Haley was my first coworker in Austin; she trained me on how to properly photograph births & c-sections, and pose newborn babies when I moved here back in 2019. She was the first friend I made here.
She used to tell me little stories about her dating life while we edited in the office. Then one day she mentioned Darius and all of a sudden she was talking about “our dogs,” and I think that’s kind of when I knew that he wasn’t /just/ some guy she was dating because I knew Haley’s dogs were her life. I ended up meeting Darius a few months later but then Haley moved to Dallas and life happened.
Then I got a message from her a couple of years ago asking how much it would be for Claudia, our other coworker, and I to co-shoot their wedding.
Yalllllllll.
1. I had no idea how to work weddings by myself when she asked. I had only started second shooting less than a year prior to that lol
2. Haley is getting MARRIED.
September 23rd rolled around and Claudia drove us and hour and a half north up to the Eagle Historic Warehouse in Hillsboro for the day. I was greeted by Haley and her girls while they got their hair and make-up done. Typically brides hire a photographer and the photographer hires a second shooter but since we all worked together, Haley wanted us to co-shoot, meaning we could both shoot and edit. For the first hour or so, we operated separately; I worked with Haley and her bridesmaids while Claudia took care of Darius and the groomsmen. After the first look, we joined forces and took the remaining 6 1/2 hours head on together.
Haley has always been the type to be /early/, so I was surprised to see her totally relaxed on her wedding day with not a care in the world about a timeline and I absolutely love her for that because I know she fully trusted her vendors and her loved ones. Everything was right on time. However I was not surprised that her wedding ended just a little bit early lol
I cannot believe how fast time has passed and I cannot believe that this beautiful girl is married now. I could not be happier for Haley and Darius and their pups. I am so honored that the very person that helped me my first day of my first real photography job put their trust in Claudia and I.