Austen Haney Visuals

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My Approach to Photography

I like to take what I call “lifestyle photos” which falls somewhere in between traditional portraits & documentary photography. Believe it or not, I started developing this style while I was living overseas in China.

During my 2 years there, I took a lot of photos and videos (documenting) everything about my life around me. I was so fascinated by the tall buildings, the words I couldn’t read yet, the tiny cars, and of course, the people. If you don’t know, Chinese people are AWESOME but they can be a bit camera shy at first. I wanted to take pictures of my students and strangers that I would meet, but I knew that it would be pretty unlikely that I would be able to get them to stand still, smile, and let me take their picture. Plus, doing that just didn’t feel as authentic to me as catching them living their life.

Now that I’m back in the States, I try to keep my experiences from China in mind. I know that most people in America who book a photo session are fine with smiling for the camera, but after a few photo sessions with everyone smiling, I started to realize that my photos were still missing something. They were too “perfect”, and not in a good way. Everyone was symmetrical, and posed decently well, but their expressions were stiff, lifeless, and boring. It was a good picture, but like a yearbook photo, it didn’t communicate any emotions or connection.

That’s when I made the switch in my mind, that my photography wouldn’t be about “good pictures” it would be about connection and story telling. I want the people that book photo sessions with me to leave laughing, and to have photos that help them remember this moment in their lives. Whether you are newly engaged, you’re a mom with small kids, or you’re a graduating senior, I truly believe that my photography can help you tell your story.

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