We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ruby Sandoval. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ruby below.

Alright, Ruby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Yes, I absolutely take vacations and I protect that time like gold. I block off travel dates with my family and rarely work weekends. It’s a non-negotiable for me.

I didn’t always operate that way. In the early days of my business, I thought stepping away would slow things down. But a health scare with my husband shifted everything for me. It was a wake-up call to stop waiting for the “right time” to rest, be present, and make memories with my kids.

Now, weekends and time off are built into how I run my business. That rhythm isn’t just good for my family, it’s good for my creativity and the kind of client experience I want to deliver.

If you’re an entrepreneur who feels like you can’t take a break, start small. Block a weekend. Take a no-laptop day. Go on that trip you’ve been putting off. Your business will still be there, but your people shouldn’t always have to wait.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Ruby Sandoval, a Tucson-based photographer who helps moms and small business owners tell their stories through heartfelt, natural photography. I specialize in both family and brand photography, and I also teach everyday moms how to take beautiful, meaningful photos with the camera they already have… their iPhone.

My journey into photography started the way a lot of mom-tographers’ stories do: with my kids. I picked up a camera because I didn’t want to forget the way their faces looked in the little moments. The pajamas, the pancakes, the chaos, the connection. I wanted something tangible. Something I could hold on to.

Eventually, what began as a personal passion grew into a business. I started photographing other families, at one point weddings, and now brands, always with the same goal in mind: to create images that feel like home. Not stiff, not overly styled. Just honest, artful moments that tell the truth about who you are and what this season of life looks like.

Now, I serve two kinds of clients:
– Families who want heirloom-quality images that capture their love in an honest, relaxed way. No forced smiles, no pressure to be perfect. Just you, as you are.
– Brands who are ready to elevate their visual presence with story-driven content. Whether it’s a full rebrand, a website refresh, or seasonal marketing updates, I help business owners create visuals that reflect their values, personality, and evolution.

I also create free resources for moms who want to learn how to photograph their own lives using their iPhones. These women don’t have time to master a DSLR, and they shouldn’t have to. I help them simplify the process, take better photos, and start actually showing up in their own memories.

What sets my work apart isn’t just the images themselves. It’s the experience. I’m not just showing up to snap photos. I’m paying attention. I’m helping people feel safe, seen, and confident. Whether it’s a toddler clinging to your leg or you stepping in front of the camera as the face of your business for the first time.

I’m most proud of the fact that my work helps people feel more connected to their story. That’s really what this is all about. Capturing images you can look back on and say, “That was us. That was real. And I’m so glad we have it.”

If you’re looking for perfectly posed and polished, I might not be your person. But if you’re craving something more real, more grounded, and a little bit magical, I’d love to help you tell your story.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part is helping people see beauty in what they thought was ordinary. Whether it’s a mom capturing a blurry bedtime photo on her iPhone or a business owner finally seeing herself as the face of her brand, there’s this moment where something clicks… and that’s everything.

As a creative, I get to freeze the things that are easy to overlook. The details, the connections, the small-but-meaningful moments that might have gone unnoticed. That kind of storytelling is powerful. It makes people feel seen. It reminds them that their life, their work, their love… it matters.

That’s what keeps me showing up. Not just to create something beautiful, but to help someone else see the beauty they’re already living.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

A few years into running my business, my husband had a serious health scare. It turned out to be a false alarm, thankfully, but in the moment, everything felt uncertain and fragile. It forced me to pause and ask some hard questions about how I was spending my time and energy.

At the time, I was photographing weddings. And as much as I loved serving those clients, I knew in my gut that I couldn’t keep showing up in that space while my own world felt so tender. I made the incredibly hard decision to retire from weddings, and even canceled a few that were still months out.

It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the right one. That season reminded me that life can change in an instant, and that my family comes first. It also reshaped my business. I started building more margin into my schedule, protecting weekends, and saying yes only to the kind of work that felt aligned with the pace and presence I wanted in my life.

Now, everything I do, whether it’s family sessions, brand photography, or teaching moms how to document their own lives, comes from that place. A place of honoring what matters, slowing down, and capturing the in-between moments we’re usually too busy to notice.

That experience didn’t just make me more resilient. It made me more rooted.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rubysandoval.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/@rubysandovalphotography
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Ruby_Sandoval