Meet Rachel Bell | Wedding, Lifestyle and Travel Photographer

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

Hi Rachel, what do you attribute your success to?
With my profession, photographs are everywhere, and it can be so easy to get lost in a sea of gorgeous images. I think the two main things that elevate my brand and set my business apart are the relationships I make and maintain as well as being true to my style, even as trends come and go. It can be easy to look at others’ work and consider emulating a different style but shooting from the heart and really staying true to how I envision images – from the moment I take the shot right through to any post-processing that may be applied – is so very important to my brand. I want people to know that what they see is what they will get in their own final body of images and that they can count on that consistency and integrity in my images.

In addition to authentic imagery, the relationships developed need to be authentic as well. If I had to say the ONE main thing that has helped my business be successful, I would, hands-down, say it’s all about relationships. It’s about slowing our roll down, taking time to meet and talk; to really learn about who my clients are and what they are looking for. It’s about honesty, respect, and professionalism. By the time I arrive at a wedding or portrait session, I already really know the people I will be photographing and that allows for comfort and ease as they experience their day and I document it. I am also willing to help with whatever people need and have often stepped in as coordinators, facilitators, babysitters, find-the-missing-bridal party searcher…whatever needs doing, I’m happy to help however I can. One of the best compliments I hear often is that I was a calming presence and made people feel totally relaxed and at ease. That always makes me smile! The relationships continue way beyond a wedding day, and I often get to photograph families and new babies of my former wedding couples. I absolutely adore watching families grow and getting to share in their lives. Beyond any marketing and social media, I could do, it’s the referrals and relationships that are at the heart of my business success.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’d like to say that the path I took in life was straight and got me right where I wanted but, honestly, it was more like a hike through a dense alpine forest with twists, turns, different micro-climates and moments of “oh no, did I take a wrong turn?” backtracking only to realize I was never lost in the first place. My life has taught me to follow the adventures, keep an open heart and opportunities have a way of finding you and, above all, trust your heart and gut. They know their stuff!

I have had a camera in hand since my pre-teens and through all the iterations of life, that has been the one constant. Initially, I never thought of making a career out of it…I just loved to observe and photograph people as well as the places I traveled to. I started out, after college, as an elementary teacher and when my mom’s cancer progressed, I left to take care of her and my then baby sons. Being by her side and having that time with her, I will never regret. After she passed and I had to figure out what my “new normal” looked like, I tried being a full-time mom and hats off to the amazing parents who have the fortitude to do that. You are amazing! For me, I needed something outside of my cherished time with my then three children and something that I could build and grow. I was torn between starting an Experiential learning elementary school or starting a photography business until one day, sitting in one of my closest friend’s yard with a cocktail she randomly asked “hey, what do you think about going into business together?” She is a photographer as well and our first venture, Life Simply Happens, was born. Over time our creative roads took us in different directions, but we still support and help each other’s individual businesses succeed.

Balancing 3 babies under 5 years old and starting a business, as a single mom, was no small task but I channeled my own mom and never gave up. Then, when my children were more independent, I also went back into teaching. Balancing a successful photography business, 3 teenagers, classrooms full of 4th graders and a pandemic? Nuts, right? There were times I would stare into space and just think “What. The. Actual. What?!” But truth be told, I love all of it…even though I need clones most days. I adore my students, clients and fiercely love my children. I’m often exhausted but so happy with my life.

This year I made another big change and decided to leave teaching to focus solely on growing my business. My children are now all young adults and as they start their own independent lives, I am entering back into a phase of life that gives me freedom to travel between Maine and Arizona to grow a dual location photography business. I am, as always, completely excited about where this new adventure will go!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I frequently travel between two locations – Maine and Arizona – this would make for a fun trip! We’d start in Maine during the summer months because it’s heaven here June through September! I prefer to dip out of the big touristed areas of this state and would head for midcoast Maine for a relaxing morning paddle on Biscay and Damariscotta ponds, listening to the loons and taking a swim off one of the many hidden cove beaches. We’d head back south, towards Portland, and lunch at the Good Life Market in Raymond or eat the best desserts at Wild Oats Bakery in Brunswick before catching the sunset at Kettle Cove Beach in Cape Elizabeth.

Once the winter comes and the polish of the first (now the 20th!) snowfall wears off, plus biting winds and cold make it hard to think, then I head to Sedona where it is magic – especially in April and May! After flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor and grabbing breakfast at Matt’s Big Breakfast, we’d hit the road north for an early morning hike to one of our many favorite places like Boynton Canyon up to Kachina Woman to listen to the haunting flute played by local legend, Robert, who is a gentle soul and a Reiki Master. If you are lucky, you will connect with him, receive a red rock heart and Reiki healing message. We’d grad a quick snack at the amazing Sedonuts and then head back out onto the 4×4 primitive roads for more solitude, and an easy (but a steep cliff edge) hike to Shaman’s Cave is soul-soothing. Often, there is not another soul around here. Hitting either Wildflower or Szechuan for casual early dinner then wander out into the Secret Mountain Wilderness area to see what unexplored places we can find and then find ourselves with sunset views at Drycreek Vista or Pyramid Mountain.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Since I am all about relationships, it is so very hard for me to just pick one or two people when I have so many that I am grateful for – my children, partner, friends, family, and community have supported me is so many ways, over the years. I feel so fortunate!

I owe a lot of who I am as a person to my mom. After getting through the rocky teen mother-daughter experience, she became my best friend and most diehard supporter. She gave me the freedom to express who I was, to dream big and to believe that I could make anything happen if I put my mind to it. She used to always say “this isn’t a dress rehearsal”, and she lived her life fully and completely while deeply and fiercely loving all of us. She was one of those people you were just drawn to and wanted to be around because she had a gift of making you feel like the best version of yourself, when you were with her. She passed in 2004 and I carry her love, strength, and courage to experience each day fully, take risks and follow the adventures as they present themselves. I am not afraid of change and can be flexible to follow the twists and turns of owning a small business. I owe that flexible, think outside the box, never-give-up mindset to the way my mom raised me. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her. I see her spirit in my children too and that makes me feel comforted knowing that they too, know who they are, will embrace life and really live as well.

Website: https://www.rachelbellphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelbellphotography/, https://www.instagram.com/rachelbellweddings/ and https://www.instagram.com/rachelbellportraits/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rachelbellphotography

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