I'm Rach
<-- This is me
Hi! Hello! Howdy……..
I created my professional social media presence 2012, so I figured I would post an updated introduction of yours truly. This will probably be filled with tons of unnecessary words and incorrect punctuation……..I love them both and tend to overshare.
I’m Rachel. I’m a single mom to a 6 yr old girl that is my entire world and two cats named Bunny & Titus. If it were up to she & I, we would have a house on lots of acreage and a gazillion rescue animals #goals. For now, we are keeping it simple.
I guess you could call me a seasonal, natural-light photographer. What I mean by that…..is that even though my heart craves to create ALL OF THE DAYS……I do NOT have a studio and therefore am only able to shoot outside during optimal mid-west weather months. May-December (if it’s mild…..no one needs frozen snot running down their nostril for pictures)
I have been shooting since I was 15 years old. My parents got me a film DSLR that Christmas and I fell in love with it. The fact that the device I was holding had the power of capturing light onto film that could be processed into an image. MAGIC. I was that girl who would shoot rolls & rolls of pictures at school in the halls of my friends, volunteer to take sports photos (even though I wasn’t on the yearbook team) and make my family pets do photo shoots. I would then take those umpteen rolls and run my happy butt to Walmart to have them developed immediately. Waiting has never been a strong suit for me. So……. along comes me turning 17 and given the opportunity to work in a DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO as well as be introduced to Photoshop. I couldn’t believe it. The instant results and being able to manipulate the pixels with a computer program. From 17 on I kept shooting digital but made sure to sneak in a couple darkroom classes in college because film is what made me fall in love with photography.
Since then, I have shot weddings, tried my hand at newborn, seniors, families, etc. I can honestly tell you at the age of 37 that I have finally narrowed down what I will and won’t shoot. Along with making that decision I have also had to set some serious boundaries for my services. I know what makes my heart happy and what gives me anxiety. If my heart is excited for a session, it will show in the results and opposite of that……if it brings me anxiousness…….it also shows in the results, not in a good way. Therefore, I no longer do weddings/newborns/event photography. Along with anxiousness is scheduling which brings me to my next point:
I am a full-time 911 Dispatcher. I have been for 19 years. It is my full-time career. Between the satisfaction I get from being able to help people during work hours and balancing my emotionally hard times with my photography…..it makes a huge part of who I am. Anyone who works in public safety or nursing/etc knows that the schedule is challenging. We are 24/7/365 which often makes for 10 or 12 hour shifts working all weekends & holidays. This is another reason why I do not book time sensitive things such as newborns/weddings/events. It’s one thing to have to reschedule a family session or senior session should I get called into work, but those other things can’t be rescheduled…….even thinking of letting someone down on that level makes me nervous breathe.
Now…….a characteristic FLAW YET SUPERPOWER! I have ADHD. Big Time. LOL. Most of the time I use this as a huge strength because along with it, comes empathy and a dopamine rush when I make someone happy with my work. BUT…..I may fumble over words/say things that absolutely do NOT make sense(I fought dyslexia as a child) and forget names as soon as they’re told to me (even if I have known you for years). IT IS NOT PERSONAL, it’s literally my brain being wonky. Sometimes this also may affect my messaging back/forth with you. I swear if you were to look inside my brain it probably looks like a light bulb flickering in a haunted house.
I use some of my downtime for educational videos on how to do better and improve my work/interaction/flow for you and practice as much as I can. Technology is forever evolving, and I do not like to fall behind.
So this is the dish on me. I love when people choose me to create for them, it’s a true honor and I do NOT take it for granted. I hope to keep growing in my trade. If for some reason I can’t help you, I will whole-heartedly research to help you find someone who can. The ONLY person I am ever in competition with is myself. I LOVE sending folks to other artists who I think would serve their needs better.
Lastly…..here’s a face to put to a name. Most of the time when you see me, I’ll probably look like this with my hair in a messy bun. I’ll also probably be wearing clothes that stretch because you know…..I have to sometimes put myself into weird stances to photograph you or your family……clearly that makes me someone who should be wearing an “athletes clothing” LOL. Please know that even though I might be makeup free, it doesn’t affect my ability to produce beautiful looks on my customers. I just am not a fan of sweating my face off while working.
Thank you for reading, it’s nice to meet you and I *hope* to work with you for either the first time or again soon.
XOXO
Rach
CONTACT US
Do you have any questions or just want to say hi?