Kate Haley Photography specializes in storytelling by taking a documentary approach to photography. Kate’s portrait, child, live music and event photographs has been featured on Inc.com, Live for Live Music, SF Bay Area Concerts, Entreleadership, RE-Envisioned, The Bay Bridged, The Half Moon Bay Review, and countless living room walls. Here’s what some of her family, corporate and event clients say about working with Kate.

Child and Family Photo Sessions

“Kate is incredible to work with. While photographing our family last month she was nothing but patient, realistic… being a mother herself (it’s not easy getting toddlers to cooperate!) and quick to capture those fleeting little magical moments. I especially loved how she was able to capture our son Wyatt’s fascination with nature in so many of her shots. Throughout the shoot nothing felt staged or forced and her edits are perfection. Being a photographer myself its hard to find a shooter who gets it… and Kate does.” — Candice Lawler

“Kate Haley took the time to get to know my family and our hopes for the shoot. Then she knocked it out of the park, capturing my three boys with grace and spunk. I couldn’t be happier and they had a blast too! Next time we’re planning a beach vacation in California, we’re totally planning on capturing more joy with Kate– she’s worth the trip. Off to swoon over the shots again!” –The Morris Family

“Kate is amazing.  I usually hate having my picture taken, and capturing the true essence of the kids ins too-often elusive.  She made us all feel so relaxed and we all really enjoyed the shoot.  Then, when we saw the pictures, we were wowed.  They were beautiful and were able to show us just as we’d want to be captured.  She rocks!”- Pam Smith

“Any day, any place, all the time, all shots: Kate is the best. She is a perfectionist in whatever she does. I can go on and on praising her and her work but in nutshell, every picture from her camera tells a story of its own. She has her own spectacular style that no one else has and Kate constantly hones her skills, letting her passion speak through her photos. My favorite picture of my daughter in three years is the one that Kate took…. These images are priceless. If you have a chance to work that Kate, do anything you have to do to make it happen.” – Priyanka Sidhartha

“Kate Haley does amazing work. She is fun, energetic and so professional. Let her do her thing. She’s about the moment and what works naturally, but somehow manages to get the shot you want without any prodding! She works hard and is very particular about her work, she won’t let you down. Kate truly enjoys what she does and considers it an honor to be with you!” – Christina Baker

“Let me lead by saying my grandson loves her. Whenever someone steps in with a camera I usually brace for forced smiles and a melt-down or two. Not so in this case. She was just able to do his thing and I could just be grandma (I’m pretty good at that) while Kate shot. It was so easy and the resulting photos were amazing.” – Judy Kooyers

“Kate took photos at the school a couple of times and the kids loved her. The images came out great and she really gets kids. You can count on her to work hard, get in and get out quickly and to totally deliver. It’s fantastic to work with her!” –Nicole M.

“I didn’t have any ideas for what I wanted in the shoot and am so pleased that I just let Kate run with it. The kids and the oversized kids had fun, I didn’t sweat it if clothes got rumpled, and, almost by magic, we got some kick butt shots that have the grandparents high-fiving each other for having such cute grandkids. I highly recommend her.” – Carol H.

Corporate and Adult Portraiture

“My company provided professional headshots, but they looked stiff and awkward – not at all the image I wanted to convey. It took Kate approximately eight minutes to capture a casual, confident, and attractive head shot. I was flooded with compliments after posting the image on LinkedIn. Kate will not only bring out your best physical features, she will convey the essence of your personality. When one’s first professional impression is a LinkedIn profile, a strategic headshot is key. Kate’s artistic style and professional understanding allows her to capture all one’s charms (and then some)!” – Mollie Harstad

“Kate captures beauty that we typically only feel on the inside and it just comes out shining in her work. She is a wonder. Just wow. Thank you. For everything.” – Lydia Puhak, The Imperfect Practice

“Holy shit! These are REALLY good.” –Danielle Harlan, author of the bestselling The New Alpha

“Kate sees into the nature of things then captures it with her camera. Kuk Sool Won is a martial art with dynamic motions and intense moments. It isn’t easy to grab those instances but she does just that. Frankly, I don’t know how she does it but I couldn’t be more pleased.” –Paul Carmody

“Kate did a great job with my headshots! She was fun and patient during the photo session and painstakingly touched up the top three images for a great look. I love my headshots and am also using them on social media and LinkedIn. Thank you, Kate!” – Irina Kogan

“I’ve worked with Kate on a few projects and she always brings with her a fresh perspective. Her humor and energy make for an enjoyable session, while her creativity and flexibility result in great images.” – Noel Allen

Photography for Celebrations and Events

“Amazing photographer, amazing lady! Kate is delightful, funny, highly professional, and would go the extra mile to deliver photographs of supreme quality. You can see her love for her subject and for her work in each and every photo. Always such a pleasure and so rewarding to work with Kate!” – Lilit Petrosyan

“We had a large birthday party and I knew I would not have the time– or energy– to take photos and after all the planning I wanted to be in some of the pictures! We hired Kate to take photos at the party and she was a complete life saver. I could relax, enjoy conversation, organize the party and just have fun because I knew someone else was capturing the day, which she did beautifully! She got photos of my kids, my family (and I was actually in the photos!) and all of our friends enjoying the party. She did an amazing job. Her eye for detail, ability to capture a moment and her “do anything” approach to get the shot was awesome… I cannot recommend her enough!”  –The Webers

“When planning parties for my young children the last thing I want to worry about is staging photos. Kate always manages to catch all the action, even fast moving little ones. She had no problem getting the right lighting even indoors and showed us the awesome shots as she took them. Organized, punctual and speedy, I couldn’t have asked for more in a photographer!” –Caroline G.

Photographing Parrots

“Parrots can be temperamental and not without quirks, yet Kate positively nailed the shots. She has amazing patience and awesome eye when working with exotic birds. It was a fabulous time and even the birds were pleased with their photos.”  –Betsy Lott, Mollywood

“Wow does Kate have a sense of humor. My parrot was far from thrilled with the idea of a shoot so Kate dropped to the floor (where he crankily flew from the perch to) and had a talk with the guy. They took a little trip to look out the window and ate a few apple slices. Then they were down to business. Counted out it was one flap-fest, one crowing, multiple hardy cockatoo chuckles and a priceless gallery of images. This was incredible and my bird is still asking when she’s coming back.” –Joseph O.