Meet Hailey Haxton

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hailey Haxton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hailey, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I personally think risk taking is one of the most important things to do in business. Risks of any kind help you get out of your shell, build confidence, and see what does and doesn’t work, which is ultimately how you are going to grow your business. I took a huge risk last year by quitting two corporate jobs after I moved out of my parent’s house to take my business full time. It was a HUGE risk because I had REAL things to pay for now and real responsibilities. But I thought if not now, when? I had a savings, I was just renting, and I don’t have kids. What’s the worst that could happen? My business and mindset mentor, Dustin Mushinski, taught me to “F*ck around and find out” in business, because when you’re following what is pulling you, you can’t fail. If something didn’t work out the way you hoped, use it as a lesson to learn from. Taking risks in business and life can only make you a stronger person. The key is only taking risks when you are mentally behind them. Don’t do something just because someone you look up to said so. If you are feeling a pull front he universe to do it, that’s all the sign you need to know its meant for you. I felt the pull to quit my jobs for months and that when I did, my business would boom, and that’s exactly what happened. Suddenly, reaching my financial goals for 2024 was in reach, I began to have a work life balance, and I started booking DREAM clients. In case you needed it, this is your sign to take that risk that’s been pulling you!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe what sets me apart from other photographers is my personality – not just my edits? Whattt??? No one wants to feel like they are being photographed by their mom or aunt deb when they’re making out. I am very professional and organized on the back end, but in person I just try to be a ball of joy and energy for my couples. I want them to feel comfortable and confident when they’re with me. I don’t like stiff, stuffy poses, and neither do my couples. We love to have fun and laugh during our session. The best photos come from us making jokes all around. I feel like I am a very relatable person and people seem to enjoy being around me. I use social media as an outlet to show my personality big time. I think showing that I am a real person and not a robot makes people trust me, which is a very important trait to want when hiring a photographer for the best day of your life. Okay okay I also am very proud of my edits and shooting style. Like I said, stiff and stuffy isn’t me. Im gonna make you run, roll on the ground, play ring around the Rosie, all the works. And you know what comes out of that? Documentary, cinematic imagery that I think is to DIE FOR! I am really proud of where I am and the direction im heading.

I got to where I am today with the support and help of my family – specifically my dad for buying me my first camera in high school, my amazing mentors (as mentioned in the shoutout section), the support of the photography community, and my fiancé for pushing me to follow my dreams to matter what. It was not always easy. Making money at other jobs that I wasn’t passionate about and feeling immense amounts fear leaving a life I felt was comfortable was not easy. My coaching group gave me the push I needed to make the jump and it was the best decision I could’ve made. I reminded myself that even with the worst possible outcome, I would still have a home and parter to go back to, so life would not end. I have always suffered with imposter syndrome too. It’s difficult being in the creative field when it feels like there are no original ideas anymore and sometimes you forget that we are a community over competitors. It’s hard not to look at other photographers and be jealous of where they are and how fast they got there. I reminded myself that these people I am jealous of, are just living proof that my dreams are achievable, because if they can do it, I have ability to as well.

Important lessons I’ve learned would have to be that there is community over competition int he photography industry. Not everyone will follow that, but I have yet to meet another photographer who wasn’t rooting for me. Like attracts like. If you’re just putting out negative, you can’t expect positive to come your way. I’ve learned to view life through this lens in every scenario and it has truly changed my life. I look for lessons in “failures” and I am constantly finding things to be grateful for in my current phase of life, even if it isn’t my end goal. When you show gratitude, you are showing the world that you are ready to receive more, and when you take action towards the things you desire, you will achieve your goals – is the mindset coaching shining through?

I’ve also learned that you can’t sit and wait for opportunities to find you. You have to be clear on what you desire, and take action towards those goals. For instance, I want to shoot destination weddings all over the world, so I’m getting my butt to all the beautiful places that I want to shoot at, and I’m finding models to photograph. By doing this, I’m showing everyone what I can do and that I have the capability to turn their love into tangible, one of a kind art pieces.

In my wedding guide, I even have a little mindset section to help you calm your stress before the wedding. I truly believe mind over matter and that that is what will shape your life and everything that comes into it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, I would take them down to Telluride. This little town is so cute and is a staple for anyone new to the area to see. You can get fantastic avocado toast at The Butcher and the Baker! A great hike in Telluride is the Bridal Veil Trail. This hike has 3 stunning waterfalls and even in the shoulder season, they are STUNNING! We would go thrifting at Sit..Stay…Shop! And enjoy our afternoon trying all the good food and shopping at the cute stores.

We would make the drive to Canon City and stay at an off the grid Shipping Container airbnb (I didn’t know it was completely off the grid when it first went, but it made for a great experience and story to tell!). We would visit the Royal Gorge and go on the gondola and zip line back – dont come on a trip with me if you’re not ready to zip line! We would check out the scenic drive, and walk downtown at the shops, and even play the piano on the street!!

We would drive up to Garden of the Gods and spend hours looking at the incredible rock formations. When I’m in the south west, I also have to get In & Out since I don’t have it back home.

I would hit up Lily Lake in Estes park for the beautiful Mountain View’s on the lake and do a photo shoot. I would enjoy the 4 seasons you get to go through on the way up LOL.

We would get dinner on the way to our Denver hotel, and then go Catch the sunrise in Boulder at the FlatIrons and hike up the mountain. We would stroll through the beautiful town of boulder for the rest of the day – oh and you HAVE to eat at The Sink – their buffalo mac and cheese is INCREDIBLE!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Natalia Wajda (@nataliafries) was my first ever business coach and she opened me up to the incredible world of mindset shifting as well as strategy, and was overall an incredible photography coach!

Dustin Mushinski (@dustinmushinski) is now my mindset and business mentor. After Natalia got me into mindset and I felt I had a good grip on business, I shifted gears in mentorship to Dustin who can pull me out of any funk and get me excited about the not so fun parts of business, and set the fun parts of business on fire (in the best way of course)

Jessie Hafen (@jessielynphotography) has always been a photographer I really look up to. From attending her content days, seeing her posts on socials, the epic weddings she shoots, and having my own engagement photos done by her, she’s such an amazing business woman and she’s truly an inspiration for me

Website: https://Haileyhaxtonphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haileyhaxtonphotography?igsh=NGNpZXh4czlyenlw&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079067505667

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@haileyhaxtonphotography?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Pinterest: https://pin.it/197T5WcKa
Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WyQ1gGldKe7ZHvcaqe1AM

Image Credits
Hailey Haxton photography