Rising Stars: Meet Haley Bank

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Bank.

Hi Haley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in a small town outside of Philadelphia telling everyone that would listen I was going to be a surgeon and attend Yale University. None of that transpired, but something that stayed the same was that I was always a dreamer. I always had goals in life, and I would do absolutely anything it took to achieve them. 

I believe this comes from the years I spent playing sports with my dad as my coach. Whether it was soccer, basketball, lacrosse, or tennis, I always wanted to win, and I always wanted to be the best. This mentality followed me throughout my life. There was nothing I thought I couldn’t do because I always held on until the finish line. I just always had to fall forward. Not backward. 

However, as I got older, things changed. 

I spent my four years in college studying Corporate Communication and Pre-Law. I was convinced I was going to be a lawyer one day. However, when the acceptance letter came in the mail for law school, the excitement wasn’t there. I felt an empty pit in my stomach, knowing I wasn’t doing this for me. I was doing it to prove myself to the people who thought I couldn’t make it. I was also doing it to chase the American dream because that is what was expected of me at the time. Although I went through accepting a spot at Pace University in New York, my heart was never really there, and the passion was non-existent. I spent every day going through the motions of waking up really early and staying up really late just to make it through 1L. The one thing I remember so vividly was sitting in class and admiring the lives that other people were living on social media and wishing I could do that. I was never a jealous person; however, it put me in a position where I was at an all-time low with my mental health. There were so many questions that ran through my mind. How did they land their dream job? How were they able to move to a magical place? How are they able to travel so frequently? 

One day I stopped asking myself all of those questions, and I thought back to the days before college when I had the mentality that anything is possible and that I could tackle just about anything so long as I put my mind to it. I finally realized I can do all of that, too. But I was just choosing not to. So I let the noise get in the way. At that moment, I took control of my entire life, and I stopped living the life others expected me to live. I stopped caring what other people thought. And stopped chasing almighty dollars. I stopped settling for a life that’s less than the one I am capable of living and decided becoming a lawyer was not my dream. My true dream was to move to California and become a full-time photographer. 

After 1L, I left and never looked back, and moved back to Pennsylvania, I did what I had to do and got a full-time job with a small marketing agency on their SEO team so I could support myself, but that’s not all I did. I took one step closer to the life I really wanted for myself and bought a new camera. Although I learned a little bit about photography in high school and college, I am mostly self-taught. When I wasn’t working my full-time job, I would spend my time learning every button on my camera and watching YouTube videos on how to work with all different types of lighting. I would ask my friends to model for me so I could practice, as well as work for free until I felt confident enough in my work that I could start charging even just a little bit of money. Over time, my business grew faster than I could have ever imagined. 

When Covid hit, I lost my full-time marketing job. I took this as a sign that it was time to chase my dreams and follow my passion. I had no idea how it would go and what would happen, but I became a full-time photographer that day. The happiness I felt internally is a feeling I can’t put into words. I was about to take the biggest chance on myself. I did everything possible over the next year to ensure the next part of my dream came true. Nothing was going to stop me. 

It took a little a year of traveling back and forth, a ton of marketing, and long workdays, but I did it. It was the biggest risk of my life. I packed up my Jeep and booked my flights. The next thing I knew, I was officially living in San Diego, California. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I decided to move across the country from Pennsylvania to California, I knew it would come with its challenges. The largest challenge at the forefront was my photography business. The thought of starting over from scratch and having to build a new network of clients was so intimidating. With a market that is so saturated, I questioned my decision every single day. 

I went from having consistent inquiries to none and having a full calendar to an empty calendar. I went from having an incredible photographer community in my area to having no one. I went from having the longest to-do list to being so bored. Internally, I was struggling. I felt so discouraged and defeated. I couldn’t accept the fact that this is what my business had come to. I didn’t realize how much work it was going to take. 

Something I’ve accepted along the way is that I will fail big over and over again, I will lose, and I will embarrass myself. At the end of the day, it’s inevitable, so I chose to embrace it. I decided it was time to get it together and chose to change my mentality so that every mistake I made was one step closer to my success. This is what I had always wanted, so I was not going to let it fall apart right in front of me. I refused to quit. 

I knew I needed to stay consistent. I had to think outside the box about how I was going to separate myself from my competitors so I could stand out as much as possible. I had to network with anyone and everyone that I came in contact with. I traveled near and far to create content that would attract my ideal client. I worked for free day after day to simply get my name out there as much as possible. I did it all. I wanted this risk I took to be worth it so badly. 

After two years in California and never giving up, I am finally in a place where I feel comfortable with where my business is. 

I put myself out there. I gave it everything I’ve got. I stopped feeling discouraged and refused to hold back. 

And with that, I finally have a really great network of clients and friends, my calendar is filling up with photoshoots I used to once dream about, inquiries are in my inbox almost every day with the sweetest people, and I am the happiest I’ve been in a really long time! 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a photographer who captures the most epic brands, cutest couples, sweetest families, and anyone who simply needs their photos taken just because! I capture emotion-driven photos that create connection. When people look at my work, I want them to feel the emotion and feel as if they can relate to the people in the image. I ensure this happens by giving my clients prompts throughout their session rather than poses. This gives the photos a very authentic and candid feel. My main goal as a business owner is to make every single person feel comfortable in front of my camera. 

My clients mean everything to me. Each individual relationship is so important. Because of that, I want to know their story and who they are so a personal relationship is created. I also spend a lot of time learning about what they want out of their photoshoot and their vision. All of this helps me get to a point where I can ensure their satisfaction. 

When I started this journey in 2019, I was only 25 years old, and I knew absolutely nothing about how to run a successful business. I was so scared of failing. But I took that fear and used it to empower me to ensure that did not happen. I reached out to so many people in the photography community and asked a ton of questions, and I did my own extensive research. I stayed up late most nights, teaching myself everything I know now. It was exhausting, but it was so worth it. After two years grinding every single day, I became a full-time photographer. I was booking clients consistently, and wow, did it feel so good! My first month of business was the most successful yet. Fast forward one year, I moved across the country to California by myself with no network or community and started from scratch. Fast forward another two years, my business is finally off the ground, and I am living the life I used to dream about while sitting in my law school classes. I went from not having a clue on how to navigate a new business to successfully building a business in both Pennsylvania and California. I’d say that’s a lot to be proud of. 

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I am someone who has never had a desire to work for someone else so they can fulfill their dreams. Because of this, I always wanted to be free from a traditional job. The idea of sitting in a cubicle or in front of a computer screen every day for the rest of my life scared me. I craved adventure, travel, spontaneity, connection, excitement, and creativity. I wanted to build something that would impact other people’s lives. I needed flexibility so I could make time to do things that fuel me and inspire me. Photography gave me everything I ever wanted and more. It allowed me to dig deep so I could find my purpose in life, which is to create photos people can relate to. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/haleybank
• Instagram: @haleybank

Image Credits
Haley Bank Photography