We recently connected with Hailey Maxfield and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Hailey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

It’s like one day God plants a seed in your heart, and the next you’re watering it. I think it’s important to note that between idea + execution, there’s hard, hard work.

I’ve always loved photography; but when you speak it into a career, you get looks and the “What’s your backup plan?” So I majored in English & Education. Got my BA, my M.Ed., my credential and after several years of teaching, decided it was time to to make room for my hobbies. As I started photographing again with a cheap camera from Facebook Marketplace, it was clear that the joy photography was bringing me, was starting to outweigh the joy I got from teaching. And as I began taking thousands of photos each month for free, I realized “Well, this is going well.” I did free photos for the longest time, so when folks started asking “How much?” I didn’t really know how to answer and told people they could just pay me what they could. Well they also paid better than the education system does. At the end of my school year, I decided it was time to take the leap of faith. I did.

Here I am two years full time photographer and never looking in that rearview mirror. I started with Instagram (@haileymaxfieldphoto) because it was the absolute easiest. People eventually started DM’ing me on there, which meant I needed more efficiency. I then setup my website, HaileyMaxfield.com and my booking system which now has hundreds of clients that I e-mail first on giveaways, seasonal mini’s, and so much more.

Don’t let anyone make you think that going for what you believe in and what makes you happy is ever the wrong decision.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the proud owner, CEO, marketing specialist, graphic artist, tech guru, yada yada yada and OH YEAH! Photographer! behind HM Photo. The one and only, baby!

I’ve been specializing in wedding photography in Northern California since 2022, but also love to capture the love between families, couples and all those who seek to keep those special moments forever and ever. I stand strong in my belief that God has put me in a position to serve others by immortalizing all the wild, rare and badass moments our beautiful lives offer.

Over the years, the core of Hailey Maxfield Photography is the belief in serving others. God has given me this time to shine, to create connections and to bring beauty to those around me. I’m incredibly blessed that this is the life I get to live.

I’m proud to serve Northern California, but I’ve also been immensely privileged to have photographed in Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Wyoming, Montana + Utah. And as you get to know me, you’ll find I have a sacred space in my heart for traveling anywhere you’ll cart me along.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media really was the game changer for Hailey Maxfield Photography. It took me from posting for fun, to also posting with purpose. I was telling stories of clients, vlogging my life in daily posts and sharing my face in such a new, vulnerable way. I have a little over 2,000 followers on there now (@haileymaxfieldphoto) and it’s just absolutely bonkers to think about standing in a room with 2,000 people who love my art! And I know it might sound cringe, but reels are a BLAST! It’s so fun to just be goofy and yourself.

If you’re looking for my advice, it’d be this: Be a thoussssssand percent yourself. Authenticity in your business is key. Let people get to know you, let them become your best friend. Meet everyone. Oh, and block every bot account that tries to follow you or else you’re gonna have bot accounts in your algorithm.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Etsy is RAD! Having a stream of revenue that makes me money while I sleep is RAD! Helping other photographers is RAD! And here’s why.

When you’re the heart of your business and success and failure depends solely on you, you’ve gotta have it ALL. From client inquiry to gallery delivery, your client experience needs to feel flawless. I spent weeks and weeks perfecting it all. All said and done I’d do it a million times over because my clients consistently rave to me about how helpful I was in their process. How you may ask? GUIDES. Badass client guides.

Rather than keep them to myself, I thought about how freaking helpful it would have been if I could have just bought a guide that was done for me. The solution was to do it myself. I wanted guides that were cute and aesthetic, but also felt personable and I just hadn’t seen anything that felt real to me. I created these guides with my fellow photogs in mind and it’s been so cool hearing feedback about how easy it is for folks to just plug in their photos and hit Send.

Then I added contracts to the mix and I’ll be adding even more amazing resources real soon!

You can find these on my Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/HaileyMaxfieldPhoto

Contact Info:

• Website: https://HaileyMaxfield.com
• Instagram: @haileymaxfieldphoto
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/haileymaxfieldphotography
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HaileyMaxfieldPhoto
  https://www.pinterest.com/haileymaxfieldphotography/

Image Credits

All Images by Hailey Maxfield Photography