We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hailey McIntosh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hailey below.

Hailey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

GrayBelle Photo was born out of the desire to capture real moments of love, joy, and beauty.
Gray pays homage to my daughter, as it is her middle name, and a variation of a family name which means Joy. And, of course, belle is the French word for beautiful. Together they just made sense and sounded so lovely. It’s a reminder to pause and find beauty right where you’re at, to find joy even in the depths of raw, real life.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Hailey, a 28 year old wife, mom, and creative. What’s the saying? A jack of all trades, but master of none? That’s sort of how I have felt my whole life. I’ve drawn portraits with pencil and paper, dabbled in digital art and graphic design, written poetry, played the saxophone, can sing a little bit, was the designated make-up artist for countless friends and family members through the years, and have loved taking photos since I got my first digital camera back in 2009. But I was always too scared to go all in on anything.
Some of those hobbies faded over time as I have had to shift my focus and energy to being wife and mom, but one thing that always stuck with me was taking pictures. I loved the way a well-captured photo could make me feel, and I wanted to do that for other people.
As someone who grew up with many insecurities—the always-chubby girl with glasses, braces, undiagnosed adhd, and daddy issues—I was always comparing myself, finding beauty in other people, but never myself. But as I got older, I realized a LOT of people, mainly women, were doing the exact same thing, and I wanted to help them see the beauty that everyone else sees. I want to try and capture who someone is from the inside out. This can be done in a portrait session, but I also really love taking family photos too. As a mom, I value family photos so highly, and I just love getting to capture sweet moments in time that showcase the splendor of every stage of life.
Although I have had this passion for a long time, I kept pushing it off. Fear, insecurity, lack of time, resources, etc. were all factors. Here and there I would take some senior photos or the occasional headshots for family members, but one day a friend needed some professional-but-fun photos taken, and I was ready to get creative. I was so proud of the photos I had taken in that session. I had finally brought a vision of mine to life. That session was my final push to start my photography business.
I am still in the very beginning stages, and there have definitely been challenges. One of the main challenges is having limited availability and resources as a stay-at-home-mom to two young children, and the other is insecurity and having imposter syndrome. But I am not letting this dream die. I want to keep developing my craft, learning more, taking as many photos of people as I can—because when I make a vision come to life I feel so unstoppable, and like I’m finding a small part of myself hidden underneath layers of insecurity, self-doubt, and postpartum fog.
I am looking forward to wherever photography takes me. Even if I don’t “make it big,” I hope I make it meaningful, soulful, lovely. Whether that is through single portraits, couple photos, family photos, or the occasional branding session, I want to be a part of making someone feel beautiful, as they are.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I am still in the very beginning stages of starting my photography business. I’m still working on my craft, building clientele, working out logistics—everything is still new to me.
However, one thing I’ve noticed, and I think, unfortunately, is a fairly common occurrence for small businesses who offer these types of services, is that people will show interest but won’t follow through on booking. And when your business is so small, and your only clientele are people you know, it can start to feel personal. You may wonder “What if they don’t like my work?” Or worse, ”What if they don’t like *me*?” But I’m learning it usually isn’t personal at all. People are all going through something every day, and it’s a wonderful thing to even just get engagement on social media, or an encouraging text or phone call from a friend. I have gone through a lot of things in life that have produced resilience in me, and I will keep pushing through and creating, even if I am not getting booked consistently, because this is something I love doing.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I have had to unlearn, and will probably have to keep unlearning is the belief that I can reach perfection.
I recently read a quote about home decorating/renovating that said “If your home is done, it’s probably dead.” And I feel that can apply to most things in life. If you stop learning, you’re probably dead. There is always room for improvement, always room for growth and learning new things. And even when it seems slow, there is beauty in waiting. I may never perfect my craft, but I will keep trying, creating, and strengthening my creative muscle.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: graybellephoto

Image Credits

Hailey, GrayBelle Photo