Meet Hayley Fisk | Photographer & Business Owner

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

Hi Hayley, what role has risk played in your life or career?
When it comes to taking risks, I am a firm believer in taking calculated risks. I have never been one to dive in head first without having an understanding of the costs and benefits of my actions. Deciding to move to Los Angeles from Illinois, when I was fresh out of college, would have normally felt like a huge risk. However, because I did the necessary research and thoroughly considered why I wanted to make the move, I felt the risk was worth taking. Taking calculated risks has been a key factor in building my photography business and building trust in myself and my abilities. Every risk I have taken has given me a better understanding of what felt like “too much? too soon” as well as what felt “right on target” with where I was at that given moment.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I own a photography business with a specialty in product, beauty, food + beverage, and commercial photography. What sets me apart from others is my attention to detail. I am an extremely detail oriented-artist, which serves me well when styling a product shoot or making sure no hair is out of place during a beauty campaign. I am also collaborative when working with clients. I love working with clients to create a concept and having the opportunity to pivot during a shoot when something isn’t working. It is important to me to create positive work environments for everyone on set wherein everyone feels like they are an important part of the bigger picture. Furthermore, my work can be described as bright, clean, and crisp.

The journey to where I am today has been full of challenges. I wish that I could say that starting a business is easy, but, in my experience, it is one of the hardest things I have ever done. In the beginning of my career, I worked many part-time and freelance jobs as a photo editor and retoucher so that I could understand the post-production process and everything that goes into the final photo. After a few years of working for various companies in both the sports entertainment and fashion industries, I realized that being a full-time photo editor or retoucher was not what I wanted to do. I needed more variety in my career and because of this, I decided to pick up my camera again and start shooting.

At first I had no idea what I wanted to shoot. Fashion photography had always interested me, but I knew that I would need to build a strong portfolio to set me apart from the other fashion photographers in Los Angeles. For roughly a year, I did countless test shoots with models and got my work published in several magazines. Once I felt my portfolio was ready, I started applying to jobs to be an assistant photographer. It took me another year to land a part-time job at Forever21. During my time there I learned a lot about lighting on figure and product ecom photography, and I was extremely excited to see my work on their website! Over time I started working with multiple fashion companies and eventually had a huge roster of clients that I was shooting on a daily basis. In early 2019 I started an LLC so I could legitimize myself as a photography business and continue to grow as a photographer.

In the fall of 2019 everything changed. This was about five months prior to the pandemic and all of a sudden I began losing my fashion clients one by one due to budget changes and brands hiring in-house photographers. I didn’t want to become an in-house photographer because I enjoyed the freedom and variety of working for several clients and I wasn’t willing to give up that work lifestyle. Fortunately, around the same time, I connected with a creative agency that focused on product and beauty photography. I was not initially interested in product photography but decided to pursue it as a placeholder until I could find more fashion clients. Little did I know at the time, I truly came to love it because it elicited the opportunity for me to be more creative and work at a more reasonable pace of shooting 10 to15 images a day rather than 50 looks a day (thousands of images), which is what I was previously accustomed to with fashion shoots.

Once the pandemic hit LA I already had a studio in my home and was fortunate enough to be able to continue working and to build my business. It’s been three years since making the transition and I am now repped by an amazing agency, Rebel Brand Management, and I get to work with amazing brands that value me and my work. I am also in the process of launching a business mindset and manifestation coaching business so that I can coach photographers who want to integrate manifestation practices in their pursuit of achieving the photography career of their dreams. The idea for the coaching program was inspired by the struggles I experienced as a photographer and how I used manifestation to change my mindset and allow for more alignment in myself and in my business.

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?
Because there are so many things to do when visiting LA, it is definitely hard to get it all done in one week. First and foremost, I am a major brunch gal and love finding new brunch spots to take my visiting friends to. Some of my personal favorites are The Breakfast Club LA, Hyperion Public, and Overland Cafe.

Beach days are an absolute must! I love going to Venice Beach and grabbing a drink or appetizer at one of my favorite beach spots, The Venice Whaler. Then I like to take my friends to the boardwalk to see all of the street vendors and unique restaurants that Venice has to offer. You also can’t go wrong with Zuma beach in Malibu, which is by far one of the most beautiful beaches in Los Angeles County.

I love going to museums and although there are so many great spots in LA, my personal favorites are The Museum of Death, The Broad Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Getty. The Museum of Death is currently located in the heart of Hollywood (but is in the process of relocating), The Broad Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art are both located in downtown Los Angeles and close to some of LA’s best restaurants and bars, and the Getty is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of LA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, I would love to give a shout out to my parents and brother. They have been my greatest supporters since I decided I wanted to pursue a career in the arts. Even when there were really rough days, they were always there for me and always encouraged me to keep going. My husband has also been a major support to me, especially during the pandemic when I was continuing to build up my photography business.

Website: www.hayleyfisk.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hayleyfiskphoto/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-fisk-photo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hayleyfiskphoto/

Image Credits
For the photo of myself, please credit Kayla Hoffman (her insta is @kaylaalise).