In this insightful conversation, Rachel from Obscura Studios discusses her creative journey as a self-taught photographer and how she transformed her passion into a successful business. She highlights the importance of embracing personal style—describing hers as emotional, nostalgic, and ethereal—and explores how mastering both the art and business sides of photography has shaped her career.

Rachel openly shares lessons from her professional journey, including overcoming creative doubts, embracing failure, and the pivotal moments that shaped her distinctive visual style. She explains the significance of storytelling, capturing authentic emotions, and how she harnesses natural light to create compelling images.

Listeners will gain practical advice on finding their artistic voice, managing the realities of entrepreneurship, and marketing themselves authentically. Rachel also reveals behind-the-scenes details of her creative process, editing techniques, and why gear doesn’t always define the photographer.

Whether you’re an aspiring photographer or creative entrepreneur, this episode provides encouragement, relatable stories, and actionable insights to inspire you on your creative journey.

Sarah Faith (00:00)
Hey everyone, thank you so much for tuning in. I am about to introduce a beautiful photographer named Rachel and she has been doing photography for a long time and I'm excited to interview her not just on her creative process but how she built a full-fledged photography business and we're just gonna dive into her whole story and hopefully it'll be an encouragement to anyone no matter their industry but especially photographers.

So Rachel, thank you for tuning in.

Rachel (00:31)
Yeah, well, thank you guys. I've honestly been a fan of what you're doing with your marketing and branding stuff. So feel like we're on the same wavelength with everything. And I love that.

Sarah Faith (00:42)
Yes. Awesome. Yeah, thank you so much. Yeah,

I before this meeting, I was just telling Rachel's like we're huge fans. Me and Tim, the other co-studio and we are huge fans of Rachel's work. Like Rachel, you shot for our families, like for weddings, for baby announcements and stuff. And we're just genuine fans. So.

Can you tell us a little bit of how you got into photography? Like, was there a moment that sparked it all for you?

Rachel (01:14)
Yeah, I mean it happened a long time ago, because I'm a lot older than what everyone thinks. but I honestly started as an artist. Like I paint, I draw, I do a lot of that stuff. I think I was around maybe 15 when I picked up on those little, you know, early 2000s point and shoot cameras. Ever since then, like I haven't looked back. Like I've used my dad's old photography gear, because when he was my age and younger, he used to dab

in photography a little bit. So think that's where I get it from. But my inspiration was honestly, was to me another medium, almost like an oil painting or a watercolor or something like that. So when I picked up that little point and shoot, I'd run it through these online editing programs. I would sit there for hours doing that. I do photo shoots for my friends and you know, back then they looked horrible. So I guess that's the beauty of it. You have to start somewhere.

Sarah Faith (01:53)
Yeah.

Of course.

Yeah.

Rachel (02:12)
That's

where I started and I honestly enjoyed the shooting but also the editing even if it started so humbly like that. And then after that I got into film and I was really young like maybe 17, 18. But I bought a film camera off eBay. It was a dollar fifty so I won the bid. It was broken. I honestly still have that camera and I still use it on my shoots for real.

Sarah Faith (02:20)
Mm-hmm.

That's amazing.

Rachel (02:40)
And that propelled me more into professional photography, know, like the film speed, you know, aperture, all of that stuff. And I feel like that really taught me the fundamentals and basics and that kind of, got hooked after that. So.

Sarah Faith (02:45)
Wow.

That's incredible. What is it about photography that, like out of any form of art that you could do that really just inspires you to not just do it as a hobby, but also like professionally?

Rachel (03:09)
And that part can be a little hard, but I think it's the magic in it. And I try and bring that even to professional paid shoots. I love knowing when I got that shot. I think that inspires me to see my client or even a product feel and look beautiful. That's my main goal, especially hearing from clients, thank you, you made me look pretty. And that's what I want to do. And I think that just keeps me going, even when I want to hang it up sometimes.

Sarah Faith (03:14)
Mm-hmm.

Hmm.

Rachel (03:38)
Okay, have people say, oh, you got my angles, you got it like every time. And that's kind of what keeps me going with it. And the light, I love light. Like that's my biggest thing. Like I'll even sit in my apartment, just look at the way light plays on the floor and I'm you know, that's really pretty. Yeah, it's maybe the most random or stupid thing, but I think I just see it differently.

Sarah Faith (03:55)
You're like, click, click.

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (04:03)
When I

photograph, that's all I see. I have to put myself into that mode, but it inspires me. So it's people and, you know, like the light and it's my art. It's almost like another form of painting to me.

Sarah Faith (04:09)
Definitely.

Mm-hmm.

Definitely. that's so beautiful. And I can totally see that too, just in your style. So your website for everyone listening is ObscuraStudios.com and then you have a beautiful Instagram page and it'll take two seconds for anyone scrolling to see what you're talking about with the light. It's very obvious. Yeah. And I remember you shooting for one of my sister's

Rachel (04:21)
you.

Thank you. I'm glad that's obvious.

Sarah Faith (04:42)
weddings, Anna, and the photos were just magical. It was a country wedding and there was a tent set up, but you really just captured the atmosphere and what everyone was feeling on that day. I think anybody can point and shoot a camera, can you actually get into, can you capture the essence of that day?

Rachel (05:03)
Yeah.

Sarah Faith (05:10)
I just couldn't imagine another photographer doing that.

Rachel (05:13)
Thank you.

That's what I love to do. I think if you capture that emotion, it always translates. Like you have to actually get in there and feel it. can't just, you know, snap, snap. Like you have to look at it as a piece of art. Even someone's wedding, it's a beautiful day. So why not just bring those emotions into your art? So I love it.

Sarah Faith (05:18)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

No, it's amazing. Are you formally taught or are you more self-taught, would you say?

Rachel (05:41)
Mostly self-taught. I

don't think I ever took a class in photography at all. Maybe, I think there was like an intro one in college, but it was an audio, video, like visual class. But I had no teaching, professional teaching in photography. I just learned it myself.

Sarah Faith (05:55)
Okay.

That's amazing. Was there any like influences for you? Like when you were starting out or do you have someone even today you're like, I love their style or I love how they capture these these special moments.

Rachel (06:15)
I didn't have too much influence growing up. would just, you know, scroll the internet, YouTube and look up, you know, photographers I'd like. I also read a lot.

Sarah Faith (06:18)
Mm-hmm.

Rachel (06:27)
So I think a lot of it comes from all the old photography books I have. I used to sit there and read through art books and photo books and I'm a very visual person. Sometimes just seeing other people's work. Like there's one, I can't remember her name. She's a street photographer.

Sarah Faith (06:31)
Yeah.

Rachel (06:45)
I think it's Lisette Modell maybe. Her stuff is stunning. Like that's one, I would just sit there and read her books and look at all of her photos she did. So if you have a chance, check her out. Beautiful work.

Sarah Faith (06:48)
Okay.

Yeah,

that's beautiful. You mentioned earlier about like a little bit of your style and like finding that light and everything. And so I wanted to explore your artistic style and like how that developed because I'm sure how you shoot now is very different. Your editing process is different than when you were like, you know, a young girl. But how would you describe your photography style in a few words?

Rachel (07:14)
yeah.

I think probably emotional, a little nostalgic.

Sarah Faith (07:29)
Definitely,

Rachel (07:30)
light and dark because I feel like a lot of things is just there it's in your face like I want to show both sides like we can't have light without dark and shadows and to me that makes the light 10 times more beautiful so if you go and look at your my work I think you'll see a lot of that it's almost like those old paintings can't remember his name too but it's like a I forget

Sarah Faith (07:38)
Mm-hmm.

Right.

Rachel (07:56)
Renaissance painter, but he would use those light and dark in his painting. It's not Michelangelo, it's another guy. I just can't remember his name. Carvagio, I think that's one, yeah. I think he used a lot of that technique. I love it. Like, I just love seeing like that little pool of light on somebody's face or on someone's hand or on a product or drink or food or something like that.

Sarah Faith (08:05)
Da Vinci, Carbaggio, ⁓ what? Yeah, Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (08:25)
Yeah, that's definitely one thing. Like, I pull a lot from that. And hopefully it shows in my work.

Sarah Faith (08:28)
That's beautiful.

No, definitely. could see that connection. I was recently in Italy and Caravaggio is like everywhere. And what a beautiful painter. And he really worked with light a lot. that was just one of his stylistic choices. then there's also this moodiness in his paintings and stuff.

Yeah, it's just, beautiful. Definitely one of my top favorite painters and everything. Yeah. And do you remember like a time when you first felt like you found your style when you're like, oh yeah, this is the kind of vibe I want to.

Rachel (08:54)
Fantastic.

Yeah, I

didn't have like a one day it happened thing. It was probably mostly over the last few years, which is pretty recent. Like I'm to the point now where I'll just say no to somebody if it's not what I can do for them with my work. I mean, I've worked, this is kind of going off a little bunny trail.

Sarah Faith (09:10)
Yeah.

Rachel (09:28)
But I've been asked to do like lighter and brighter photos for people before, which is okay. Like they're hiring me. I want to make sure I get their vision. But I am not good at that. And that's okay. And I think I realized.

Sarah Faith (09:31)
Yeah.

Yeah. ⁓

Rachel (09:42)
one time when someone asked me for that I like I'm not that kind of photographer like I truly deep down know what I create and it's not that. That was a few years ago and I think that's when I realized like hey this is my style I don't need to budge from that for anyone which I will.

Sarah Faith (09:50)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (10:02)
depends, but very, very rarely. So I think that's what kind of pushed me into, hey, like, just be yourself, keep creating, nobody has to understand it, nobody has to want it, but it's me. And I'm not going to change from that.

Sarah Faith (10:04)
Yeah.

Definitely, yeah. When you mentioned the word like magic earlier, the word that came to mind for me for your style is like ethereal. Like it has this like almost otherworldly like vibe to it. And it's just, it's beautiful. And I'm like, it's like, it's kind of like how you wish the world looked, you know? And yeah, there you go. ⁓

Rachel (10:38)
Yes, yes. That's exactly

you put it into words. cannot go to the floor.

Sarah Faith (10:44)
Yeah,

well, I'm a fan. And I've looked at so many photos and I'm like, yeah. And it's almost like even if I wasn't at that shoot or in that moment, it's almost like you help people transition to that place. ⁓ yeah, so there's a lot of storytelling that's going on in that process.

Rachel (11:01)
Good, I hope so.

Thank you.

Sarah Faith (11:09)
Before we talk about your actual creative process and the art of shooting, I wanted to ask if like, because we were just talking about style, ⁓ what advice would you give to photographers struggling to find their own style? Any advice that would be helpful for them?

Rachel (11:17)
Mm-hmm.

them.

Yeah.

my gosh, yeah. One for me was try anything at first. mean, you'll know when something's not right for you. Try the light, bright, know, all this gear, artificial light. That's not me. Yes, I can do it, but I need it. Like, I honestly loathe it. Some people are geniuses with it, but I am not, and that's okay. I think it's important, like somebody might try that.

Sarah Faith (11:35)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Rachel (11:54)
type of photography and love it. And I know people who do, but I think you just have to try things. You'll know what you like. Like for me, I love harsh, direct light, natural light. I do like some direct flash here and there, but like that's what I truly love. Cause when I play with that, I feel happy. And I think people need to try and like, you don't have to fit molds for anyone, which I think a lot of photographers do.

Sarah Faith (11:58)
Mm.

No.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Rachel (12:22)
So just do what you like. I mean, we have enough

of the same, so just be yourself and enjoy it. Don't be scared to put your work out there at all.

Sarah Faith (12:31)
Yeah, definitely.

mean, I could see, I'm not a photographer, but I could see how if you're trying to get a client especially, and you're wanting to pay your rent, there can be this temptation to settle or to step outside of your normal style. And that's okay, because every shoot comes with lessons. And if you're getting...

Rachel (12:45)
Yeah.

Thank

you.

Sarah Faith (12:57)
if you're getting paid, you're getting paid. I

think as you develop and grow, you can become more choosy and be like, you know what? That's not my style. That's not my niche. I don't want to do that.

Rachel (13:01)
Yeah.

Exactly. It's like I don't want to do it.

Because you know that you're not going to do your best work if it's not something you enjoy either. There's been times since I still do it. like, hey, have bills to pay. Yes, I'll do this event or I'll do this. That's OK. Because like you said, there's lessons in that too. And they're fun sometimes.

Sarah Faith (13:16)
Mm.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. And also too, like even the clients can be so great. Like even if like, that it's like, okay, yeah, definitely. I'd love to hear about like the art of shooting for you, like your creative process and like kind of how you shoot, how you think, how you see, like we keep talking about that, but like more walk us through like your actual process, like from concept to shoot and like

Rachel (13:34)
know what? Sometimes you're the best.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Sarah Faith (13:56)
How do ideas for these photos come to you specifically?

Rachel (14:01)
Yeah,

so generally if it's a client creative portrait shoot, a lot of times they'll come to me with their idea. A lot of times it's not completely fleshed out though and they're just like, here I have a few pictures, I just want it to kind of look like this. Or I have these props, this is what I want. I'm like, okay, so I...

Sarah Faith (14:10)
Mm.

Rachel (14:24)
usually take what they give me. We email back and forth for a while, which isn't my favorite part, but I do it. No, I sit down and do them, but, ⁓ well, usually after that, once we agree on a vision, location, I put mood boards together. I know a lot of photographers do that, but I make it collaborative, because I'm like, yeah, this is going to work for you. And then they'll be like, I have this that works, and we usually mesh them together.

Sarah Faith (14:30)
I don't like emails either.

Yeah.

Hmm.

That's nice.

Rachel (14:53)
And I'll be

honest, I don't go into a lot of shoots with these strict rules ever unless I have to. But for the creative ones, like we just take our stuff to the location, studio, nature, and we just go. And I feel like it just flows. It's hard to describe. It's almost like when you're painting. If you're an artist, you get in that zone. It's the same way with photography for me, which is really cool.

Sarah Faith (15:21)
Yeah, no, that's it.

Rachel (15:21)
So I'm more of

a DIY, I'm not like your technical, typical photographer. Sometimes I hate that I'm not. But I am so DIY, like I'll use prisms, I'll shoot through like plastic bags. I think put Vaseline on filters and I shoot through that. So I'm very experimental, I guess. But I know what I want and that makes it work for me.

Sarah Faith (15:26)
You

I love it.

That's amazing.

That's amazing. I mean, it's because like, it sounds like you're leaving room for improvisation versus just coming in and being like, no, I have to stay rigid. And, ⁓ and then that also then speaks to the this like creative, the word ethereal is coming again, you know, look in these photos and these concepts and stuff. And I'm, I'm thinking that's why like, the clients that seek you out are the ones that seek you out because they're like,

Rachel (15:51)
Damn.

Yes.

No less.

Yeah. Yes.

Sarah Faith (16:13)
No one else is doing that, you know? ⁓ And we,

Rachel (16:14)
That's what I love.

Sarah Faith (16:16)
yeah, like we're in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, everyone, and the amount of photographers in this town is at an all-time high. my goodness, there's so, I feel like everyone I meet is a photographer of some sorts. And it's great, you know, but I'm like, there's only a few that I'm like, are at this like top tier and you're definitely one of those.

Rachel (16:29)
I know.

Yeah.

Yeah, oh my

gosh. See, I don't see myself like that at all. always, I should probably flip that a little bit. But sometimes I'm like, oof, I need to get out of my head. Because, you know, at the end of the day, it's a lot of work. I've had busy seasons and slow ones. Slow ones, I go get a part-time job or I do something else. And that's okay. Like, I think, you know, photographers need to realize that it's not easy.

Sarah Faith (16:42)
⁓ I do.

Yeah, definitely.

Yeah.

Definitely. Yeah,

I mean, and we're going to talk a little bit about like the business side of photography because like that's its own because there's like Tim and I, talked so much about this about how like there's the skill set of your actual work and then there's the actual marketing of your work. And most creatives are like, I just want to take pictures or I just want to paint or I just want to play piano or I just want to make candles. I don't want to market myself.

Rachel (17:12)
Yeah.

That's I'm bringing in.

It's hard.

Sarah Faith (17:32)
But before we get into that, what gear do you shoot with? And how much does gear actually matter to a photographer?

Rachel (17:42)
Um, I shoot with Sony cameras mostly. I'm so bad with gear. I don't even remember the name on the one. It's like an A7 or a 4. That's horrible. I shouldn't. My other one is honestly a 15 year old Sony A900. I love that thing. I cannot give it up. I don't know what it is, but I have this connection with it. I'll usually bring both to my shoots because I like the look.

Sarah Faith (17:46)
Mm-hmm.

That's okay.

That's so great.

Rachel (18:11)
of one gives me and then I like the look of the other one. So that's how weird I am.

Sarah Faith (18:15)
Yeah, no, I

love it. You can get attached to it. You feel comfortable with that gear.

Rachel (18:20)
Yes,

exactly. And it almost has like compared to newer models, like a film like quality, it's still super, you know, high res and everything. And I love it. It's just my baby. But that's what I use for gear. And then I use my prisms.

Sarah Faith (18:33)
That's awesome.

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (18:39)
I love a lot of those stylized filters too, like the little starburst ones, the hazy ones. A lot of those you can DIY, you don't have to spend a hundred bucks on them. Just FYI.

Sarah Faith (18:51)
Yeah. Yeah, it doesn't have to be expensive. I think

too, like what's nice for photographers is like, you don't have to start out with the most expensive camera. Like you could just really just start off with something cheap. Maybe it's a dollar 50 off of eBay situation and create beautiful, beautiful things for people. And then, you know, over time you could

Rachel (19:02)
Exactly.

Sarah Faith (19:17)
you could upgrade, but if you find something that works, just stick with it.

Rachel (19:20)
Misuse

it, exactly. And I think that's the biggest misconception. Yes, it's expensive, but there's ways. I mean, I think you should get a good camera eventually.

Sarah Faith (19:31)
Yeah.

Rachel (19:32)
But you don't have to break the bank like make sure you have good like hard draw external hard drives a good computer to edit Memory cards and a solid camera and you'll be fine. Like you have to look at it as an art tool I guess because your vision is technically like the medium. You know what I mean? It's like a camera isn't going to make your art for you Like you have to do that at the end of the day

Sarah Faith (19:48)
Hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Rachel (19:58)
I think people need to reframe it like that a little. You can use anything. I can use my phone and take a great picture. ⁓

Sarah Faith (20:01)
Hmm.

Right. Yeah,

that's a really beautiful way of putting it because I think I could see how some people would think like, well, if I don't have the best equipment, then I can't tell a compelling story. And that's not true. know, like, to your point using like an iPhone is you can take some really nice photos and yeah.

Rachel (20:14)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Exactly.

Yeah, they're great. Oh, I have too.

Sarah Faith (20:30)
Um, so Tim, my business partner, he is also a photographer, as you know, and he, yes. And he had a request and I said, oh, don't worry, I'm going to ask her. Um, but we wanted to know about the magic of your editing and like your post-processing insight and just kind of reveal how editing shapes the final vision. So how much of your final image is captured in camera versus, um, achieved in post-processing?

Rachel (20:35)
It's a good one.

What?

You're the chur!

can do that.

I'd say it's probably like 50-50. I like to make sure my exposure and everything's the way I want it on camera. And I hate editing things out. So I try not to do any of that. Like most of my stuff's pretty raw, unedited, except for my colors, like film green. So I'd say probably like 50-50, like on camera and post. Like I love editing too.

Sarah Faith (21:27)
Yeah.

Rachel (21:28)
So I tend to shoot darker on camera, which I don't, maybe I'm nuts, but like when I run it through post, I think I get like more depthy shadows and like richer colors. Like, so I shoot a little darker than most people, but for me it works. I don't know why. But then the other thing, like I try and keep my styles consistent. So I have...

Sarah Faith (21:38)
Hmm.

Yeah.

Rachel (21:51)
A lot of my editing colors and styles I save as my presets and then I just apply those and then work with them. So I want to make sure like my stuff looks like me. So there's been, think I have a preset I made years ago and I still use it. Like I use the same ones that I made from like probably eight years ago. But then like I know there's a lot of misconceptions with presets too. I...

Sarah Faith (22:00)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm

Wow.

Rachel (22:19)
Each photo's different, like even if you do apply that or apply the same colors, same tones, you still have to sit there and adjust it. Like, I don't know if everyone does that, but I'm very manual with my post, like my editing. That's why it takes me forever to edit one gallery. I'm like, no, this has to be perfect. This has to be perfect. I can't just run it through like an AI editing thing. Like that would drive me nuts. That is, but I can't.

Sarah Faith (22:31)
Yeah.

Yeah, oh gosh, don't even get me started.

Oh man.

Rachel (22:48)
Yeah,

I feel like I treat the post editing, it's again like my art, like I'll adjust these tiny little highlights here, a little bit of color here, and then I'm like, okay, when that's perfect, now we can move on. So it's, don't like that.

Sarah Faith (23:04)
Mm-hmm.

Do you have a consistent editing workflow or does it vary per project, would you say?

Rachel (23:11)
Mine's pretty consistent. It never used to be, but I've gotten

a lot better with that. Like I'm my own worst enemy with procrastination. So now I actually have to have a task list and I have to get things on that list done that day or I cannot go to bed. So like with my workflow,

Sarah Faith (23:22)
my god.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rachel (23:33)
I'll have, oh, this gallery I need to finish today. So I'll sit there until it's done. Like I'll get up and make coffee or answer some emails, but my workflow has to be finished or I'm gonna be, I'm gonna keep repeating that pattern over and over again. So it could take me hours. Like I'll sit here sometimes for a long time, but it works for me, so.

Sarah Faith (23:48)
Yeah.

Yeah,

that's the nice thing about working for yourself too, is that you learn how you work and your process and it can take time. yeah, the goal is then to create systems that just work for you. ⁓

Rachel (24:01)
Yeah.

⁓ yeah.

yeah, well that's the biggest

thing too, because I never used to have systems. And now I have to have my task list or I'm lost. Like I'll just, I think it's ADHD or something. like, what's around here? Do this. I'm like, no, you need to sit down and actually tackle these things. So yeah, it's hard. But it's, ⁓ keep working on it. Yeah.

Sarah Faith (24:22)
same.

You're like, focus, stay focused. Yeah. I think, you know, it's like a story for creatives, like where they're just, they have so

many tabs open in their brain and they're like, I just need to just do the task, get it done.

Rachel (24:43)
Yup.

and finish it. That's the hardest thing to do, I feel like.

Sarah Faith (24:48)
Definitely. Definitely. What tools

or software do you swear by that you're like, this is for my editing and this is what I love and it's tried and true?

Rachel (25:02)
Yeah, for editing Lightroom randomly I'll use Photoshop for if I have to do some bigger edits. But yeah, that's all I use for a little bit of video and like social media stuff. Probably just CapCut and Canva, but I rarely use those either. I'm trying to get better at marketing. Yeah, mostly that's my thing. And then I got

Sarah Faith (25:25)
Yeah.

Rachel (25:29)
Just downloaded an app, it's called Todoist. It's a task app. I'm trying to make sure I the name right. It's T-O-D-O-I-S-T. It's fantastic. I put my tasks in there and just complete them every day. It feels so good when I got them all done. So that's another yes. It makes this little noise. It makes me happy. And I'm like, all right. It keeps me in line. So I'd say those things like task management.

Sarah Faith (25:47)
all across.

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (25:57)
and my editing software and I'm good to go. Very bare bones.

Sarah Faith (26:01)
I love that. it simple. Keep it simple, Rachel. Keep it simple, Sarah. I'm curious about the real journey, the successes, the failures, the lessons of being a photographer. And because this is how we grow, right? I would love to say that, yeah, start a photography business or start a creative design studio and it will just be only wins all day long.

Rachel (26:03)
Yes. It worked.

think

that's what it's gonna be.

Sarah Faith (26:27)
Yeah, you think you would think

what's one of the biggest challenge challenges that you've faced in your photography journey?

Rachel (26:36)
There's a lot of those. think the biggest one though is the not giving up part. And I'm sure you understand with what you guys are doing.

it's like a roller coaster. You'll have a few really good months and then there's some months not one client and half the time it's like why am I doing this? Am I just stubborn? But I think for me that's the hardest part is that inconsistency and I think it just turns into it's like a battle. It's like I'm gonna find a way to pivot here or I can just give up.

Sarah Faith (26:55)
Hmm.

Yeah, yeah.

Mm-mm.

Rachel (27:12)
And that's been like my biggest step in my growth. Like I'm not that successful by any means. Like I have great months, I have bad months. But I think it's in those bad months that like that's where you find your courage and your discipline to keep going. I've never had that before. Only in the last five years have I seen that grown.

A lot of it's to do with God too. Like I have a really good relationship with God now that I didn't have before. I mean, we all still struggle a little, but for me it's like I need to learn to just let go. I don't need to control everything. And I know that's like, that's what keeps me going during the hard parts and during the good parts. Like you still need to rely on God and keep it going when things are good or else you'll fall back a little bit.

Sarah Faith (27:37)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. that's so good. Yeah, like just the, it's a up and down journey and it never stops. Like it feels like there's always work, not just physical work, but like inner work that's happening too. And there's a lot of self responsibility that has to happen in order to do entrepreneurship. ⁓ Yeah, cause it's like you can't,

Rachel (28:11)
Yeah. No.

my gosh.

Sarah Faith (28:28)
can't really blame anyone. It's like, okay, like I'm the chokehold. Yeah, I'm the chokehold of my business. it's definitely a roller coaster. like, can feel like entrepreneurship in my mind can feel like it's a tightrope of bravery and stupidity. you're just like, why am I doing this sometimes? And then you have these

Rachel (28:31)
ew. Yeah. Yeah.

yeah, that is so true.

Yeah.

Sarah Faith (28:52)
beautiful winds and I love that you brought up God because that's a big part of it's the part of our success with Stump and Root is like, I don't know how people do business without God personally. Yeah, definitely. It's just so scary and I, but I

Rachel (29:09)
I'd terrified,

Damn it.

Sarah Faith (29:19)
I you for not giving up and for seeing a way through. Yeah, because like your success rate for getting through those bad days is 100%. Like you're here, you've made it and you made it out. And yeah, I just, I commend you for that. And I understand the struggle because it can be like, wait, why am I doing this? And should I just quit? Maybe it'd be easier to get a job, but.

Rachel (29:23)
We're fall action.

I figured it out.

Sarah Faith (29:49)
Yeah, but I think that there's so many lessons too in the low points. If anything, we actually learn more in our failures than we learn in our wins. Which brings me to my next question. Have you ever had a shoot that didn't go as planned and what did you learn?

Rachel (29:56)
Yes.

through.

Oh yeah, there's, I'm trying to think of one in particular. I mean, for the most part, they've been pretty good. There's been, we had a creative shoot a couple years ago, 2023 maybe?

Sarah Faith (30:19)
Mm-hmm.

Rachel (30:28)
was with my friend Helen, a bunch of other photographers and models. We had it in Annapolis, Maryland. So we were driving for a while from Lancaster. I picked my friend Krista up, who's another photographer. That whole shoot did not go to plan. It was a disaster from the start. But I'm just listening.

Sarah Faith (30:32)
Mm-hmm.

Rachel (30:50)
So we get to that we're supposed to shoot on the beach and do like this whole beach themed. It was almost like a. It's hard to describe, but it is on my page. It was for like a Christmas themed shoot, but more like light and dark vibe, stuff like that. So we get to the beach, starts pouring rain. I was like, great. This is great. It was freezing, pouring rain. And then the beach with the park that we went to closed because we were waiting for the other models to arrive and they were late.

So that was closed. had nowhere to go to do this shoot. So we drove again, found this random beach on our maps. So we got there and it was a private one, like no trespassing. We weren't allowed on it. Keep in mind it was almost pitch black out at this point. We saw the little bit of lights. We're like, let's just do it. So we parked at this wedding venue that had a wedding going on, which was a blessing in disguise because it distracted them from seeing us.

It was cold, raining. I don't know how we pulled it off, but we managed to do our whole shoot on the beach. We had no lighting whatsoever. It was dark. I didn't bring a flash, nothing. We were using our cell phone flashlights for lighting. So if you go and scroll on my Instagram, you'll see them. You can't tell it was lit like that. It was honestly probably some of my best work ever.

Sarah Faith (32:05)
my gosh.

Really? Wow.

Rachel (32:17)
considering

the circumstances, like I couldn't have done that without everyone involved. Like we all just came together and made it happen. And the photos are stunning. Like I love them. I usually like to pick apart my shoots. I'm like, I hated this, hated that. But that one came out the best. And I think it shows like you got to struggle to get to that point of like beauty and like creating something amazing. So yeah, that.

Sarah Faith (32:25)
Wow. ⁓

Really?

Yeah, that's

beautiful. Yeah, that's, that's inspiring. It's like all it's like everything's falling apart and yet.

Rachel (32:45)
disaster and then it wasn't.

Oh, it was. was, I

was really crying. Like we were to the point where I was like a drowned rat. I don't know. I still don't know how we did it. We just, everyone pulled together and made it happen. So.

Sarah Faith (33:04)
Mm-hmm. That's

beautiful. Yeah, so much of art too is collaborative. I've always said, like, I don't believe that anyone is self-made. Like when someone's like, I'm a self-made millionaire, I'm a self-made solopreneur, I'm like, no, you're not. Like at some point, ⁓ yeah, at some point someone helped you. And so that sounds like even though it was a hard moment, it was a proud moment too for you as a photographer.

Rachel (33:10)
Yeah.

Exactly.

You had help.

It was and it realized, it

made me realize that like you're not alone in anything you do. Like there's always people, like there's good people out there. I know it's, struggle to think like that sometimes, but just lately I've been realizing there's people there who will lift you up. And then when it's your turn to lift someone up, like do the same for them or someone else. And like, we're not isolated. We're humans. Like we need that connection. And even for shoots like that, it

Sarah Faith (33:42)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (33:58)
It's amazing. What can happen when people actually come together and create?

Sarah Faith (34:03)
That's so beautiful. it leads me into my next question of actually building a photography business and just probably the collaboration or the inspiration that had to happen. And I wanted to know, when did you decide to turn photography into a business? Graduate from hobby photographer to, I'm going to start a business.

Rachel (34:14)
Yes. Yeah.

That happened a while ago. I turned it into a business probably after my fifth wedding maybe. I would have friends ask for wedding photography which was I was young. was like yeah I'll do it for like 300 bucks. We've all been there. ⁓ But I really started enjoying it and I was like hey on top of

Sarah Faith (34:46)
Yes.

Rachel (34:51)
Like going to college, my other job, I was like, I'm going to do this on the side too. So I made a website. I wish I still had my old website. It was funny.

Sarah Faith (35:01)
Classic.

Rachel (35:01)
But that's

probably started maybe 10 years ago. I just never launched it. Like it was still an on the side business. And then I think doing it full time happened right around COVID. I honestly just had enough of working for others. I love to work. It's not that it's mostly.

Sarah Faith (35:10)
Mm-hmm.

Rachel (35:23)
Every time I go to work for a creative agency or something like that, I'm putting such a tiny box. I can't create. And I understand that to a point. You have to fulfill clients' visions and everything else. But I've just been so burned. So around that time, I got laid off from COVID from my jobs. I was like, we're not doing this anymore. I'm working for myself.

Sarah Faith (35:28)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Rachel (35:47)
I know a lot of that's just me being stubborn, but that's when I really launched all of that, like full time. And I just...

Sarah Faith (35:54)
Mm-hmm.

Rachel (35:56)
didn't look back. mean, it's been hard. I've wanted to stop many times. But I think it's just that constant, hey, you have to get up and do this. Like no one else is going to pay your bills for you. I mean, I've had help along the way, which is fantastic, but I'd say like full time. That's when it started. So it's been almost, almost six years, I guess.

Sarah Faith (36:01)
Yeah.

Wow.

Wow. How did you find like clients? Because I know someone's gonna be listening and they're like, wait, if she has a business, that means at some point she had to find clients. How do I find clients?

Rachel (36:25)
Yeah

⁓ yeah.

Most of them believe it or not have been word of mouth. It's just making those connections. Everyone thinks, want to get all my clients through Instagram. Like no you're not. I do get some through there like a nice amount.

Sarah Faith (36:36)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (36:46)
But most of it is their referrals or I've done someone's wedding or engagement or creative portraits. They talk. It's like, hey, I really like their work. I'm going to pass this along to somebody else and show them your page. Like I'll say the majority come from that. So probably the most important thing for photographers to is just make those connections. And even I.

hate to say this, but sometimes you have to give out a free shoot here and there to get yourself established and make those connections, which I've done. Yeah, like I've done it a lot and that's okay. Like I think it's a good thing.

Sarah Faith (37:18)
I was just about to say that.

Yeah, I've known some photographers over the years and they're like, how do I build my client portfolio? And I'm like, you need to just offer some free sessions, even if it's just headshots or whatever. And that person will be grateful because they didn't have to pay. And then all you're asking for in return is a review and a word of mouth referral.

Rachel (37:44)
Yeah.

Sarah Faith (37:48)
And, mm-hmm.

Rachel (37:48)
share it really does

Sarah Faith (37:53)
Definitely. How would you say that you handle

the business side of things like the marketing, the contracts, the pricing?

Rachel (37:59)
⁓ That's a struggle. That's a struggle. I mean, I do

it. have my software through PixiSet. They also do like a studio management software.

Sarah Faith (38:12)
yeah,

yeah.

Rachel (38:13)
So that's like my photo sharing and like business management stuff. So I have all of my contracts, invoices in one location, which is so easy. Like if you're a photographer, even just starting out, like download it, pay for it and use it. It has saved me so many times. But that stuff, like.

Sarah Faith (38:24)
Mm-hmm.

Rachel (38:33)
to get done. So I don't like to leave contracts waiting. I don't like to leave invoices waiting. I usually send a formal email. And then once they book, they get all the paperwork, which they can do online. So that's been nice. The other stuff, like marketing, I struggle with. I've been trying to do a little better. Like even just posting. You want your clients to know you're alive.

Sarah Faith (38:44)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Rachel (39:00)
So just try, even if it's your most recent work, try and do a post a week if that, like I'm not the best with it, but lately I've been trying to ramp it up a little. So I think that's one of my weak points though, I'll be honest.

Sarah Faith (39:05)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, and I've

known so many people who just struggle with that with any industry, but I would say for anyone listening, because I'm a marketer and so I'm like, well, how could I give value in this moment to anyone who's like, wait, how do I market my photography business? If it were me, if I had my little camera and was doing shoots, there's two main pieces of content that I would get. I would document myself at these shoots and

Rachel (39:18)
Yeah.

Good. ⁓

Yeah.

Sarah Faith (39:41)
because then I'm not having to create anything. I'm just documenting the process of it. It's already happening. Yeah. And so I consistently post that, but then on the other side, I would show off my specific style and editing and what makes me unique. like, for example, I would show like my best work and I'd be like, you hired me for like a moody photo shoot for your wedding. And then it just shows like that of all the different photos and everything.

Rachel (39:43)
into that which is already like an art and it's up.

Get it.

Sarah Faith (40:08)
and showed my range and everything and do that for 30 days, just one post per day, oscillated even just between those two different things. I would almost guarantee that people would find you, not just you, but anyone at some point and be like, okay, I need to hire her or I need to hire him. Then what's nice is then later on, people are

Rachel (40:15)
for sure.

Yeah.

Sarah Faith (40:31)
now paying you to come out and they're like, we're in California. We know that you're on the East Coast, but we'll literally pay you to come to California.

Rachel (40:40)
They do too, like I mean, I haven't

gotten that yet, but I have, like I'm doing a wedding in Baltimore next year. Like I kind of stay on the East Coast for now, but I would love that. And that's like a really good point with the marketing. Like if people see you working, like just say video clips of your process, like at shoots, and then they see your work, like it looks like you actually care. I think that's the hardest part. Like I think I have my work, but actually,

Sarah Faith (40:50)
Yeah.

Right, yeah.

Rachel (41:09)
Videoing myself is what I struggle with and I need to just do it. To your point, people shouldn't be afraid of putting themselves out there. You deserve to exist. You have the audacity to do it, you know?

Sarah Faith (41:13)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Definitely. Yeah, there's this quote, Tim and I have talked about it so many times. And I mean, I've heard different versions of it. But there's someone out there who believes in their mediocrity more than you believe in your excellence. And like sometimes even just in the realm of like photographers, and this is not to shame anyone, by the way, like, please don't think I'm condemning anyone. But sometimes I'll see people's photography videos. And I'm like,

Rachel (41:36)
Yes!

No, no. Yeah.

Sarah Faith (41:49)
and they'll see their price points and I'm like, yeah, yeah. And I'm like, wow, wow. But I'm like, hey, if that is, if people like their style, then who am I to say that like, it's not good or whatever. But then I'll see other people who have incredible talent and so much potential, God given gifts too. And I'm like, why don't they, why aren't they as successful? And I honestly think the difference is that

Rachel (41:51)
I know. I know. ⁓

Yeah.

Thank

Sarah Faith (42:19)
that person is just not putting themselves out there. like, yeah, and I've struggled with that too. It's not a condemnation. I definitely sometimes I'm like, okay, Sarah, just put it out there. Just make a video, just post or whatever. But yeah, and so yeah, definitely easier said than done. So this is a lesson for everyone on this call and for everyone listening.

Rachel (42:22)
Exactly who it is, yeah.

No, but it's easier said than done.

Yes.

Sarah Faith (42:44)
post your content and document your process. Because you're doing it anyway. You know, you're doing. So.

Rachel (42:47)
Yeah, you're doing... Yes. Well, I think people

need to get out of... I mean, this is for me too. I get so insecure, like with myself, my work. I mean, sometimes you have to just fake it for a while until you actually have the confidence to do that. Like even lately, was like, something keeps telling me, post more of your process, post yourself a little bit. It doesn't have to be...

Sarah Faith (43:01)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Rachel (43:11)
any type of thing, but if it's something like, hey, this is what I did during a shoot, like people would love to see that. And it's, you know, again, it's not just about you, it's about like what you bring to others too. So think there's a huge difference between like ego and actually like filming yourself for ego or to bring value to something. So that's been a struggle. I'm like, I don't want to look like a narcissist. I don't want to keep posting myself.

Sarah Faith (43:18)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Rachel (43:38)
But

we have to get out of our heads like we deserve to exist and take up space at the end of the day

Sarah Faith (43:45)
Definitely. There's a story, she's not a photographer, but her name is Brooke. And I mentioned it on a previous podcast episode, but her story is just so inspiring to me. She has a bakery, a cookie company in Australia called Brookie. And so it's a play on of her name, which I thought was cute. But I found her like 13 years ago when she was a travel blogger and

in her travel blogging days, she would always stop at a bakery and like, you know, just document herself eating through her travels, little sweets. And one day I was like, I wonder what that girl Brooke is up to. Cause like, I was like her biggest little fan on Instagram. And then I was like, my gosh, like she did it. She started a bakery cause she always talked about that. But how she did it was really interesting because

Rachel (44:18)
Cool.

Yeah. ⁓

Sarah Faith (44:38)
When she first opened, she thought just like every business owner, they're like, build it and they will come. Well, she opens her doors and no one came. No cookies sold, nothing. And she was like, no. And so she was like, well, let me just make little silly TikTok videos and document what I'm doing. And I'm making it anyway. so she would just post and film herself.

Rachel (44:46)
Showed up.

Thanks.

Sarah Faith (45:04)
making these little videos. eventually people started finding her through organic TikTok videos, just showing her process. Like she's not even, she's not even showing like people eating it. It's just her, yeah, just have her like making the cookies. And she now has lines out the door. She's like expanded to other locations. Like she became like,

Rachel (45:06)
Thank you.

That is so cool.

He's very...

Sarah Faith (45:29)
a multi-millionaire

and now she has a cookbook and it all just came from documenting. And I just, always think about that. I'm like, imagine if she wasn't bored that day and decided not to post a silly little video. And it wasn't just like, she posted one and it went viral. She posted a lot, but yeah. And so I just, I think about that and like, just encourage you, but also anyone who is like,

Rachel (45:41)
What exactly?

just kept going with it.

Sarah Faith (45:58)
I don't know, or I'm afraid. It's like, I think there's so much success and connections that you can make on the other side of just posting consistently and making videos. And also, like, are her cookies the best cookies? I don't know. Like, maybe, maybe not, you know, but nobody can say then that they don't know her too, because some...

Rachel (46:15)
you

Sarah Faith (46:21)
So many people like they'll actually work with you and choose you over someone else if it means that they have like a connection to you. like I'll see that with photographers, like your competitors might be better than you technically, but they will choose you because they're like, I don't know what it is about Rachel, but there's just, I really like her, I like her vibe, I like her story, but they don't know your story until you share it.

Rachel (46:26)
Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

you know exactly

Sarah Faith (46:50)
So you gotta share your story.

Rachel (46:50)
which is cool though sometimes i'll get those people like that and it's like i'd rather work with you because you make me feel comfortable which is another huge one like i i want people to feel okay like no one likes being on camera nobody so if we can like remove that aspect like that's what i want i want people to feel good

Sarah Faith (46:58)
Mm.

Yeah.

Definitely. I definitely have felt that too, just when you've done shoots with my family and stuff and I'm like, you're always just kind and complimentary. And I'm like, she's easy to shoot with because it's also the job of the photographer. Some people are very uncomfortable in camera. ⁓ They just freeze up and they're like, I don't like getting my picture taken. And then a good photographer will talk them through it and kind of...

Rachel (47:15)
That's hard.

Thank you. Thank you.

us.

Yes.

Sarah Faith (47:36)
just let them let loose and then all of a sudden you would think that they're natural in front of the camera.

Rachel (47:40)
That's how lot of my clients are, like they'll be pretty tense at first. I'm like, no, like what kind of music do you like? We'll put that on. Like you're not weird. Don't feel weird. Like just be yourself and it's okay. Like I try not to judge anyone. Like I get it. I am horrible in front of a camera unless I'm taking my own pictures. I completely get it. I really do. But just if you have that space for people to be themselves and

Sarah Faith (47:52)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Right. You're like, I'll do this.

Rachel (48:08)
realize like I'm not gonna judge you. You can be weird, you can do weird posing, like just be you. Like it'll be fine.

Sarah Faith (48:11)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah. So before we wrap this up, I'd love to know if there's if you could go back and tell young Rachel, who wants to be a photographer one piece of advice, what would you tell her?

Rachel (48:28)
I have a lot of advice, but I think it would be just don't give up. You're not a failure because you experience failures. And I think that's been the biggest one. It's so easy to get in our heads when we fail, but failing is what gets you to success at the end of the day. Like you're not going to be successful if you don't fail.

Like, yeah, I've hit rock bottom multiple times and recently too, and that's okay. It's all helping me learn where to turn and like which path to go down. So it's a struggle, but lately I'm very grateful for my failures because it does point out those areas that I need to work on. So that would be the advice. Like don't get in your head. Don't get down on yourself too much. Like feel the feelings and move on.

Like you're stronger than that and you're better than that. Just pick yourself up and do it better next time. So that's, yeah.

Sarah Faith (49:29)
Beautiful, beautiful.

Where can people find you?

Rachel (49:33)
Yeah, so mostly my website needs to be updated a little. But the website's ObscuraStudios.co. I feel like people think it's .com, but it's .co, which I should probably change that. Really, everyone struggles. like, no, it's not com, it's co. And then on Instagram, it's just ObscuraStudios.

Sarah Faith (49:45)
Ours is .co too.

Rachel (49:55)
So yeah, you can find me I'm mostly active on Instagram and my website. These are my two main spots.

Sarah Faith (50:03)
Yeah, anyone listening, hire Rachel. I highly, highly recommend her. Rachel, thank you so much for doing this. This was so fun. I learned a lot. And even though I'm not a photographer, it was just encouraging to hear your story and the, yeah, just that you never give up. And I...

Rachel (50:15)
Thank you.

Yeah, I'm stubborn.

I don't know if that's good, but...

Sarah Faith (50:25)
I think it's a good thing. Thank

you again and everyone, thank you so much for tuning in and until next time, have a good day.

Rachel (50:34)
Thank you.

‍