Haleigh Grundherr
Haleigh’s a photographer and videographer getting after all her dreams from Southern California.
For Haleigh, every new day is another opportunity to create, connect, and live out her faith. Whether it’s capturing portraits on a beach, or filming a love story, Haleigh shoots in a way where both purpose and passion can be experienced.
At the end of the day, what matters most to Haleigh, is making those around her feel seen, heard, known, and loved. Haleigh’s never been one to create for the sake of creating, but for using her gifts to point others to Jesus.
What dream are you currently turning into reality?
I’m currently turning my dream of creating visually for a living through photography & videography/filmmaking into a reality.
When did you first realize you discovered your dream?
I’ve always had a love for being creative & telling stories visually, initially through making videos to capture the moments around me.
I believe every moment is a gift from Jesus. I see so much beauty in the raw moments of life and I just loved to capture them! I have such a passion for people & my dream is to ultimately have God's people feel seen, heard, known & loved.
God soon revealed to me that He wanted my passion for people and telling stories visually to go hand in hand. Creating visually through videography & photography was honestly a hobby at first, but it wasn’t until this past year or so I realized it was something that I wanted to pursue as a career.
I joined a mission based organization this past year, where I got the opportunity to share the love of God with hundreds of women as well as capture beautiful intimate moments with my camera. At this one gathering, I captured photos of a mom & 7 year old daughter worshiping together and praying with each other. I showed her the photos & she immediately started crying & told me how much these images mean to her. I was blown away by how much it impacted her. She really affirmed me in the creative gift the Lord has given me, & from that moment on, I knew I wanted to capture moments and create for the rest of my life.
How does your faith go hand in hand with pursuing your dream?
My faith & relationship with God is 100% the most important thing to me when pursuing my dream.
The Bible says to “seek first the Kingdom & everything will follow”. But, I have to believe that what the Word of God says & truly live it out day to day. That means being rooted in Him in all things, because apart from Him, I can do nothing.
I want everything I do, even my creativity, to point to the ultimate Creator. When you are rooted in Him, you are connected to His heart, & He then gives you His perspective for people. The moment I rooted myself in Him more consistently, even asking God to give me His heart before a shoot, what I captured was almost like it was through His lens. It was His lens of love, & it was a representation of how He sees people.
The people I took photos of felt so seen & beautiful, just like the Father sees them. It’s a beautiful thing when you partner with God in your creative dreams. All glory to God always, with every opportunity I get to move further & grow in my creative dreams.
What’s one or two practical steps you take to keep moving forward?
Just keep creating. Making sure you take initiative to reach out to people or post on social media asking to shoot and build your portfolio as much as you can.
Also - Social media has been a huge tool for me to get myself out there, so make sure you’re posting consistently to showcase your work. It’s a great practical step to move forward.
What encouragement would you share with someone who’s going after their dream?
Continue leaning on God as your source of strength - We were never meant to get to our dreams alone. I have to rely on Him in it all to keep pushing forward because if not I will burn out.
Also, surround yourself with people who are for you & will speak life over you. I have been so blessed to have such amazing people in my life whose hearts are connected to God’s. They encourage me in the creative gifts the Lord has given me & who push me to never stop creating.