Hayley Casey
I am Hayley and if you haven’t already guessed, I’m a photographer, well actually, I’ll toot my own horn here, I am an award-winning photographer! I feel it is really important to have a bit of a feel for your photographer before your session, so let me start off by telling you how I got here! My mother was a photographer, so I fell into photography in my early teens and started out in family portraiture. In my early 20s I found my passion for newborns, which went hand in hand with maternity and guess what? I loved that too! I have a studio in Weston, about 10 minutes out of Oamaru which is absolutely packed with newborn props, headbands, wraps, maternity gowns, boudoir lingerie, kids clothes and so much more! While I still love photographing newborns and maternity the majority of my work is now boudoir.
Now let me tell you why I love boudoir! After having my son in 2019 I got to experience all of the wonderful changes in my body that come with motherhood, I had never really loved my body before pregnancy but now I had, what felt like an entirely new body, and I did not like it! Late 2020 I decided to offer boudoir sessions, it is something that had been on my mind for a long time but the way I was feeling about my body had to change and I knew that I was not the only one. I shot a few models and friends first and then I offered mini sessions expecting them to be a one off.....they were not! Everyone went crazy for them and I loved shooting them, so boudoir was here to stay! The response has been overwhelming and just so brilliant! I can’t put my finger on it but shooting all of these beautiful ladies of all different shapes and sizes has done wonders for my own body confidence. I’m not sure if it is seeing the confidence grow on these women during their session or maybe it was finding out that everyone has insecurities about their body even the ladies who have society’s idea of a ‘magazine body’. Either way, I am loving it and so are my clients!
Boudoir teaches us that stretch marks are normal! Cellulite is normal! Pimples are normal (yes even on your bum!) Body hair is normal! Facial hair is normal! Saggy boobs and tums are normal! Wobbly bits are normal! And most importantly, you are beautiful regardless of if you have any or all those things! Your worth has nothing to do with what your body looks like on the outside and the sooner everyone understands that, the happier we will be!
I understand you can’t just love your body overnight; I know this because I have tried! Self-love is journey one that I am still on, I still often look in the mirror and don’t like the body I see but I am learning to be kind to myself and I know that I am worthy no matter how many stretch marks are sprawled over my belly!
When I first started out in newborn photography I would have so many people tell me that they regret not getting maternity photos taken which broke my heart! There were loads of different reasons why they didn’t do them, time, money, their appearance but at the end of the day, once that baby is here it is too late to change your mind! This really bothered me that people were missing out on such important photos, so I started offering complimentary maternity sessions to all my newborn clients and everyone loved it! I even had to twist some ladies' arms to get them to do it and I received the most wonderful feedback once they saw their photos and they were so happy that I talked them into it! Not only do I love shooting maternity sessions, but it is a great opportunity to meet you and for you to come and check out my newborn session before your little one arrives. The first few weeks can be stressful once your baby arrives, and I find that my clients are much more relaxed knowing me before handing their brand new baby over for their newborn session! I love that I already know your little family before we begin.
I love all aspects of newborn sessions (okay maybe not being pooped on) but my absolute favourite part is the family photos! There is nothing on earth more beautiful than the fresh and pure love that new parents have for their little ones. I love seeing new mums just breathing in the scent of their new baby and new dads looking so darn proud of their little baby holding dads thumb with their entire hand! It really makes my heart happy! I absolutely have the best job in the world! After having my own son, it made my job even more important, everyone says it, but you just don’t expect it to go so fast! They change so much every day and by the time you come back for your viewing session, it seems like they have grown so much even though it has only been a matter of weeks! The little milk spots will fade, their little face will change, and the flaky skin will go but you will always have these photos to remind you of how little they once were.
So thats me, I’m finished gushing over my incredible job and I hope I get to create some magic with you soon!