I’ve heard it described as a sneeze. It starts with a little tickle until you can’t ignore it anymore. You itch your nose repeatedly but the tickle doesn’t go away until, out of nowhere, you are forced to give way to the sneeze. A sneeze that shakes up your whole body and takes you a few moments to recover from. And only after that body-shaking sneeze will the tickle go away. That is the best description I’ve heard for the seemingly uncontrollable experience of deciding to hike the entire Appalachian Trail.

In mid-2006, I started getting the tickles until I could no longer ignore them. I set out to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine the following March.

Somewhere between Georgia and Maine, I realized when I came home things would be different. I wanted to do something I loved. At that point, as I was working on the hardest thing I’d ever done physically, I decided that if I could accomplish my goal of hiking the Appalachian Trail I could probably accomplish my dream of a career in photography, something I denied myself as I changed majors approximately 13 times in college.

So, here I am. One amazing dream grew into another and I am honored to be present during the most memorable times in my clients’ lives.

Nicole Haley Photography opened its doors in 2009 and I haven't looked back.

Today, I live in Ann Arbor with my two sons and my husband and try to get outside every chance I can get. Some of my very favorite things include: mountains, cabins in the woods, post offices, the Leelanau Peninsula, hiking/camping/being outside, farmers markets, and cider and donuts in the fall!