We're thrilled to learn more about Hayley Hay, the winner of last week's 'low light' challenge!
1. Please tell us about yourself…
I'm a Brit living in Switzerland with my Kiwi husband and two little boys (6 and 3). I spent years studying immunology, doing my degree, PhD and post doc in science only to totally change career to become a photographer.! I love spending time with my family, being outdoors, discovering new things and being with friends. I love to challenge myself and push myself to learn new things.
2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?
In a word "NO"…I find it really hard to describe my style…ok I will try, natural, honest and colourful. I really try to capture the true personalities of the people that I photograph, I prefer to take authentic, unposed images where possible and the reason I so enjoy photographing children is because they are less aware or affected by the camera, and once they begin playing you can really see their personalities shine through and to capture real moments becomes easier. I love black and white photography but there are so many pretty colours here in Switzerland with the lake and the mountains, which are forever changing colour depending on the time of day, time of year and the light. So I enjoy the colourful and bold images that I can take here!
3. What sparked your passion for photography?
Well this is a total cliché but it really was the birth of my first son. I found it so frustrating when my photos were not matching the moment that I was trying to capture. I knew that I wanted to get better at taking photos as my son grew so I could document his ever changing little face and personality, et Voila, as they say here, therein sparked my passion!
4. What's in your camera bag right now?
My Canon 5D mark iii. My 50mm 1.8 lens, my 70-200mm lens and my 24-70mm lens, along with some other bits and bobs but there is definitely space for some new things in 2015!
5. What is your dream shoot or project?
I would love to do a totally styled shoot where I can really think about the set up of the shoot, take more time in taking the photos and get creative. With photographing mainly children or toddlers, there isn't usually too much time to be creative as most of my time is spent running after the energetic little things! Also I'd really like to begin a project here in Switzerland of the lake, where I take a photo every day in the same place through the seasons. The colours and light change constantly on a day to day basis so I think it could be really interesting to document!
6. What are some of the misconceptions you had about photography and photographers at the beginning of your photography journey? Have they changed, and how?
I felt very intimidated at first by other photographers who were very technical in the way they spoke about photography. It would really throw me but since seeing how so many photographers out there are self taught and how creative they are, it made me realise that, although it is important to know the technical side of photography, the way you approach learning about it is very personal. I am largely a self-taught photographer and a lot of my learning has been through trial and error and challenging myself to try new things.
7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?
My advice would be, don't be afraid to try new things. Learn from others, be inspired by others but find your own style and be confident with it. Also learn to take advice and to not be too despondent if you don't like what people have to say about your work. It will only help you to grow as a photographer. Expect to have ups and downs too, working in a creative job can be tiring at times and sometimes the creative juices flow whilst at other times it can be easy to feel a little lost but most importantly, DON'T GIVE UP!
Find more of Hayley's beautiful work here:
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