We were lucky to catch up with Haley Bearden recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Haley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

About three years into my business, I had decided to go full time. At the time I had a lot going on. I was also working a full time job while pursuing my dream business and becoming full time with that. I was getting very frustrated with my 9-5 and with one thing after the other, I knew it was time to take that step. I quit my job and started filling up my calendar even more. It was very exciting because we had just moved into our first home and I was ready to become that boss babe. I wanted to hustle, and I loved the hustle. We didn’t have kids at the time so the opportunity to hustle was there. The passion and drive was through the roof. I invested into some courses to help me achieve my goals of working a full time living. I took my marketing seriously, invested in a new website, my brand, my own studio, and from there word spread and I ended getting my calendar booked months in advance, which later ended up booking clients 1-2 years in advanced.
I think honestly what held me back from taking that step sooner was the security of having my 9-5 job. It can be scary to leap out of your comfort and go solo in your own business. It’s not guaranteed income. It’s different every month. There’s a lot more business things you need to learn and do (taxes, becoming legal, insurance, etc) but once you take that step, and make the commitment to hustle, you’ll go far!

Haley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Haley Bearden and I am the owner of Haley Lynn Photo. I have been in business for 10 years now and I absolutely love what I do! I specialize in weddings, elopements and couples. I also specialize in boudoir photography. I do also offer family sessions, and portrait sessions. Before I had my business, I was attending college studying Communications with an emphasis in visual media. I worked for the school newspaper and became a photo editor my last year of school. Nearing the end of schooling I realized that maybe I should try and offer some photo sessions and see what I would like doing/not doing. So being in a college town, I offered $50 photo shoots here and there. It was really fun trying out new ideas! I even shot my first wedding for $500!
Growing up I always loved taking pictures of just about everything! Plants, animals, my Barbie dolls and so on. I just never thought it could be a serious career. Once I realized during college that I could make some good money out of it, and those first clients would come back over and over again, I knew I had something special. Was it my talent? Most likely. Was it my personality? Probably. I just knew that this was something I wanted to stick with and see how far I could go.
Over the years I have learned many lessons and made some mistakes. One thing a lot of past clients know about and also people that watch is that I am totally a people person. I genuinely want to get to know my clients. Being apart of their lives means I get to witness and experience with my own eyes some of the most magical and tender moments a human can ever witness. I honor that so much and I don’t forget those experiences. I truly believe I get to work with some of greatest people. My clients usually end up becoming good friends with me because when you hire me, you’re not just getting “a photographer”. You are getting an actual person who has genuine feelings and wants to make an impact on your photo session (or wedding) experience!
Being in this industry and running my business for a while, I get to choose who I want to work with. Some photographers will try to book everyone and anyone, but after learning a few lessons from that, I make sure that potential clientele are not only a good fit for me, but that I am a good fit for them. I also strive for excellent communication skills. That is so important in a business and having a step by step guide on how to say things, when and what to say has truly made a big impact in my career. I believe it makes or breaks a business, and I know my clients will always experience top notch communication.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

For me, especially in the beginning, it was word-of-mouth referrals. At first, I would get into as many social media groups as possible to market myself, but once I started getting booked with clients, they would have amazing experiences, and they would tell their friends, their family, their coworkers, and for me it just really spread like wildfire. It was an absolute blessing for that to happen because I truly felt like I was doing something right and I could invest more in myself and in my business. Even during hard times in my life when my husband and I were experiencing with and infertility I would share those hard moments on social media and also to connect with those that could relate to me and many pass, current and potential clientele would share those stories with others and they would hire me to help support not only my business, but to help help me start my own family and that meant so much to me and still does today.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I have really enjoyed getting into peoples lives and capturing beautiful moments for them. The way I photograph people and edit is something very special to me and I truly want to showcase my clients in their authentic and beautiful selves. Especially with my boudoir clients. I love showing them when I meet in person their photos and I get to witness their hearts be touched. I love making a difference and my clients lives and creating something that’s going to last in their lives forever and for future generations to see and appreciate.

Contact Info:

• Website: Haleylynn.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/haleylynnphoto
• Facebook: Facebook.com/haleylynnphoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haleylynn
• Other: Instagram.com/haleylynnboudoir

Image Credits
Photos captured and edited by Haley Lynn Photo