Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Rodriguez.
Hi Rachel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I grew up about an hour and a half north of San Diego near Redlands so I am a southern CA girl, born and raised. My photography journey started back in High School around 2009! Since I was little, I was always obsessed with taking photos and in HS decided to take a class and buy my first camera, a little point-and-shoot Canon Rebel! I loved it! In that class, we got to go on “photo walks” and walk around the school/surrounding area taking photos and practicing composition. It really opened my eyes to how fun photography is and how exciting it is to explore places and photograph them. I definitely wanted to be some National Geographic landscape photographer at one point!
After high school, I purchase my first DSLR “professional(ish)” camera and would take photos for coworkers and family here and there as a hobby. It was never a super serious thing but I knew I loved it! I admired some other local photographers so I wanted to do what they were doing but had no clue how to go about it. This hobby of mine went off and on for about 10 years while I was in college and I kept saving from any sessions I did casually until I was able to purchase a professional DSLR camera.
The real turning point in my photography business came in 2019 when my husband and I eloped. I LOVED our wedding photographer and thought her job seemed so fun; I realized it was exactly what I wanted to do! I started scouting beautiful new places to shoot people, did model calls, attended styled shoots, and built up a portfolio. In the middle of 2019, I was finally confident in charging for my work and posting it on social media for the world to see. I was hooked and have been growing my photography business slowly but surely ever since!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Getting to where I am now has not been easy!
It all started with…COVID-19! Since I decided to start a photography business in 2019 things had started moving more as 2020 began and then the pandemic hit. COVID was something that really limited my business from growing just as it had started to take of. Thankfully there were some styled shoots I had attended prior to the “lockdown” which I was able to edit during all the COVID craziness and perfect my editing. I also was able to start doing photos again a few months after the lockdowns since I do most of my work outside and most people felt comfortable enough with being outside at that point. Unfortunately, I think COVID put me a whole year behind when it comes to experience in shooting weddings. I would have loved to have gained experience shooting weddings much earlier than I did!
The COVID lockdowns for us also came with my dad being diagnosed with Glioblastoma (terminal brain cancer). His diagnosis was a huge blow to my entire family and completely unexpected. He was one of my biggest supporters and regardless of how scared he was or how bad he felt he continually encouraged me to pursue my photography dreams. He’s also the reason why we moved to Oceanside!
My dad lived in Vista and we wanted to be closer to him while he was sick so we moved to Oceanside at the end of 2020. The move scared me! It wasn’t too far from home (Redlands) but I was just getting a good base of clients in Redlands and moving to a whole new city felt like it would cause me to have to completely start over again. I hadn’t even taken photos of people at the beach before! With so much encouragement from my dad, a few months of model calls, and getting to know people locally in Oceanside I had a small (but growing) business. I loved showing my dad all of my success in the photos I took of my clients. After every session, he would call me and ask how it went which was so special to me. He encouraged me to pursue my dream throughout his terminal battle with cancer and I’ll forever be so grateful for that!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I used to say I was an “everything” photographer! But over time I’ve realized I LOVE weddings! I can just feel the excitement, emotions, and happiness throughout a wedding day and it feels amazing to get to witness and capture such special moments. I also absolutely love capturing couples and families. I even have some wedding clients that have started coming back to me now for maternity, and then family photos! Getting to follow a couple’s journey from their engagement, to their wedding, to their pregnancy, and then onto them having a family and other big milestones is the best! Plus, I’ve made some seriously special friends that started as clients.
Something I’m super proud of (and that I love) are my locations for photo sessions! I really pride myself in location scouting, it’s like a hobby now! My husband and I will sometimes spend hours or a whole day out in our truck driving around and finding the best secret little hidden spots to bring my photography clients for photos. I just love being able to provide locations that are not only beautiful but also private and intimate so that it feels more comfortable for anyone I’m shooting. I also pride myself in leaving no trace and making sure not to use any kind of location tagging for exact spots! I want to protect all of the beautiful nature we have left around us.
What are your plans for the future?
My future plans are to just continue where I am now and learn more and more as time goes on to improve my skills as a photographer. I know in the photography industry (and other communities) there is a huge “hustle culture” and I really don’t want to fall victim to that. I want to continue to love this job and the people I get to capture without getting burnt out and sick of it. I want to learn to be content with where I’m at and just learn so much more. I’m really looking forward to learning more skills when it comes to shooting and editing and I can’t wait for some of the beautiful venues I get to shoot at this year! I’m a huge sucker for a beautiful wedding venue where I get to be creative with my couples!
Contact Info:
- Website: rachellauraphotography.com
- Instagram: rachellauraphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachellauraphotography/
