M2 Photo Journey
Welcome to M2 Photo Journey, which is a collaboration between Mary and Michael Hayes. Photography began as a childhood interest for Mike and has grown into a serious endeavor. He created his first photography website to share our life and travels with long distance family and friends. With his family’s encouragement, Mike created a professional website for his small business, M. J. Hayes Photography, so he could share his love for photography as an art form more broadly. In the past few years, especially since retirement, Mike studied photography in more depth, expanded his experience behind the lens, and honed his photographic processing skills.
When Mary retired, we thought about how we could work together as photographer and educator, using our different areas of expertise to help others learn about and share their experiences with fine art photography. This shift from a one-person shop to two, caused us to refashion M. J. Hayes Photography into a collaborative business model. Thus, M2 Photo Journey was born.
Our vision for M2 Photo Journey, includes you as collaborators. We know from our own experience that each of us tells different stories through photography. Recently, while taking pictures side by side of the same beautiful scenery, we captured very different images that told different stories about the land and people. We know that good photographs of people, places, and events resonate with others because they elicit memories and feelings. That connection was conveyed to us by a woman that we met on a recent hike. She wished that she had known more about photography, so that she could have more memorable photographs of her life partner, who is now deceased, in their favorite park. We want M2 Photo Journey to be the place for you to enjoy fine art photography, as well as make connections with others. We want you to be able to discuss your ideas, knowing there is no right or wrong perspective, only differences. Therefore, we invite you on our photo journey, making everyone’s experience much bigger than ours alone. You will be able to contribute to future discussions on our blog and Facebook posts.
Michael Hayes
I have had a life-long passion for photography. Growing up, I spent much time hiking and exploring in the woods of New England where I developed a love of simple woodland scenery. There are a variety of themes to my images, however, the primary focus is woodland landscapes, cityscapes, the sea, and festivals. While many images are from the Northeastern United States, I have recently discovered the American Southwest and have been striving to capture its unique beauty.
Mary Hayes
Taking photographs is new to me. I have always preferred being in the moment than reliving the moment through photographs. However, on a recent trip, Mike noticed that when I did pull out my phone for a snapshot, I captured something different from him, and that my photographs were compelling. So, he handed me one of his cameras and I started my journey into becoming a photographer.
Artists' Statement
Our art has a primary focus on landscape themes, with a goal of reflecting the beauty of the world around us. We know that people’s taste in photographs varies greatly; some adamantly feel that a photograph should be a totally realistic, while others believe in artistic license. This is similar to how people react to Rembrandt’s and Picasso’s painting styles. We strive to ensure that our photographs reflect the emotional impact of the scene as we saw it. To that end, we freely use artistic license to manipulate the images in order to best achieve that goal. We also use both modern digital methods, as well as large-format film.
All photographs are printed using archival methods to ensure long-term quality and maximum longevity of the images. Fine art photographic images are available for purchase as individual fine art prints, as well as folio collections.
M2 Photo Journey Juried Exhibitions
STEaM Photography Show
October-December 2018
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Albuquerque, NM
Autumnal Show
October 2017
Soho Arthouse
New York, NY
Chromatic Visions
March 2016
Caelum Gallery
New York, NY
Solo Exhibition
June 2015
Madison Public Library
Madison, NJ
Captured: A Moment in Time
February 2014
Soho Arthouse
New York, NY