Meet Rachel Franklin | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Franklin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, why did you pursue a creative career?
As a young high schooler, our school often had the students take ‘career tests’ to help us navigate what our life would look like after we graduated. I matched with quite a wide variety of possible career fields and the idea to commit to just one became overwhelming very quickly. I knew from a young age I was very artistically driven. I wanted to partake in crafts anytime I could and ALWAYS had our family camera in hand. I would photograph just about anything and everything, not to mention some stellar home videos as well. From flowers in our backyard, to my butterfly bedding, I started taking photos of my friends when I was about 10 years old. Something about being able to focus in on a subject and make the background blurry was truly fascinating to me at even such a young age. As I started going through high school and thinking more and more about my future, I was still taking photos as a ‘hobby’. Come senior year I started making money from the shoots I was doing! The idea and possibility of being a full-time photographer never had even crossed my mind but made me truly excited. I invested in my first nice camera, editing software, and a computer the game totally changed. I was then able to control the artistic side of things! Playing with coloring, posing, and the composition of lighting just fueled my brain and made me so turned on to the creative freedom that this job held. Once I photographed my first wedding I knew this is exactly what I wanted to be doing. The personal connection I get to build with clients that then become friends is truly priceless. The creative freedom that photography has is simply amazing, but the relational side it what makes my soul burst with JOY.

What should our readers know about your business?
No one starts a business and has it succeed immediately. It takes time, lots of learning/growing, mistake making, and lots and lots of perseverance, and for that reason alone is why small business are so beautiful! Although it hasn’t been perfect, I’ve loved the journey that it’s been to get to RachelJPhoto and what it all entails! When my mom had me after having three boys, she picked out four middle names for me. Yes, four, Joy being one of them. I have let the name ‘Joy’ play a huge role into my business and a word I want to regulate through my imagery. I love the real, the raw, and authentic emotions I get to capture in these couples lives and I want every single image to BURST with Joy. I am so drawn to bright, vibrant imagery which encapsulates cheerful, joyous emotions which I hope is contagious to others. I am truly so thankful that most of my clients have turned into some amazing friends and we get to continue to blossom our friendship together! Being a small business you have to promote yourself like crazy! While this can be fun and exciting, social media tends to suck the living daylights out of you. I’ve quickly learned you cannot please every single person who follows you and sees your work. I am not everyones photographer and guess what? I am happy to finally be at peace with that. I have learned to love what I post because I am PROUD of my work, not because it “goes with my feed” or it’s “what my followers want to see”. The biggest reward is hearing my clients having FUN while shooting with me. If we can let loose together and have a BLAST while being together, then the amazing photos will follow. The most important part to me whether it’s a wedding day, an engagement session, or simply a headshot session, is that you feel confident, and beautiful after our time together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
People travel all over the country just to get to the colorful state of Colorado! Being a native myself, I have done my fair share of hikes and mountain town exploring and yet I still feel like I have barley scratched the surface! To begin every adventure, it of course starts with an iced coffee! In Colorado Springs we have a wide variety of small business owned coffee shops which I simply adore! Kawa coffee, Wayfinder, and Loyal coffee are my top three favorites and I always order an iced vanilla laté which never disappoints. If a friend was visiting who had never been before, I would take them to some thrift stores because we have gold mines out here! Seriously, if you have the time you will always come out with some amazing new pieces either for the closet or even decor! Shopping gets exhausting, so maybe after another coffee, I would take them too Sushi Rakkyo! A nice mixture of fried rolls, classic crab/avocado rolls and I could die a happy gal! The ambiance of the restaurant is so relaxing and feels like fine dining. After crashing on a full belly, we would wake up early for a morning sunrise hike! Gold Camp Road is known for its amazing city views and you are right up against mountain ground! Colorado has some incredible sunrise and sunset colors and not even the best camera in the world can truly capture all the glory it holds!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I decided to move forward with photography as my career I had/have many amazing mentors by my side who have taught me SO much! I primarily shoot couples & weddings and when I first started diving into that realm, Christina Dawn with functionandflourish photography really took me under her wing and showed me all the tips and tricks on how to shoot a 12 hour wedding day smoothly! We often shoot together and when we do its as easy as butter and bread thanks to her amazing guidance and mentorship. Part of being a professional photographer is nailing down lighting in all different types of settings, including knowing every aspect of your off camera flash. Jeff Weeks with ShowTheStory Photography is a phenomenal commercial photographer who has invested in me personally and as a photographer! He has taught me all there is to know about flash photography and even helps me incorporate it into my weddings! I am so blessed with all my supportive friends and family members who believe in me, but I truly would not be where I am today without my amazing mentors!

Website: racheljphoto.com

Instagram: Rachel.j.photo

Image Credits
RachelJPhoto