We are stoked to welcome Bailey Beaulieu as an Unraveled Expert Artist. We absolutely loved getting to know her in this interview and truly appreciate her presence and leadership within the Academy. Her work is vibrant, bold, perfectly polished and unequivocally scroll-stopping.

Bailey is a photographer currently based out of Sparta, WI. Her husband is in the Army and they have traveled all around the US with their 2 kiddos and 2 dogs. Bailey began her photography journey in 2019 in El Paso, TX where her business began to thrive. Bailey's photography is focused on deep connective and colorful photos, allowing her clients to be themselves during their session, whatever that looks like for them. In her personal work, her kids usually take center stage or Bailey loves to make self-portrait composites, that might make you feel a bit uncomfortable. Family sessions make-up most of Bailey's client work but she also loves to do creative sessions and feels that is where she thrives in her art. Bailey is self-taught but did invest in a mentorship for editing and loves being part of the Unraveled family.

For more inspiration from Bailey:

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Here is Bailey, Unraveled…

What inspires your art?

Having my son really opened my eyes to all these moments that pass too fast, especially in the fog of motherhood survival. My photography focuses on capturing details and connections because those are the moments I want to remember most with my own children.

What do you shoot with? Camera body and favorite lens?

I own a Canon EOS R and Sigma 35mm 1.4 art and it is literally the only gear I own. I love my sigma and the amazing versatility of the 35mm, plus the 1.4 gives some amazing bokeh!

What other ways do you express your creativity?

Of course model call sessions help foster my creative ideas, such as my annual Spooky-shoot, but I also love to bring creativity through my editing and within my self-portraits.

How do you de-stress at the end of the day?

De-stressing is hard for me to do, but something I am working on! Currently, I love to spend my free evenings catching up on shows/movies and crafting or baking!

What kind of music do you listen to while editing?

I don't usually listen to music when editing, since I edit on a laptop you can find me sitting on my couch with a show on the tv though it's mostly for background noise. My go-to shows to "watch" while editing are Desperate Housewives or Pretty Little Liars.

What is your favorite book?

Ah! This is like ripping a piece of my soul, choosing just one book is impossible for me. Of course I love the Harry Potter series, but I also recently read Verity, which had me hooked!

How do you handle self-doubt or creative slumps?

Oof, these are so hard for everyone. Personally, self-doubt usually manifests when I compare my work to others. If I find myself feeling down about my work, I stay away from scrolling through groups but I do still post in them so I don't lose my confidence/nerve. Creative slumps hit me hardest and the most often. Creativity is hard to pull out of yourself when you don't feel the fire, I keep a running list on my phone of sessions I want to do; when I feel my creativity slipping, I will pull an idea off the list and put out a model call to bring it to life!

What has been the most difficult part of your creative journey?

In the beginning of my photography journey up until early last year, I played into the comparison game, big time. I would post in all the groups and my satisfaction in my work relied solely on what other photographers thought of it. If I posted and didn't get many likes, I would spiral and worry that I sucked or wondered why no one liked what I was so proud of. I think we have all been in this position and it is definitely not a fun one!

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Boring, BUT I love veggie pizzas, minus olives!

What is your most favorite kind of light and why?

Outdoors. I really love filtered back light, direct backlighting is beautiful as well, but I noticed filtered backlight allows my images to have a deeper colorful look.

Who is one of your favorite photographers?

This is so hard, I really love Meg Loeks, Lindsay Saunders, Brittany Grubbs, Mari Trancoso and Kayla Locke! I admire tons of others but can't even fit them all here.