Black and white photo of a Hayley Williamson taking a mirror selfie in a living room on the Gold Coast, wearing a striped shirt and light pants.

Inspire connection

over perfection

A GOLD COAST FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER ON A MISSION TO:

I’m here to tell your beloved story with those that you love the most. It’s told through my own lived experiences & life view. And boy have I lived some lives…

But first I want you to know. This life is short.

We never know the path it will take us on & before we know it we are already on to the next season of life. Let’s not allow time to steal anything else from us.

I don’t take what I do for granted, capturing your life is a big deal to me. I am flexible, I take my time, I don't rush. I’m always striving to do better & be better for my clients & my own family.

That is my promise to you.

There may only be one of me but I will do everything in my power to make sure you are nothing less than captivated with the your images.

I love what I do & being able to capture precious moments in peoples lives is such an honour & privilege.

I want to capture it all.

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NOW TO THE GAL BEHIND BELOVED STORIES..,

Hayley Willaimson from Beloved Stories sitting on a cozy chair, resting her head on her hand, looking at the camera.

HAYLEY WILLIAMSON

Hayley from beloved Stories holding her sleeping baby on a beach with water and rocks in the background.

For the past 12 years I have been capturing families under my own name. But guess what… Motherhood changed me.

I know that is not going to be any surprise to other mothers out there. But becoming a solo mum, turning 40 & being in the industry for 12+ years had me looking at my reflection asking - who am I now? What do I love to capture? Where can I go from here?

Long gone are the 14hr edit at the computer days, working every weekend & saying yes to anything that comes my way. I am no longer just the sum of my work, it is no longer just me. I’ve hustled for as long as I can remember & my time to be present and slow down in my life has come.

I’m now a part of the best little team - My girl Neve & I. I need to honour that now.

Making that transition & trying to be the woman I was before naturally butted heads - they can not co-exist together & it took me a long while to realise it. This change of identity & priorities wasn’t a bad thing, I had to let-go (something motherhood is drilling into me) & embrace this new season im in.

And so with that I have said good-bye to Hayley Williamson Photography & hello to Beloved Stories. Because that is what I love to show up for. The story telling, the connection, the real life.

Is it nuts to close that chapter & start brand new?

Maybe.

Have I ever done anything the same as everyone else?

Nope.

12+

400+

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY

MOTHERS EXISTING IN MEMORIES WITH THEIR FAMILIES

1

PATH WALKED - MY OWN

A pregnant woman and two young girls are playing and dancing on the beach near the shoreline during sunset materntiy session on the Gold Coast.

01

  • I grew up in a family that is now strained & stretched. We didn’t have many traditions, or my memories of that time are a bit murky due to trauma. I hardly have any photos of us (family of 5) all together, or my mother pregnant with me or even just photos of me & my sisters.

    As I got older & made my way around the world this started to bother me & so I started to search for that connection where ever I could find it. Eventually this lead me down the path of capturing it for other families so I could feel it and hope that their kids don’t grow up just like me.

    This has changed for me slightly over the years as I grow as a person & now a mother myself. That want for others to feel seen & loved in images is much stronger. I know what it is like to also lose yourself into motherhood, feeling like your self has slipped away.

    I also have the weight of my baby girl in my heart too. That this little biz of mine doesn’t just give to others but also to us, my own family too.

    Having my own memories to hold on tight too fuels this passion of mine even deeper.

Hayley & her daughter are lying on a bed, face to face, sharing a joyful moment with their noses touching.

02

  • My Nevey girl. She is my entire heart, my entire world.

    I became a Solo mumma by choice in 2021 to this scrumptious pocket rocket. She is sunshine of my day & I cannot remember the last 38 years without her.

    She is a donor-conceived baby, that was so wanted & wished for! It took 4 cycles of IUI during Covid & some of the biggest decisions of my life, but they were the best ones.

    She is the catalyst for all this change.

    We live a quiet & simple life with my cat Dudley, who still hasn’t decided if he likes her yet. And though my love for travel hasn’t been as fulfilled as it normally is I cannot wait to get out & see the world through her eyes.

    Before I became her mumma, I had lived a full life - I’ve been to so many beautiful places & really tried to find out who I was in the world & since having her I am forever grateful that I grabbed those oportunities when I could & lived exactly how I wanted too!

    She is the driving force behind so many of my decisions from now on.

A couple sitting on the beach, seen through Beloved Stories POV, during a maternity session on the Gold Coast.

03

  • If you haven’t gathered already, deep down I am a nomadic heart. I have lived all over the world from a very young age & been lucky enough to photograph in some of the best locations you could lay your eyes on.

    But for right now we call the Gold Coast home & have done so for majority of my life. It is truly such a beautiful place to live & I feel so lucky that my office backdrop is some of the most beautiful locations in Australia. Beach, Valley & City all at our fingertips how amazing is that!

    But as they say - home is where the heart is!

04

  • I’ve ‘officially’ been in business 12 years now, however I’ve had a camera in my hand since 2007 & prior to that I was a bit of a Jane of All trades - you name it i’ve probably done it.

    I’ve experimented with nearly every genre of photography, however telling your families stories is where I’ve chosen to focus all of my energy, passion & experience. I’m leaning in big time.

    Doing a bit of everything has honed my people skills, my customer service is fantastic, my communication style is open and honest, I can adapt to most situations, you can ask me anything & I’m not scared to give anything a go. I’m calm under pressure, great with kids of all ages & even though you may feel your kids are being a bit hectic, I guarantee they aren’t at all - I let kids be kids.

    I know first hand that trying to have a session after being up all night with your kids is the last thing you feel like, but you will not regret it. I also understand that kids get sick, babies can be fussy, you may have a huge to-do list & things slip your mind, but I won’t let you feel like that because I’ve got you. Our time together is just as important to me as it is to you. Because when I’m with you I’m away from my own baby girl.

    Do not worry…I’ve seen it all!

Beloved Stories taking a photograph of two children sitting on a grassy hillside near a wooden staircase in a garden with large trees and plants during a family session on the Gold Coast.

A walk down
Memory Lane

Black and white illustration of a head with two large, exaggerated eyes at the top, and various abstract shapes and patterns around it.

2007

I head back overseas all alone with my first camera in hand, a one way ticket & a fashion photography course ready to start in London. The next 3 years sees me finding the real Hayley & exploring everything I can.

A red food truck with markers of Canada on it is parked in a snowy landscape with snow-covered trees and a person in a red jacket riding an ATV.

2013

I’ve spent the last 3 years working for Flight Centre while capturing memories for some families & some weddings on the weekends. And after another round the world trip, I make my way home to only work part-time at my day-job, start to shoot as much as I can, start a website, order business cards & take this gig seriously. I’m starting to find my flow.

2020

The world comes to a stop & life as we have known it turns on its head. I realise in these months that we are not allowed to work, that I had become my work. That I didn’t know who i was without it.

Within a few months I was trying to fall pregnant with my daughter via assisted fertility & a sperm donor.

A family walking on the beach towards the ocean, with two children ahead of the adults, under a cloudy sky during a photography session in Surfer Paradise.

2023

I had spent the last 2 years in postpartum trying so hard to make the juggle of being a solo parent & photographer work for me. But as many parents do we doubt ourselves & worry we are doing it all wrong.

I also turned 40, was deep into Perimenopause & to be really honest with you - wasn’t sure if I could keep pushing forward with my business. I no longer resonated with how it was running, looking or sounding.

Motherhood CHANGED me, & I needed to surrender to that change.

A black and white photo showing a reflection of a person taking a picture in a wet, shiny floor surface. The person appears to be wearing a hat and holding a camera or phone. The reflection includes their boots, and clouds are visible in the sky reflected on the surface.

2010

After 2 years living in Canada, taking photos of tourists on the mountain, dogsledding, atv-ing, sledding & Bungee Jumping, I head home ready to have a break from my camera & find my love in capturing what I want to capture.

A collage of four images featuring food and a dining setup. The first image shows a charcuterie board with various cheeses, meats, olives, and breadsticks. The second image depicts a bowl of gnocchi with chunks of beef and herbs. The third image displays three bowls of different pasta dishes with sauces and toppings. The fourth image shows a top-down view of a wooden dining table set for a meal with plates, glasses, and a salad, next to a large window.

2015

After attending a workshop for family & newborn photographers, I take the leap & quit Flight Centre. One of the scariest moves in my entire life, but to back myself & this passion of mine 100% - there is no turning back!

I say yes to any job that is thrown my way & start to work for The UrbanList, eating & shooting my way around the Gold Coast & Brissy.

Pregnant woman in yellow floral dress standing outdoors in nature, smiling and gently touching her belly, with trees and greenery in the background.

2021

Photography was back & families had a new zest for life & what capturing their loved ones meant to them - I had been busier than I had been in a long time…over the course of my IUI cycles, I had been successful & I was due to give birth to my little girl in August 2021.

I had NO idea what life had in store for me, but I was so excited to be on a new adventure.

NOW

So I am no longer running under my own name - Hayley Williamson Photography. I am now Beloved Stories - really focusing on what I love to capture, what lights me up as a human, woman, photographer.

I want to tell real stories, your stories, beloved stories.

Thank you for being along the ride with me!

A BTS video of Beloved Stories during a motherhood session.

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