About X — Polkadot Photography Studios

Hayley combines her passion for photography along with her design talents and a love of people to create stunning and honest real-life images.

She is an Australian-born photographer with a background in Set & Costume Design and Industrial Design. Hayley’s aesthetic is a palette of reportage and art documentary styles. Her approach is to engage with her subjects to create a relaxed atmosphere then steps back, waiting in the wings for authentic moments to unfold. And when a little help is needed, she’s a master of gently directing and styling her subjects.

Since 2001, Hayley has been a prolific photographer of portraits, weddings, fashion and architecture. Her assignments have taken her around the world to countries including Australia, New Zealand, USA, Sri Lanka, Italy, Mexico and Zambia. In 2006, Hayley followed her passion to live and work in beautiful San Francisco and founded Polka Dot Photography. Prior to moving to the USA, Hayley was Studio Manager and Photographer at Sydney’s celebrated Milk & Honey Photography. Her images have won numerous gold and silver awards with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP). Her work has been exhibited in galleries and purchased by private collectors.

Hayley loves working on collaborative projects with clients and creative teams. To work with her, means that you’ll get to share in her charismatic demeanor, ‘can-do’ attitude, constant enthusiasm, extreme attention to detail and an eye for beautiful images.

Portraits

At Polka Dot Photography, we love capturing real-life moments that document the simple, beautiful, funny happenings of family life. We create images that freeze an era for your children to look back upon; the unique time-stamps that occur in every family. The main aim is for you to relax, have fun and be yourselves. Based on a discussion with you about your little person’s favorite things, we shoot a combination of close portraits, moments caught unaware, the family pet, time-specific details and objects of desire.

A shoot generally lasts between 1.5-2 hours. We ideally love photographing in your home as it’s the place where your little one is growing up, but we can certainly venture out if your tots prefer the great outdoors. Wear what you feel good in and dress your wee ones in something you love. Just avoid big logos or words on the front of garments, as this can be visually distracting. Bring along extra items if you like: cute hats, gumboots, funny sunglasses, bubbles, balloons – it’s up to you (don’t forget snacks and a change of clothes if we’re outside).

For newborns, create a warm room in the house where your baby will be comfortable with just a diaper on. That way we can focus on their beautiful skin and tiny body.

Weddings

Such an intimately personal day – in fact it is probably the only time in your lifetime where you will have all of the people you love in one place. We understand how critical it is to capture the day as it’s flying by. Intimate, artistic, stylish, emotional, quirky and shot in a documentary-style to tell your unique story. From getting ready to the end of formalities, Polka Dot Photography will preserve your day on 35mm film and digital capture. Packages with proof prints, edited source files and 8-hour coverage start at $3500. Albums and coffee-table books can certainly be created and we work with you from concept through to finished product to tell your story to perfection.

Commercial / Fashion / Architecture

The sky is the limit. Studio or on location. We have lighting equipment for most scenarios and can hire equipment as needed. Photographic coverage can be quoted hourly (with a minimum of two hours), half day or full day. We’re also happy to assist in creating a photo brief and shot list for any assignment, making sure that everything is achieved in your timeline.

Testimonials

“The minute we met Hayley we were smitten. It was through her photographs of our son Fletcher that we fell in love. The story she weaves and the magic in everyday life that she captures is incredible. She feels like a friend you have known forever; her grace and softness is enviable. I can truly say that she has photographed some of the most beautiful and poignant moments of Fletchers life thus far.”

Jessica and Ben Studholme, San Francisco

“We had no hesitation in flying Hayley all the way from San Fran to Australia to photograph our wedding. Hayley’s photographs captured the essence of our personalities and the day perfectly. She has an innate ability to capture on camera those moments in time one comes to cherish. On a day where there is often so much emotion, Hayley captured the unexpected. I cannot imagine trusting these pictures to anyone else! They are photos we will cherish for a lifetime.”

Daniella and David Cavallucci, Sydney, Australia

“We are so thrilled we found Hayley to document our little ones…she is incredible from every stage, tiny newborn to shy toddlers and crazy little boys. Hayley is flexible, creative, engaging and truly cares about not only the job, but your family. Happy to now call her a friend!”

Cathy & Grant Bannon, San Francisco

“Hayley is a truly gifted photographer. We commissioned her to create portraits of our ten international executives and twelve consultants. Her ability to make her subjects laugh and feel comfortable is evident in the final product: photos that are relaxed, confident, and proud to show-off our company team. She certainly captures the spirit of the moment. Hayley’s stellar personality coupled with her high quality work, professionalism and responsiveness (she even continued to work for us during her last week of pregnancy!) is the reason we keep asking her to come back.”

Climate Policy Initiative, Alex Coonce, San Francisco

“Hayley is one of the best photographer’s we’ve ever worked with. She takes stunning photos – we were blown away by how many incredible pictures we had from our belly photo shoot and newborn photo shoot. In addition to beautiful photos, Hayley is a genuinely wonderful person to be around – she’s super friendly, funny and very accommodating. Neither one of us are comfortable in front of a camera, but Hayley was able to help us have fun with both sessions, which shows through in the pictures. We are so pleased that we are going to have her do the rest of our family photos in the future.”

Jenna & Dave Golde, San Francisco

“Hayley’s work is magical. It has meant we not only have a beautiful record of our big day but a constant reminder of how much it meant whenever we see the many images that adorn the walls of our home. She has captured the feelings and the delight that we both share about our happy day. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Hayley as a complete professional, truly gifted photographer, and a genuinely wonderful person.”

Simon & Elizabeth Cathcart, Cambridge, New Zealand

“Hayley has an unique & rare gift of not only taking amazing photographs capturing what you truly look like but also making you feel so incredibly comfortable, natural and at ease that you don’t feel like you’re in a photo shoot. She creates priceless memories that you’ll cherish for a lifetime.”

Kathleen and Paul O’donnell, San Francisco

Press

Stay tuned…coming soon!