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

Rachel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. So, we’d appreciate if you could open up about your growth story and the nitty, gritty details that went into scaling up.

My business really scaled when I dove into courthouse weddings. I love a wedding as much as the next photographer, but when a friend hired me to photograph her Annapolis courthouse wedding prior to her Tulum wedding, I really fell in love with it. After sharing her photos online, my bookings for everything really shot through the roof.

I really don’t see many other photographers locally promoting courthouse weddings in the same way they do elopements, weddings, and engagements. It’s always felt like a hole in the market, and I’m happy to fill it! Celebrating love comes in all different forms, and I want to photograph it all.

I love getting to show my people the unique weddings, moments, and ways people celebrate their love and commitment. One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to your big day. And while I’m not a planner, I do love helping my people and bringing their vision to life, from answering questions about past experiences with other couples to capturing their day from beginning to end.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a wedding and elopement photographer based in Baltimore, Maryland. I love shooting life and love, from pet portraits to weddings to elopements to portraits.

One of my biggest strengths as a photographer is definitely my professional background in operations. It has really helped me in photography. I feel confident in my ability to break down the details and help my people feel confident that their vision is captured when we book. I find myself thinking of the logistics of a shoot so much during the consultation stage. Recently, I was talking to a couple who wanted to elope in Patterson Park on a weekday and shoot portraits in Fells Point, and we coordinated around the anticipated liquor delivery trucks. While things will always come up, I really do my best to look out for my people and set their shoot and day up for success.

I feel really proud of the work I do. I strive to make people feel comfortable and confident in front of my camera. I know that my clients can live in the moment and cherish the photos when that moment has passed.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I actually got my start as a photographer photographing and touring with bands in my later teen years. While I loved photographing shows, I loved photographing life on the road with them even more. It really honed my love for capturing a candid moment.

I remember coming home from a summer of touring, being away from home for 60 days, and craving more stability in my life. I knew I wanted things like a dog and have my feet on the ground at home for a bit. I pretty quickly shifted into portraits and weddings following that long run.

There are definitely some amazing photographer friends of mine who have found their way in music. Shout out to Chris Simms and Maggie Friedman, two of my old friends from those days. If anyone is looking to get into music photography, I can’t recommend those two enough.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It’s the most rewarding to see someone love my work in a tangible way. I love nothing more than seeing my photos framed in someones home or set as their profile picture. It gives me a lot of confidence in my work and what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rachellcooperr.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/rachellcooperr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelCooperPhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachellcooperr/

Image Credits
All photos were shot by Rachel Cooper Photography