This month my work was published in the BBC Good Food July 2021 issue.
Photography, Hayley Benoit
Food Liberty Fennell
Prop @rob_merrett_stylist
Art Director Sarah Snelling
Location Backgrounds Studio
Today my Yogamatters shoot was featured on the Luupe blog, highlighting 11 brands doing body positivity right. For the full feature please have a look at the post here which also features a little statement I wrote about my experience with this shoot. The following statement can be found below;
Yogamatters is a UK based Yoga apparel brand whose mission focuses on making Yoga inclusive for all cultures and body types. Luupe photographer Hayley Benoit recently photographed their Eco Collection shares her experience working with them:
“I was super excited especially when I saw the creative brief as I feel it connected with me personally and to what I would like to portray in my imagery: healthy living and body positivity. I’ve photographed a lot of models in my time but nothing that reflected women I could personally relate to. The women that Yoga Matters selected were strong, confident and completely happy in their own skin – something that I aspire to be when wearing yoga clothes. I’ve practiced Yoga in the past and always felt body conscious as everyone in my class always had a certain body type. Photographing women that I could relate to made me feel proud to champion women of all shades, shapes and sizes.”
In celebration of Father’s Day, the Luupe put together an online exhibition on their Blog “100 Visions of Fatherhood” and my image of “Marshall and Lily” was shortlisted amongst other female artists across the globe for the feature
This week some more of my photos for Yogamatters were released and used for some of their marketing material.
The other week I went Camping with some friends, these are some of the photos I took from the weekend.
A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed for the I Love my job team for their Linkedin feature.
For the full feature please find a link here.
The full interview/ feature can also be found below.
Meet Hayley Benoit! A photographer, specialising in editorials for social and branded content, who ILMJ has had the pleasure of working with!
Hayley agreed to let us chat with her about her career journey, life behind the lens, and advice for anyone looking to find a job they love.
“Every obstacle is a symbol of your progress”.
Q: What did you want to be when you were at school?
I’ve always loved art, making things from scratch, and drawing. At primary school I had a strong desire to be a movie director. However, I never had a camera and rarely directed anything, I think I just wanted to walk around wearing all black as that’s what I thought directors did!
Secondary school was a bit different. I enjoyed art and textiles and was more focused on being a fashion designer. That was my dream until I stepped foot into art school (Central Saint Martins) and fell in love with Fashion Photography. Over the years I developed my style in a way that isn’t so focused on Fashion Photography, but I believe my work always has a fashion element to it in general.
Q: What are the qualities you need to do what you do?
It’s important that you have a strong eye for detail, colour, and light. You also need to have adaptable qualities, to ensure you can create something applicable to your client’s needs on the day, without being too precious about the initial plan.
Additionally, you must have a VERY thick skin. Lots of people will have different opinions about your work throughout your career and it can be very disheartening at times with lots of rejections and obstacles. Everyone will always have an opinion about your work, so it’s important to believe in yourself and you stay true to your values.
Q: Where did you learn those qualities?
I’ve always loved going to Art galleries around London as a child, that’s what we always did as a family every weekend. So, art has always been around me and I was naturally influenced from a young age. As a result, I believe I’ve always had a strong eye for detail and colour. Creating images to articulate how I was feeling emotionally too.
After working as a photographer for nine years you pretty much learn everything on the job, I’ve had a multitude of work and experiences that has provided me with the tools to get where I am today, from Project Co-ordinator to a Fashion Assistant. It’s been a steady climb. I’ve had to finance my career with some industry and non-industry-related jobs. I’ve also lived in different countries, which I believe has helped me see things from a different perspective.
Q: What’s the best thing about your job?
I love meeting people and listening to their journey, I find it very inspiring. I also love picking up new and exciting briefs, visiting locations, looking back at what I’ve achieved, and making people happy + inspired by the work I create.
Q: What do you find most challenging?
Marketing myself and finding new clients. Clients often think of hiring a photographer last minute, so you can never really plan your month ahead. You’re always committed to taking things on without knowing how busy you’ll be, because things always come up last minute. One month you can be very busy and the next month can be slow, so it can be tricky to plan financially (and mentally).
Q: Can you hand on heart say, ‘I love my job’?
Yes! I always walk away from a photoshoot feeling pumped and excited about what I’ve achieved, it’s an amazing feeling and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Q: What one piece of advice would you give someone who’d like to find a job they love?
Never give up and take on every obstacle with a smile. Every obstacle is a symbol of your progress and how much you’ve achieved, you wouldn’t love it if it was easy.
Q: Where can people find out more about you?
Feel free to check out my website www.hayleybenoit.co.uk or my social media pages @hayleybenoit for more information.
Last week I shot my brother at my home studio, he wanted some headshots for his LinkedIn and business page. As we had extra time I experimented with some new lighting techniques and lit the background with my Speedlight. The shots were really simple, however, I feel I managed to capture his personality in these images really well and I’m pleased with the end results.
Earlier this year, I was commissioned to photograph the new Yogamatters collection, last week the collection was launched on their website.
Digi Op/ Lighting Assistant: Kevin Malbas
Last week I worked on a small project at my home studio, photographing British Sweets on pastel-coloured backdrops, I also created some stop motion graphics to work on some new motion techniques.
