We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Ortega a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When I first decided I wanted to do photography a couple years back I did not know what I exactly wanted to focus on I just knew I wanted to to be a photographer. I am also a YouTuber so I had the chance to attend Dallas Cup for a couple years and interview some players from different teams. The last year I went to Dallas Cup which was in 2022 It was when I decided I wanted to do sports photography, I had met some amazing people that are photographers and I got inspired to do it. I love soccer it is my favorite sport and I decided to say why not do it if I enjoy the sport and it is my happy place I enjoy it very much. When I first started sports photography I said I wanted to one day work for FC Dallas , Chivas De Guadalajara and The Mexico National Team, a few months after I decided I wanted to do sports photography I got the opportunity to take pictures for NTSC which is FC Dallas affiliated team. I was very lucky and blessed to get the opportunity a few months after I started I never thought I would get the opportunity right away. When I was on my way to my first match I was literally playing around with my camera to figure out how to use it since it was the first time ive used my camera in a while. I was trying to figure out how to set it In the right settings for the lighting in the stadium , the right aperture and everything that memory will always be in my mind because its how I started and my photos came out good that day, I never imagined they would and I was very proud and amazed of myself. The most meaningful memory I have from there is when I took a picture of the goalie Antonio Carrera that I did not mean to take when I was fixing my focus. After that I gave his family a printed frame of the photo, and it was a very special moment for me because they loved the photo and they were very happy with it and they hanged it in their living room I felt like I made it. The next project I had for my own, was taking photos for the soccer team for the high school I graduated from, it was a project I had in my mind and I always wanted to go back to my high school but never expected to go back as a photographer. I got the chance to take photos for the team and make memories for the players to keep and look back at when their high school journey is over. It was a bitter sweet moment for me to be back and especially doing what I love, and I cannot wait to be back and take more photos and see what the future has in store for me.

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

I got into the industry by starting YouTube, I got inspired to do photography and YouTube at the same time but did not know exactly what I wanted to do with photography. I then got motivated when I attended Dallas Cup to do sports photography being at soccer games make me super happy and it is basically my happy place. Being in the industry has helped me grow with my photography and with experience in the soccer industry as well it has also made me want to start in videography as well it goes hand in hand with photography. The services I offer are action shots during games, photoshoots, and individual photos and team photos. I am also going to offer video services soon! Another thing I offer is personal photographer services players can hire me to be their personal photographer and take videos/photos and there is other things that go into that as well. I also want to start doing photoshoots outside of soccer games for soccer players and other people that aren’t soccer players I would love to expand and try new things as well !

I think what sets me apart from others that I have noticed is that I do this because it is my passion I don’t do it for the fame, popularity , or the money of it all. I do it because like I said it is my passion and I enjoy taking photos and being in that environment but most importantly making memories for the players and their families to look back at. Everytime I take photos I always try my best that the photos I take hold memories when you look back at them at that they tell a story,

What my clients know me for is that my photos are always telling stories no matter when or where you see the photos or videos they see and they are amazing memories and meaningful. My clients and followers know that I do this for a passion and that it is something I love doing and like I mention before I do not do it for the fame or the money to someday work with famous/ known players. I love being in the soccer environment because the fans make it super fun and that’s where you can make amazing memories and new friendships. Everytime that I have gone out sometimes to the store or the mall and I have people recognize me they recognize me for my work and my passion I have when I take photos and I love that.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started building my social media audience by starting on TikTok posting my soccer interviews , and then I started uploading my photos on TikTok as well! After that I decided to open a instagram account strictly for my photography to upload photos and anything related to my sports photography or any promotions I would do for players. For the meantime my instagram is my portfolio and where my clients can see my work and ask for information and also ask to see more photos if they want to see more work. I also decided to open up an account on twitter , twitter is very popular at the moment so I decided to upload my work there as well! Soon I will also start uploading YouTube videos again and show what I do, talk about my experiences ,etc.

My advice is to start by opening an instagram account and stay active and consistent , use hashtags as well to reach a certain audience or to get your work out there. If you have TikTok or a YouTube channel also promote yourself there and show your work to get yourself out there! People love watching videos on what you do, vlogs and doing a ” day in the life “! Be patient as well, when you first start you may think it is not going nowhere and it may be frustrating but I promise you got this do not give up and your career/pages will skyrocket !

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to make my parents even more proud someday, and help them out as well with their things. I also want to eventually work for the Mexico national team and FC Dallas, it is something i’ve been wanting to do ever since I started my sports photography journey it is a goal of mine to do someday. I also want to work with some players individually someday like Jesus Ferreira, Julian Araujo, Chicharito, Edwin Carrillo, Santiago Gimenez and many more players, even if I start by taking photos or videos for their teams and work myself up to work with them individually it would be a dream come true and an accomplishment.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelsphotolab_1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelsphotolab
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-ortega-ab337b184/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachelsphotolab
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8_ONjL4k7pSTI_h9PyMdeA

Image Credits
Jesus Ferreira, Antonio Carrera, Nimitz HS Mens Soccer Team, Pablo Torre, Andre Costa , Rachel ( photographer )