Good Things Come in Cool Packages!

I like noticing the little things. And I love showing others that I've noticed those things even more. Not only do I like showcasing this fascination with the "often overlooked" in the photos I take, but also in the way I package and deliver those photos.

So we when we were blessed to photograph the wedding of two awesome friends last month, we knew exactly what to do! He loves beer. She loves music. What a beautiful combination. :)

The coolness factor is a bit deceiving at first.

And then, BAM!

In case you're wondering, my awesome husband did most of the grunt work on this one. I had one of the bridesmaids help me get a few empty beer bottles from the reception, and he made them into magical LED lamps. He's so crafty - in a manly way of course! One of the many, incalculable reasons I'm glad he's on my team. 

I hope everyone has a great week, filled with things that make you happy. Like beer and good music!

R&R (Rebranding & Rachel): Building Community

As you may know from an earlier post, I'm rebranding! This means a lot of things: new logo, new website, and new vision for the business. And this also means lots and lots of important decisions. But I don't want this process to be solely about me, because I want my business to embrace both community and creativity.

You see, as I dive deeper into the journey, I've come to a few important realizations, the most revealing of which is this: if I don’t respect, embrace, and advance who I am as a photographer, then my photographs will suffer. In other words, I have to invest in my development as a creative being, just as much as I develop my technical skills behind the camera and sitting behind the computer.

And if there is one thing I know about myself, it is that I thrive within a community: a group of mentors, peers, and clients who will encourage, challenge, and walk along side me...and allow me to do the same for them. So in order to become a better photographer, and create better photographs, I want to build and nurture the community I am blessed to be a part of!

As I embark on this next portion of the journey - the branding process - I want to offer up an opportunity for you to get to know me as a photographer. During each stage of the process (typography choices, color/texture choices, logo choices, and any other major decision point along the way), I'd like to involve you by presenting the two options that speak to me, offering the reasoning behind each selection, and asking for your very valued opinion. I hope this will give you a chance to experience how I think, how I process, and what I value...and then help me communicate that to the world!

Be on the lookout for the first set of options tomorrow! And thank you so much for being a part of my life and my business!

Creative Space

My office has finally been put back together. It's still got a lot of work to go, but we're getting there! (I promise I'll post some photos when she's all finished.)

Earlier this year I decided I needed to make "creative space" a priority. And for me, that creative space has a double meaning:

1) A physical space that is relaxing, rejuvenating, inspiring, and uncluttered; a space that invites creative work.

2) A mental/spiritual opening in my mind and my life that allows ideas, inspiration, and imagination to enter and take hold.

So I'm finally making progress on #1. The office has been painted, decluttered, organized, and is currently getting all those little colorful touches it needs. But I'm very happy to have a space to call "Rachel Lowe Photography Headquarters". Even if it's not completely finished, it's still my creative sanctuary. The place where I can read, write, find the very important (but often overlooked) alone time, and the place where I can get to work! And through having some physical space, I hope to create more space in my life. Although, I'll still be spending as much time as possible in my other two offices of choice:

Editing & Inspiration

After a marathon session of editing photos today, I discovered something awesome. You know when you're reading a book and you come across a sentence, or a quote, that is just so amazing you have to read it again? Or you have to read it out loud to someone else just to share in the amazingness? THAT is what I aim for with the photos I give clients. I want them to do a double take and be transported back to what they were feeling when the photo was taken.

So when I'm editing, and I run across a photo that gives me shivers, or makes me grin uncontrollably - despite the fact that I'm numb in my chair with a cold cup of coffee because it's totally worth it - I know my clients will be happy. And that makes me feel happy. And gives me the motivation to go reheat the coffee already.

Today, I ran across at least 10 of those pictures. So it was a good day. Here is just one example.

And quite a few other things made me (and my stinking awesome husband) smile this weekend as well:

1) We went skydiving. And survived. No big deal.
2) We've finally booked all of our accommodations and train tickets for Europe. Whew!
3) I was asked to photograph both a Buddhist Wedding and a Courthouse Wedding - two items on my "Bucket List of Things to Photograph".

In other news, be on the look out for a massive amount of blog posts over the coming weeks. Mondays are now my official "photography stuff" days, so I'll have time to catch up on all the posts about weddings, family sessions, and other photo projects I've been privileged to be a part of over the past several months.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July Weekend! And happy (albeit a bit belated) summer!