ABOUT | Lily

Welcome to my Dallas family photography website and thank you so much for stopping by. I have been married to my wonderful husband and friend, Mitchel for 13 years. Together we have 4 boys, Terrance-27, Daniel-20, Maddox-12 and Gavin-11. They are my greatest accomplishments, and keep my days very exciting, and not to mention busy.

So What Inspired Me to Become a Professional Dallas Family Photographer, You Might Ask? Having my son at the young age of 17 inspired me. He saved me from a life that I knew I didn’t want. I wanted to be better than my past, in order to build a greater future, for us. I owed him that. He’s the sole reasoning behind my aspirations to be a maternity, newborn, cake smash and family photographer and it all started when he made his way into this world in 2003. Documenting how incredibly innocent his beautiful little soul was, was pure joy. Nothing else could ever compared to it. Documenting his organic smile, his way of being, day after day, did I truly understand how priceless photographs were and how much I wanted to spend every waking moment documenting his everyday life, before it soon became a faded memory.

Although that was a dream for a young 17 year old. I didn’t have financial stability to take a chance on becoming a professional family photographer. Went to school, got a job in the medical field. Things were great for us but little did I know they were about to get better; I met my husband. The rest is now history. After we were afforded the opportunity for me to become a stay at home mom to my last two boys and documenting of their almost everyday life, as I did with my first born, only then, did I realize how much I yearned to finally make my dream a reality.

Self Taught: In 2013 I made it a goal to teach myself everything I needed to know about digital photography, how to run a business and marketing aspect of it, all while raising two young boys, 14 months apart. My husband supporting me more than 110% and believing in my ability. During the night, I would study photography intensely for the next few month and years. When I had the limited opportunity, I would sit and read as much as I could in my free time. Along with watching endless amounts of youtube videos, soaking up all I could about the fancy gear, technical skills and business related to digital photography. I gradually made some money on the side but every penny I made went straight back into my business.

Road to Success: On a whim one day I decided I was ready to start a photography business. Put an ad on Craigslist and I bought a website to showcase some recent work. Really felt like an official “photographer” at this point, but I still had a lot of learning to do. Charged $65 a photo shoot and gave clients CDs of about 100 edited pictures. Photographed a good amount of small, intimate weddings non stop for a while and to this day, am eternally grateful to those that gave me the opportunity. I quickly became popular and swamped with clients.

From there, I just started to increasingly perfect my work, craft and technical skills to be where I am today but the road to success was not easy. It was probably one of the most challenging things I could have done; risk, failure, doubts, criticism, discipline, sacrifices, rejection, late nights, persistence, hard work which ultimately brought me to where I am today. I’m so happy to say all that work paid off. Now, I can officially say I’m a licensed, legal and insured photographer and this time I am much more in control of my business and confident in what I love to do.

Present & Today: Dallas-based family photographer, Lily Hayes, captures the beauty in every family moment through her exceptional photography skills. As a professional family photographer, I take pride in connecting with clients, getting to know them, and understanding their unique story. With a keen eye for detail, I strive to capture the candid, natural moments that reflect the essence of each family I photograph. My enthusiasm for family photography allows me to create stunning portraits that will be cherished for the next generation to come. Whether it’s a beautiful outdoor shoot or a cozy in-home session, I am committed to creating a memorable experience for each and every client.