featured photographer | Desiree Hayes

It’s no secret that boudoir photography is one of the fastest growing specialties in the photography world and one of the most difficult to become accomplished at.  It takes more than mad camera skills and a great eye to become a successful boudior photographer.  Not only do you need the ability to relate to your client, put them at ease, help them have a wonderful & empowering experience… but you need to be able to come away from that with rockin’ images that even the most self-critical woman will love.

I have to admit that I noticed Desiree’s personality long before her images.  Her posts on a photography forum I am a part of are what drew me in… they always, always make me smile, are incredibly candid & honest and she is at fault for making me laugh outloud and snort my morning coffee on more than one occasion.  When I viewed her work – whether it was her maternity & family or her wedding & boudior images – I could see her fun personality and love for life shine through each and every one.  I know you will enjoy reading her story and be inspired, as we are, by her artful images.    ~ Mary Beth

You can view more of her work at Desiree Hayes Photography. 

Visit the Cafe again on Monday – we’ll be introducing our new [dreamy] albums with examples featuring more of Desiree’s stunning images.

I got started with photography in late 2006.  Honestly I was one of those people that just thought “I want to be a photographer!” and didn’t know ANYTHING at all about photography.  I bought a DSLR camera but I was pretty naive thinking it would be “such an easy thing to learn!”  I opened the box and expected some awesome images since my camera was “so expensive!”  NOT.  My pictures were terrible.  Trying to learn manual settings to control the camera took me quite a while.  I was even “stuck” on f/5.6 for about two months because I didn’t know how to change it.  Seriously.

I’m pretty stubborn so I thought “I am going to learn this for real!”  I would eat, breathe, and sleep photography.  It’s all I could think about.  I wanted to get better.  I practiced every day.  I dragged my poor kids out all over the place making them be my models.  They got sick of it real fast which was kind of a good thing because it led me to trying to find adults to take pictures of.  I borrowed my sisters in law and their friends and did my first “boudoir” shoot in late 2007.  It was so much fun.  Boudoir posing came naturally to me.  I think being a woman myself helps too.  I always try to thing “if it were me, what would I like?”  Everyone is different of course but you have to put yourself in the other person’s place.  Feel their vulnerability, feel what they are feeling.  Women are awfully critical of themselves and many times the first thing someone does when they walk in the door is point out all their flaws.  I know how that feels to do the same thing.  I also know how awesome it feels to just say “screw it!” and let loose and go for it.  I have done a shoot myself and afterwards I was thinking “that was fun, I could do it again!”  It really is empowering.

My favorite part is seeing someone who had walked into the studio shaking, leave with an extra bounce in their step.  You know they feel like a million bucks and maybe it’s been a really long time since they felt that way.

What inspires me?  I love romantic detail.  I also like vintage paintings.  You know how it can be a Victorian era chubby naked lady, but it’s beautiful, it’s tasteful.  It doesn’t look trashy and it doesn’t make you feel trashy for looking at it.  I love that.  The client inspires me too.  As soon as they walk in the door you can get a sense of their style and personality.  Even if you look at their shoes, or how they chose their makeup, or the bag they carry.  You get a sense of “them” and I want their images to reflect THEM.

My advice for new photographers?  To hang in there, it’s a tough industry to get into right now but I truly believe if you have the passion and the drive to make it work, you can do it.

favorite summer indulgence?  Sleeping in, Mai Tais, blasting music with the sunroof open, and taking my kids for smoothies.

lace or cotton?  Lace.  Unless we are talking undies then I vote none of the above.   HAHA

tips for putting your boudior clients at ease?  I think just being yourself is the main one.  I am a huge goofball and I never want them to feel like they are coming into a “stuffy” place.  I like to sit and talk with the client while they are getting hair and makeup done, crack jokes, compare stretch marks (I will always win in the “most stretch marks” category!) and just find out more about them and their personality.  I little glass of champagne never hurt anyone either! 

favorite movie(s)?  Mermaids, Swing Kids, The Man In the Moon and of course, The Notebook.  I will also shamefully mention that when Titanic came out, I saw it in the theater 7 (yes, SEVEN) times.