Inspired, A Very Special Project | Desiree Hayes Photography

Now that all our crazy travels are concluded I am so excited to play catch up with all these Inspired Interviews! It is such a treat to kick things back off with this particular photographer because she is one of my absolute favorites! Her work is gorgeous, classy and a bit racy. She has a way of making women all over the country feeling glamorous and beautiful with her boudoir imagery and I am completely honored to feature her here. She is not only an AMAZING photographer but an amazing person. I could go on and on. She is hilarious! I actually had hopes of meeting her when we went out to Cali but our trip was a bit insane so that is on my very long bucket list. It will happen! Thank you for allowing me to feature you here girl!

You can find her website HERE and her Facebook page HERE.

Hi Sweet Desiree!

One of Desiree’s first images.

Lets get to know you! How would you describe yourself in three sentences?

What sparked your passion for Photography? Pretty much the same as every other MWAC, haha, wanting to take better pics of my kids!

Whats in your camera bag?

5DII, 5D, 35L, 580 EX (that I never ever use) and I usually rent a lens depending on the shoot, I rent the 135, 85, or 100 macro sometimes but 90% of my images are with the 35L.

What Camera/Equipment did you start out with?

Rebel and 50 1.8

If you could only use one lens an entire session which one would you choose and why?

35L. Mostly for space reasons, it’s good for hotel rooms that are small or bedrooms…..plus the distortion can be used to your advantage for a slimming effect.

What advice would go give to someone just beginning in photography and hoping to have a business of their own?

Honestly I wouldn’t give business advice! Haha I am TERRIBLE at business. I would probably recommend that if you are artsy minded (procrastinator and/or have a hard time dealing with money) to hire someone who IS business minded to do that part for you. Living on love is great and all but it does not pay your bills.

What was your first official Photographer crush if you had one?

I can’t think of a crush but did/do stalk Jose Villa’s work and Tanja Lippert. Go figure I always love film shooters and I shoot digital. Haha!

What kind of photos do you like to take for just yourself when not working with clients?

I love soft focus pictures, where you can put it on manual and make it out of focus on purpose. I like grainy black and whites too.

Describe your style in 3 words.

Airy, simple, spicy

Most embarrassing moment on a session would be?

I think when doing couple boudoir. It’s so fun but in the beginning we always laugh. When I get nervous, I start talking nonstop and I know I am saying stupid things but my mouth goes faster than my brain. Even though they always keep it classy, sometimes it feels kind of “Omg, where do I look?”

Any challenges you have had to overcome to be where you are today?

My biggest challenge is the business aspect.

Favorite time of day to shoot is?

I mostly shoot indoors so anytime is fine for me but if I am shooting outdoors, right before sunset time is my favorite.

If you had to stop taking photos right now, what would you do instead?

I think it would be amazing to be a homebirth midwife. There are no direct-entry schools in Southern California but that is something that definitely interests me. A decade ago I did the doula/DONA training through Seattle Midwifery School but I ran into the same problems that I run into with photography, the business part of it. After that I had a retail store with slings, cloth diapers, and natural baby stuff. Have you seen Wanderlust? You know the part in the car where they are talking about all the jobs she has tried and not found her niche? And he says “You made $800 last year!” That’s exactly me. My husband even pointed to me and said “That is YOU!” You’d think at 32 years old I would have a clue but I do not!

Have you attended college or had any formal education in Photography?

Nope. In fact the only art classes I took at (community) college, I ended up dropping so that I wouldn’t fail.

What do you do to get your clients to relax with you?

I think that part is easy for me. I am very social and can make friends with almost anyone. I’m goofy so I try to crack jokes to break the ice. In boudoir, a lot of clients are worried about their own body issues so I show them mine (I have the worst stretchmarks known to man, people usually go “Oh wow” but it makes them feel better so I use that to my advantage! Haha!)

What are your photography related goals for 2012?

I recently moved to a new area so I think my goal would be to work more closer to where I now live. I stopped traveling so much because it was hard with my kids and husband’s work schedule and we had sick family (one of my best friends and my husband’s father both died in June from cancer.) So my goal would be to “restart” so to speak without making it tougher on my family.

How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning? Any Big Aha! Moments?

I love being inspired. It’s easy to get in a rut. Especially when only so many poses are flattering to most body types and you know what people tend to order/go for. But I love Pinterest because you see new and different things and think “Why didn’t I think of that?” and it kind of pushes you to come up with new ideas.

Biggest Photography related insecurity?

I’m always super nervous that people aren’t going to like their pictures. If I send them a gallery link and hear nothing back for a little while, I start panicking “Oh no! They probably hate them!”

Digital or Prints?

I shoot digital but I love prints. I love giving prints more than I do digital but most people want digital. The prints just look so polished and finished to me and I prefer handing over finished product.

What do you think your next photography related investment will be?

I would like to get another lens and stop renting. Probably the 135L.

If you had to recommend ONE thing that a photographer needs in their camera bag what would that be?

The 35L, I couldn’t shoot without that lens.

Fun stuff:

Favorite Color: RED
Favorite Season: Fall, Parenthood comes back on TV!
Biggest Guilty Pleasure: Dark Chocolate, I love the Sweet Riot 85%Dark or Righteously Raw 83%.
Pet Peeve: neighbor kids ringing the doorball 14 times in a row at 8:30 am on a weekend and heavy nose breathers. It’s a toss up.
Favorite Pandora Station: I like country and 60/70s music.
Studio or On location: I don’t have a studio anymore so I will say on location. I do miss my studio though, but I do not miss the rent!
One thing no one knows about you is: I just asked my husband this question and he said “Everyone knows everything about you because you have the biggest mouth ever.” I think he’s right because I cannot think of anything!
What did you want to be when you grew up? a hippie. Haha!
Pc or Mac: Mac
Lightroom Or Photoshop: Photoshop
Film or Digital: Digital I like the look of film better but when I tried it I never even sent any of the film in. I need instant gratification.
Props or No Props: No props
If you could travel anywhere it would be: I would actually just like to go back to Hawaii. We love north shore oahu. The kids love it too, it’s down to earth and we don’t have to use different money. Not to mention, the mai-tais! For somewhere new, I have Greece, Costa Rica, and Belize on my someday list.
Glass Half Empty or Half Full: Half full.
Favorite photo ever taken:
Raw or Jpeg: Raw
Favorite Music to Edit to: I can only edit to music if no one is home which is rare, otherwise too much going on flusters me and I can’t concentrate.
Favorite Quote: “Always bring your own sunshine.”
Most valued material possession: I couldn’t think of this one either so I asked my husband she said “Your iPhone.” I do like that thing, a lot.
Processing Style: I use Kristin Rachelle’s Caramel Latte on batch, I like clean/warm images.
Coffee or Tea: Tea! I love yogi organic teas. Chai Rooibos is one of my favorite.
What kind of Camera bag do you rock? A Lowepro roller bag. Not cute or cool at all but it’s functional. LOL!