Check Out Haley Roksandich’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Roksandich.

Hi Haley, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In 2010, I decided I wanted to buy a camera for personal use. That year, my parents took me Black Friday shopping and helped me buy my first Canon Rebel T1i. Almost immediately, people started asking me how much did I charge to take family pictures or pictures of their kids. I started doing work for friends and family where I lived in Georgia but overtime that progressed into taking on clients who I didn’t personally know. When my family moved to Wilmington, NC in 2015, I had more opportunities to shoot weddings since we lived near the coast. I decided then, if I ever had the right opportunity in life, I wanted to be a full time wedding photographer because that’s what I enjoyed photographing the most. When Covid came about in 2020, my husband and I decided to move our family back to Georgia to be closer to family because he was processing out of his government job in Wilmington and we really didn’t have any close friends or family there. We packed up and moved back just north of Atlanta in the summer of 2020. However, at this point, my life completely changed because a few months later, my husband and I separated. Being a newly single mom, I knew I had to find a job with a set, steady income. Since photography is very sales based, you may have a good month one month and a poor month another. I started looking for jobs on indeed.com and a lady who owned an Old Time studio in Pigeon Forge reached out to me about a photography management position. It was enough to support myself and my three kids on my own even though it meant I had to give up my own photography business I worked so hard to build over the years. We headed to Tennessee for our new adventure in early 2021. Unfortunately, that position ended up being in a toxic work environment, so I started looking for another job to where I could provide better care for my children while still making a living. In early 2022, I started working in dental insurance where I had way better hours and could work from home. I was even able to take on a few weddings on the weekends. About a year later, the bosses came to us and informed us they were closing the branch of the company I was currently working for and we would have to switch to another branch that couldn’t provide me with the work hours I needed to be able to care for my kids after school and on weekends or we would be out of a job. At this point, I was crushed and felt like a failure because I couldn’t find a job to where I could work and care for my kids at the same time. I did a lot of soul searching and after realizing that corporate America is not designed for single parents, it clicked like a light bulb that this was my moment. This was the moment I had been waiting for to go full-time into weddings like I had been wanting to for so long. I had nothing else to lose at this point. I had already gotten my business license to work in Tennessee and set up an LLC at the end of 2022 so I started putting my time and energy into building something for myself that I enjoyed instead of a dead end job that wasn’t fulfilling me. Going full-time into my own business was the best thing I could have done for my family as well as my own mental health. It because more successful than I imagined it would that first year. By the second year, I more than doubled my income and I haven’t had to looked back since.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I experienced a lot of heartache. With moving several times and having to start over each time, the divorce and custody battle, trying to find the right job to support my family on my own, having to quit what I loved just to be overworked and under appreciated at a job that didn’t fulfill me all while trying to put on a brave face for my kids so they didn’t see how much I was struggling.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a licensed photographer specializing in weddings, engagements and elopements. I’m most known for my ability to bring out natural, raw emotions between my couples. I’m am proud of how hard I’ve worked to grow this business all while raising three children as a single mom. I would say what sets me apart from others is my attention to detail and ability to pose my clients in the right positions to get the perfect shot.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love how lively Nashville is with live music and art on almost every corner. Though it can be a little over crowded at times, the restaurants and bars more than make up for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.haleykatherinephotography.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/haleykatherineweddings
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/haleykatephotos
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/HaleyKatherinePhotography/