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Hayley Ruth - part 1 of 1 2

by Hayley Ruth Published 01/10/2013

Hayley's approach to photography, especially weddings, is the complete opposite to the corporate world that she used to eat, sleep and drink. 'I'd say my style is very relaxed with a fine art twist; I try to grab the whole scene. The couples pick a venue because they love the place, not because they just want to see a picture of themselves in the doorway!' Brides also say that they come to Hayley because of her 'girlie' style that was born out of her own wedding planning experience. 'I know how long it took to me to find things like my shoes for the wedding, I think it's important to capture that. The brides generally buy into the details, it's a unique selling point without them even realising it's a selling point. Then they buy into me because of the details'.

Encouraging clients to buy into both Hayley and her business is a top priority for her and much of her work revolves around the military lifestyle that she leads.

Having a husband who works in explosive ordinance disposal in the Army means that Hayley understands both how precious moments like weddings are, but also how difficult celebrations can be to afford for a young couple in a similar situation.

It spurred a quest to find a way to give something back and also help her clients find a way to engage with her business and to give them some 'feel good factor' by hiring her.

'I wanted to do something that felt more personal than handing a cheque over to a charity and as a photographer there's nothing more personal than your work' Hayley tells me. 'I had an idea to give away a wedding to a military couple so I went to lunch with a friend who runs MilitaryWeddingDiscounts.com. By the time we finished we had a venue, a wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, stationery, flowers and of course my photography. We had virtually the whole wedding!' The Hero's Wedding competition attracted large amounts of attention with over a 100 couples entering and the shortlisted 10 attracting over 160,000 votes from the public! It was so successful they're planning on doing it all over again, hopefully with even more generous donations from suppliers.

Having a fantastic reputation built up from years of personalising client experiences means that exciting and glamorous projects find themselves in Hayley's diary.

'Recently I shot at the Natural History Museum for the second time. I have learnt an enormous amount about shooting in London and shooting in massive venues from working at the museum. Running just five minutes late means that you're shooting on the steps in the entrance hall while the guests are starting to arrive' but she also adds that the beauty of the venue more than makes up for the stressful day. 'The space is big and beautiful and the architectural details are just lovely. I love the arched windows, the stairs and the massive window to the side; they make great shots.'

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1st Published 01/10/2013
last update 09/12/2022 14:58:40

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