Molly Haley

I am a freelance photographer based in Maine, specializing in editorial, portrait, and wedding photography. 

Growing up in a small neighborhood of mostly retirees, my favorite thing to do each day was to visit my neighbors and learn about their lives. People have always fascinated me, and stories continue to be central to my life and work.

After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and having lived and worked extensively in Latin America, I moved to Portland, Maine to study photojournalism, radio, and videography at The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. 

I went on to work for several years as the Director of Multimedia at The Telling Room, a nonprofit creative writing center for youth ages 6-18. There, I taught immigrant and refugee teens tools to share their stories with community. My past work as an educator informed and inspired my own practice as an artist and documentarian.

I have traveled internationally to photograph for nonprofits in Nepal, Honduras, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic, creating imagery that supports educational opportunities for children & indigenous peoples, empowerment & vocational training for women, the protection of endangered species, and the adoption of abandoned animals. I’ve partnered with several New England based nonprofits to visually document their stories. As a photojournalist, I am a regular contributor to magazines such as Down East, Maine Women, and Maine Farms, as well as having been published in O, The Oprah Magazine, on NPR, by The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, PBS Newshour, The Sun, and others. In 2017, I was an artist in residence at Hewnoaks. I’ve photographed weddings all across the country - from here in Maine to New Orleans to Albuquerque. Most recently, I photographed The Healing Garden, a book written by Deb Soule of Avena Botanicals, and published by Chronicle Books in April 2021.

I am an artist who is committed to honestly documenting people and place, creating images that are open and connective, and that bring visibility and awareness to important stories.

I am available for editorial assignments, portraits, weddings and photography projects with community organizations. Please be in touch.

Exhibitions:

Upcoming Portrait Series at Maine Medical Center, 2024.

“Portland 2020” Cove Street Arts, 2020.

“Then.Now.Next” Zero Station, 2020.

“Everyday Maine” Maine Holocaust & Human Rights Center and UNE Art Gallery, 2019.

“Home: Reflections on Place” Portland Public Library, 2018.

“Photo A Go-Go” The Bakery Photo Collective, 2018.

"Changing Face of Maine” a portrait project for the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project that toured throughout Maine, 2017-2018.

“Photos of the Year” Tularosa Basin Gallery of Photography, Carrizozo, New Mexico, 2017-2018

Color Study, Bangor Savings Bank, 2015-2021.

Published: The New York Times, NPR, O, The Oprah Magazine, USA Today, PBS Newshour, The Sun, The Atlantic, People Magazine, Poets & Writers, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The 19th, The Hechinger Report, Smithsonian, Down East Magazine, Edible Maine, Maine Magazine, Amjambo Africa, Walnut Magazine, Yankee Magazine, New Mexico Magazine, Maine Women Magazine, Maine Farms, Decor Magazine, Maine Public Radio, San Francisco Public Radio, The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Literary Hub, The Drake, The New Brewer, Portland Press Herald, Bangor Daily News, LGBT Weddings, & Black Sheep Bride.

Clients Include: BlinkNow, The Nature Conservancy, The Moth, Amigos de Santa Cruz, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, The VIA Agency, National Book Foundation, Tufts University, The Orton Family Foundation, The Aurora Institute, PETA, The Children’s Initiative, Portland Adult Education, Maine Public Radio, Hewnoaks, Allagash Brewing Company, Maine Family Planning, Mabel Wadsworth Center, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, The Theater Project, Sea Change Yoga, Maine Humanities Council, International Institute of New England, Stellar Story Company, American Academy of Nursing, Evergreen Home Performance, Pica, Mechanics’ Hall, This Old House, Catherine Fisher Clothing, Temple Beth El, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, The Telling Room, Coffee by Design, Portland Museum of Art, Maine College of Art & Design, LearningWorks, Opera Maine, Portland Symphony Orchestra, Opera in the Pines, Bangor Savings Bank, Big Brothers Big Sisters, & The Nellie Mae Education Foundation.

Awards & Residencies:

Gold Award from the International Regional Magazine Association for Travel, 2019.

Official Selection in the Maine Outdoor Film Festival for the short film “Bailey and the Alewives" 2018.

Gold Award from the International Regional Magazine Association for Profile, 2018.

Hewnoaks, 2017.

Voted Best Photographer in Portland, Maine in The Portland Phoenix, 2017.

Winner of New Mexico Magazine’s Photography Contest, 2017.

Graduate of the Institute for Civic Leadership, 2014.