiday card that captures your family’s life in China!

“We had a fantastic experience getting our family photos taken by Josh. The photo session was quick and easy and he managed to get our little boy smiling and looking at the camera! Josh also offered a great variety of good quality prints delivered straight to our door!”

All for…

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[joshuajhaller]

Shoot the Frame - Finalist

Very pleased to be in a Finalist a competition by Shoot the Frame!

I’m very please to announce that I was named as a Finalist for Shoot the Frame’s “Shoot the Face” competition. Its very encouraging to have my work recognized by a website I have admired for a while. Its truly an honor to be a Finalist in this competition. If you would like to see the gallery, you can view it here.

The photo I submitted was of Bella on my first trip to Northern Tibet. I…

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[joshuajhaller]

Inner Mongolia Trip - Aoluguya town

I recently went to Inner Mongolia and stayed with the Ewenki ethnic minority group. Here's some thoughts on the first part of that trip.

I’m going to take a break from reposting my portfolio to show a trip I took this year to Inner Mongolia (内蒙古). I didn’t realize how massive this province was until I looked on the map. To me, being this close to the Russian border made me think I’d be in a different province. I have been to Inner Mongolia a couple times over the years but this is definitely the furthest north I have been in…

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[joshuajhaller]

Walk Around - Summer Palace

Here's my most recent walk around Beijing: Summer Palace.

I had an upcoming photoshoot at the Summer Palace in Beijing. So I wanted to do a walk around to find some nooks to take shots at. I also could tell that there was going to be a very nice sunset. So, win win! I started out at the north gate and ended up at the famous bridge near the east gate. 

The blossoms were out and blooming with this gorgeous pink color. I had to wait my turn at this…

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