Welcome to the New RMP Blog!
August 28, 2024
Hey Mama!
This space is dedicated to all of you relatable mamas who want to thrive + survive in motherhood together! I will use this platform to share some bits of parenting wisdom, some favorite spots in the Asheville area, some styling inspiration, some advice for photo session success, and of course, some GORGEOUS family portraits!!!!!
You might have noticed things are looking different around here! And by different, I mean, AMAZING!!! (Thanks @socialserenity.co!) I had a lot of goals for the year 2024 and one of them was having my website completely redesigned!! And it’s a beauty!!
a brief intro
My name is Rachel and I am a family and motherhood photographer based in Asheville, NC! I was a school counselor for 6 years before having my 2 daughters, but motherhood rocked my world in the best of ways and I realized that a 9-5…or more like a 7-5…job wasn’t allowing me the flexibility that motherhood requires! Or at least not in these early childhood years!
So…my husband and I talked about it and prayed about it and…I took a leap of faith and QUIT! And I took my side-hustle of photography full time, well as full-time as you can while staying home with your babies!
Big changes are coming though, this Fall though, BOTH of my girls are going to be in daycare which means I will have SO much more time to invest in Rachel Marie Photography! I am so very excited to set some new goals to work towards and keep serving and photographing the beautiful families here in the 828!
I figured I would start out my first blog post by answering some frequently asked questions about Rachel Marie Photography
What do you photograph?
My main focus as a photographer is on family and motherhood photography. Maternity photos, Newborn photos, and family photos with young children are my JAM! Does anyone still say that? Lol. But seriously, those are the sessions that I show up to knowing that I will take some beautiful portraits, will deliver some gorgeous galleries, and will have the BEST time doing it!
Where do photo sessions take place?
All over the Hendersonville/Asheville area! When you book a session with me, you will gain access to my location guide with descriptions and images of all of my favorite locations in and around the Asheville area! I can even travel to surrounding towns like Brevard, Black Mountain, Candler, and more!
What is your personality like?
I actually asked my clients to describe me in one word and here are a few that they said: genuine, friendly, kind, sweet, bubbly, calm, patient, caring, gentle, and easy going. I would describe myself the same way, honestly! I am not a loud or wildly energetic person, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to have fun during our sessions! I find that my strengths as a school counselor transfer over nicely when it comes to staying calm during chaotic moments and helping children to feel comfortable and valued.
What is your session experience like?
Go with the flow! Since we will have communicated beforehand about location and preferences and you will have taken my client questionnaire upon booking, I will use everything I know about your family and your preferences to make your session run as smoothly as possible! I like to start out with candid photos as we walk to a specific spot with ideal lighting conditions! Once we find a general area we like, I might give you some prompts or poses to try out and will adjust these suggestions based on how everyone is feeling/doing/looking! I love to keep my clients moving, I find that it creates more natural photos and they just tend to have more fun that way! When organic moments happen, I usually step back and let them happen without additional direction, while continuing to take photos of course! I tell my clients that if they have any ideas that come to mind or features they want in the background, to please let me know and we will capture it all! When kids are involved, I try to stay very in-tune with what they are liking/not liking and I also like to give them a lot of opportunities to make decisions, choose their favorite poses and lead parts of the session! I find that the more involved they are with the decision making process, the more cooperative they are when I ask them to do something specifically!
How do you edit your photos?
After your session, I will cull through all of the images we took and narrow down my favorites. Full sessions tend to have 100+ images that I think you just can’t live without! I will individually edit each of these images with my classic bright and colorful style! I keep colors pretty true-to-life while still allowing them to pop! I do not photoshop my clients to alter their appearance in any significant way. I will however remove a zit or a cold-sore or a large scab or any other temporary blemish that significantly takes away from the photo. I export all of my photos with high resolution quality, ideal for large prints!
What is your gallery delivery process like?
You will receive an email with your digital gallery within 3 weeks of your session! The delivery date varies based on many factors, but if you need your images sooner there is an option while you are booking to expedite your gallery delivery and get bumped to the top of my editing queue! Once you have your gallery in your inbox you can begin viewing, selecting, and downloading your images! You can also share, post, and start printing your images!
Do you offer print services?
Yes! You can currently order prints through my gallery delivery website and through your gallery email but one of my goals for 2025 is to establish more options for album designing and printing services! Stay tuned for more!
Thank you so much for reading, friend! I look forward to sharing more soon!
Much Love, Rachel
