Who Am I?
Hello! Welcome to my page!
First, a little about who I am. Two-thousand eighteen has been a big year. So far I have seen the Pacific ocean for the first time, seen my first big city, experienced great loss, graduated from John Brown University with two degrees (Child and Family Services & Family and Human Services), been hired for my first big girl job and left the country for the first time. I am pursuing a Master’s in Marriage and Family counseling & Clinical and Mental health with the hopes of being a licensed therapist in the near future. How does this relate to photography? My three years in undergrad work taught me to see the emotion behind the situation, the broken system luring in the background or the hope that is experienced in darkness. It is for these reasons, I chose to blend my photography work and a blog posts. There are times when photos conjure intense emotional reactions or signify more than the pixels can communicate. So far, these words or emotions have stayed locked in my mind but I don’t want to pass an opportunity to make a bigger difference. Today, anybody can snap a picture. We have to stand out in our work. Our hearts have to be in it because that’s what people crave seeing.
How I Got Started
I have been taking pictures since before I can remember; however, my parents got tired of all of my pictures being on their camera. That was the best thing that could have happened because it meant I got my first DSLR for my 16th birthday!* I remember spending hours at a time laying on our front walkway taking pictures of flowers. It was during these hours that I began learning what the different settings could do for my images. I was especially enamored by selective focus and an adjustable aperture! My first photoshoots were mostly of events I attended, random objects and a handful of people willing to actually pay me.
Fast forward to nearly a year later. On a whim, I decided to apply (late) as a photographer for my school’s yearbook. This would not have been as formidable if Margaret Sorrows was not the longstanding advisor. By the grace of God, she looked over the application and hired me right before summer began. It was under her (very particular) watch my senior year of high school that I learned to be precise, creative and avoid repetition in my work. I also learned the basics in Photoshop, how to produce good work in an impossibly short amount of time and be organized. Sorrows and the other yearbook staff created a path I would follow for years.
Where I Am Going
At this point in time, I am enjoying the opportunity to give families and individuals images they can reflect back on for years to come. I am also pursuing a wider diversity in my hobby photography. Travel, particularly in 2018, has presented me with vibrant new landscapes from Cuervo, NM (look it up) to San Francisco, Bend, OR to Seattle and even Ventanilla, Perú. I’ve caught the travel bug and it isn’t leaving anytime soon!
Rachel Lynn Photography 