Elissar Khalek Photography

06/02/2025

10/05/2023

"Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean."

- Khalil Gibran

03/02/2023

Winter and spring make a lovely couple.

Bright green hills against the snow-covered Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County, CA.

02/15/2023

A kiss among the ruins

Taken in Jbeil, Lebanon in 2014

❤️

12/30/2022

Mateo feasting on figs 💚

(September 2022)

Here's to a fruitful 2023😊

08/21/2022

Peekaboo! One of the cutest things in the world has to be a tiny bird poking its head out of a tree hollow.

Found these while organizing photos today. I took them over a decade ago but don't think I ever posted them here.

07/27/2022

phacelia

07/18/2022

This precious nephew of mine turns a year old today! Happy Birthday sweet darling Mateo 🥳🎊🎂❤️

06/16/2022

Mastic orange blossom cheesecake with a mastic pistachio cookie crust, topped with cherry jelly and crushed pistachios.

I made this on a whim last night after craving traditional Lebanese booza/ice cream and wishing I could teleport to Beirut to get my hands on some. I had all the flavors in my pantry and some leftover cream cheese, cream, and ricotta so I figured a cheesecake could work, and it really did.

Not even close to a replacement for a trip to Lebanon, of course, but it's good stuff. I'll have to write this one up for keeping (and sharing -- message me if you want the recipe).

06/15/2022

My nephew Mateo making use of his sunglasses for about thirty seconds before throwing them off, just enough time for a few shots 😎💛

02/07/2022

“Life is beautiful if you know how to love. You love if your heart’s eye is open… if you can enjoy the presence of a cat, a bird, a flower, what can I say… the world will be yours”

- a quote from the film Kedi, which is a wonderful documentary about the cats of Istanbul and the people who love them

I took this photo in May of 2018 during a cherished week in the enchanting city.