Meet Cassandra Rowland | Photographer

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

Hi Cassandra, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I have photographed hundreds of different faces, ages, and body types. In that time I have never encountered an ugly individual. Everyone is beautiful!! Happiness and love translate into beauty, which I have the honor of capturing through my narrow lens.

As my clients interact with me and each other through prompts and activities they relax and feel more comfortable. They lose track of their insecurities and their natural self appears. That’s when the magic happens! The beauty comes shining through and with a click of a button, I freeze time in images that are filled with happiness and love. I think this has been the reason for my success and why my clients come back over and over again. I see their beauty!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What started as an interest to conquer a complicated camera I received for Christmas, turned into a little hobby, and then morphed into a business. I’ve always had an eye for art and a desire to create. Photography is my daily outlet and passion. It also has allowed me to find my voice! Like a superhero who might gain some confidence with a big cape flighting behind them, my camera has given me the confidence to be 100% my authentic self and hold nothing back. Breaking that shy girl inside me free!

Before each photoshoot, I sit down and brainstorm all the ways my clients would naturally be interacting together in that space, if I wasn’t there taking their photograph, if they were just hanging out in that space for the day. I write all my ideas down. Each photoshoot is customized to that individual client. 80% percent of my photos are candid shots from prompts I’ve brainstormed in advance. Those are always my favorite ones! Where the real beauty pushes and light beams from the entire person. Through the adoring smile of someone being kissed, through the laughter of kids getting ready to run into their parent’s arms, through a simple hand-in-hand walk in the desert as the glow of the sun fades behind them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Let’s go to downtown Tucson and walk the streets of the Barrio Viejo neighborhood. The color and unique variety of homes stacked side by side are like nothing I’ve ever seen before! Breakfast at Teaspoons, lunch at Baggins, and dinner at El Charro! If we’re not eating we could be riding on the free trolley downtown to 6th street to an eclectic row of shops or hiking Saguaro National Park and to watch the sunset. Definitely need to head to Meyer Avenue to check out some local art and troll the street of downtown to admire and count the murals that decorate the walls.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom, the sun! I’m a natural light photographer and sun lover because of her! She raised me as a little girl on the beaches of southern California under the warmth of her unconditional love. My mom was my biggest fan and cheerleader. She encouraged me to break out of my shy-introverted shell and share my talents. It’s because of her and the confidence she gave me that I was able to start my photography business. She was bright, bold, and spectacular! Everyone she came in contact with she touched with her light and big personality! She passed away this year, just 2 months after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The sun and light have taken on a new meaning since she passed. They remind me of her in the most glorious way.

Website: www.cassyrowland.com

Instagram: cassyrowland

Facebook: Cassy Rowland Photography

Image Credits
the first photo of myself in a purple dress Kelly Murdock took