08/27/2022
You might have noticed that I'm not active in this area of my social media. That has been intentional.
In recent years, portrait photography has become a hyper-competitive field where authenticity is wildly celebrated yet hard to come by. Everyone has the same messaging, the same mission, the same branding, and the same tactics that are intended to grab attention.
Years ago, people would book you and seek you out based on the strength of your images or word of mouth. That day has come and gone. The field has become increasingly saturated, gimmicky, and formulaic. My personality isn't built for it.
I love taking photos and capturing memories for people; it's my calling if we are being honest. I am good at it. I LOVE doing it. Nothing means more to me than making someone feel beautiful and contributing to people's most valuable memories.
But I cannot devote as much of myself to it as is expected nowadays. I can't spend hours writing captions that are modeled after intimate journal entries. I can't put out an inauthentic version of myself. I tried. It feels forced.
With that being said, I am still very much available for hire; just don't expect a diary entry post on my feed 3 minutes after I have a session with you.
I adore my clients and pour every ounce of my knowledge and passion into each and every session; but if you're looking for a photographer who is going to make a grand public tribute to your family, I am not the one for you. If you want photos you can treasure for a lifetime without all of the social media bells and whistles, without all the fanfare, then by all means send me a DM. I just don't participate in the industry in that way anymore; it was damaging to my mental state in ways I didn't acknowledge for years.
I hate being "that guy" – but I honestly wish I could have been a photographer before the 21st century. Like..could you imagine the work I could have made in the 70s??? 80s? 90s?!
Support artists of all varieties. Even us neurodivergent folk.
Love and light,
Hailey Cheek (Eisenbach)
