Haley Andersen graduates FMU with determination to succeed in a meaningful photography career

In just over two years, Haley Andersen will have earned a marketing degree from Francis Marion University and started her own award-winning business. What’s more, she’s one of two 20-year-olds graduating this fall, the youngest in the class.

This isn’t the typical timeline for a college graduate, but Anderson’s story is hardly typical. 

She originally planned to work in pharmaceuticals, but changed her trajectory after her passion for photography led her to start a business her senior year of high school.

“I realized that a career in science was not for me,” Andersen said. “I thought marketing would help me learn how to grow my business and also help me long term, in case I ever decide not to do photography full time.”

That led to her earning an associates degree through Central Carolina Technical College along with her high school diploma from East Clarendon High School in 2019. Diving right into upper-level courses at FMU as a freshman presented Andersen with a few challenges. 

“There was a learning curve of getting used to how college works,” Andersen said. “My first semester was pretty rough because I was in some difficult classes. Once I got through the first semester, everything was great. That was stuff I just had to learn from experience to be able to get through it.”

Andersen will remember her professors. Andersen credits all of them for equipping her with everything she needs to be successful in her career, particularly one of her marketing professors, Dr. Kay Lawrimore-Belanger. 

“Dr. Kay was my all-time favorite,” Andersen said. “She is phenomenal. Her classes were very tough. She has taught me a lot, and she pushed me to chase my dreams with photography. I also learned a lot that applies to my business. She has made my experience what it is.”

Dr. Lawrimore-Belanger described Andersen as a student who takes initiative and is motivated to learn and succeed. 

“She is great at applying marketing theory to create effective strategies which will lead to success in her company,” Lawrimore-Belanger said. “I believe her experience at FMU will help her contribute to our community as a leader and successful entrepreneur.”

Andersen is well on her way to do just that. She has worked hard to grow a client base for her business, H&M Photography, that now spans from her hometown of Turbeville across the Pee Dee region. Because of her hard work and talent behind the camera, Andersen was awarded Best of the Pee Dee: Best Photographer for 2021.

The award helped solidify Andersen as one of the major players in the local photography industry. Publicity accompanied Andersen’s achievement, which helped her collect more clientele. 

She recently acquired a storefront in downtown Turbeville that she will use as a photography studio. The studio soon will serve as a home for the business and is the next step toward turning her vision for H&M Photography into a reality.

The passion and dedication Andersen pours into her career as a photographer is reflected in her work capturing clients’ milestones as well as the joys of simply being together. Andersen’s achievements during her time at FMU are a culmination of her hard work and drive to create a fulfilling career centered around family.  

The name H&M Photography has a double meaning. H and M stand for Haley and her mother, Michelle, who introduced Haley to the industry and refined her photography skills. The name also is in remembrance of her cousin Hunter and Aunt Michele. 

In 2016, Andersen tragically lost her 12-year-old cousin in an ATV accident. In 2020, Andersen also suddenly lost her aunt and Hunter’s mother, Michele. That loss drives her passion for capturing precious moments in her photography.

“In April, Hunter and I went to the fair, rode rides, and took a selfie together,” Andersen said. “Little did we know that two days later, he would be in a four-wheeler accident and pass away at only 12 years old. So, I was the last person that ever took a picture with him. And for a while that really hit me hard, because without that picture I took with him, I would not have had that last memory of him. That is why I love taking pictures. I love to capture memories that you would not think you need until the memory is already gone.”

 Andersen honors the memory of her loved ones through her work by helping others capture moments that they can cherish forever.