Haley Nord classifies herself as a small wild wedding photographer, working with couples in the beautiful dusty deserts of the Southwest.
With a love for the wild desert, Haley grew up with a huge appreciation and respect for the land. She found her niche by trusting her intuition and developing a sense of awareness. Haley is specific and intentional when taking on new work and this is how she has created the dreamy niche she specialises in today.
We’ve been following Haley for quite some time and we’re in complete awe of her beautiful photos and shoot locations. Read on for a little Q&A we did with the gorgeous Haley Nord.
Tell us about yourself, where did you grow up? How did you end up in Utah?
I grew up a little bit of everywhere, my dad was in the military, so while we were constantly on the move, my grandparent’s A-frame cabin in the West Desert of Utah was always home. I’d spend summers there chasing lizards, playing in the junipers and developing an appreciation and respect for the land from my grandparents. I moved around a little bit on my own after high school before deciding that Utah felt like home to me. My roots here feel deep and wild.
What inspired you to focus on small wild wedding photography?
When working, I took note of when I felt the most inspired, and when I felt the most inspired, I created my best work for my couples. I noticed the common thread was documenting wedding days where there was an intentional narrative to the day, where the couple honored the huge commitment they were making to themselves and their families. I also create my best work when I feel at home, and I feel most at home in empty, dusty places like the deserts of the Southwest.
Do you have a favourite destination you like to shoot in?
I mainly take on weddings in deserts in Utah and New Mexico. My favorite destinations are the ones where I get to stand in awe with my couples at how beautiful this world is. So it’s not so much a place, as a feeling I get to experience with my couples. Many of them have never been to a place where you literally can not see another human, it’s such a magical thing for them to feel on their wedding day.
How do you honour your worth as a photographer?
I make conscious choices in my business to be very specific and intentional about the kind of work I take on, not just for my benefit, but for the benefit of my couples. They deserve to have a photographer who is totally invested in their experience. To me, falling out of worth looks like taking on clients just to have clients, whereas honoring my worth is making sure I am the best fit possible to serve them on their wedding day. The practical application of that for me is being very specific with my branding and marketing, so that when someone lands on my website they know exactly whether or not I am the photographer for them.
If you go back in time and give yourself some advice right when you started taking photos, what would you say?
I would tell myself to work on myself as a human. As corny as that might sound, all of the talent and business prowess in the world doesn’t matter if you can’t feel at home with yourself. That feeling will be palpable in your work and business.
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