Local photographer Stephanie Halley, who owns Faith & Love Photography, received some great news about a photo shoot that she did recently. After capturing Kambree Boyett, an Oklahoma 7-year-old, in a mermaid photography set, she learned that her pictures are being used in three different magazines. Boyett has a modeling site and her mother had posted the pictures on the site which drew interest from Model Trend Magazine and Child Coulture Magazine, and Elite Beauty Magazine.
The young model gets a lot of help from her mother who promotes her photo shoots and Halley says that there very well could be more of her photographs in more magazines in the near future.
With the high quality of the photographs, Halley says that other photographers have actually stolen hers and used them as advertising for their business.
“I had another photographer message me and let me know,” said Halley. “I had to send them a cease and desist and take my pictures down because they didn’t have permission.”
The mermaid idea came to Halley about a year ago and she’s been purchasing tails a little at a time. She has sizes that range from 12 months to adult extra large. She does her mermaid shoots at Eisenhower State Park because of the rocks and shadows. But while the mermaid shoots have taken a life of their own recently, Faith & Love Photography has a wide variety of photo shoots taken in multiple local locations.
“I’m always scouting new locations and I’m working on a Super Hero shoot right now where she’s going to be Harley Quinn,” said Halley.
Halley says that the mermaid shoots has brought her more business and that she’s doing mother-daughter mermaid photos and even daddy-daughter mermaid photos. Even a local male celebrity has decided to go through with the mermaid shoot, but Halley wouldn’t reveal who it was because it wasn’t officially scheduled and it might ruin the surprise of the photo.
Halley had seen mermaid shoots before but hadn’t seen them in this area so she decided to capture the local market on mermaids.
“I’ve got about six more tails on order,” said Halley. “I want to do this each year so that I can give the girls a great experience. They really light up when they put on a mermaid tail. I just tell them to splash and make the biggest wave they can. It’s not just for little girls, but I’ve had little boys do it too.”
Halley wasn’t expecting the amount of business that she’s been getting from the recent shots and says she’s nearly booked for the entire month of July and have opened up some later spots to accommodate new clients.
Halley says that Boyett is a natural and had made the shoot special due to her lack of fear and willingness to take great shots.
