We recently connected with Radhika McDiarmid and have shared our conversation below.

Radhika, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Our hearts are with the medium of film. While the introduction of digital cameras to the mass market in the 1990s meant that most photographers left film behind, we think the process and quality of the resulting photos is an important marker of our work. The practice of slowing down, being present with our subject(s), and taking the risk of making mistakes that aren’t immediately rectifiable leads to galleries that are more dynamic and unique, and that we are undoubtedly more proud of.

Radhika, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We owe our love of photography to our dads who were both hobbyists while we were growing up. Though we both took high school dark room classes, it wasn’t until we started traveling together during college that we really started honing our own skills. After photographing a few friends’ families, we became enamored with layering our perspective on others’ stories and celebrations to create artful imagery that honors the intention woven into every detail.

Our forte is editorial portraiture mixed with candid documentary — while Radhika loves chasing light for a great portrait, Ian is always capturing unexpected moments. Our work spans weddings and events, family lifestyle, and editorial campaigns, but what stays consistent is our love and use of medium format and 35mm film. Most recently, we have started experimenting with Super 8 video and are excited to create videos on film for clients.

How’d you meet your business partner?

The name of our business comes from our names: Radhika and Ian. We started dating in the days of Brangelina (RIP) and our friends combined our names to create Radian. It has stuck since then! Our story cheesily starts in second grade, but we didn’t really know (or like) each other until we attended UNC-Chapel Hill and taught over the summer together at a local nonprofit. Working as a husband-wife team has always been fun — we know when to push each other or offer support and we both have different but complimentary perspectives.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

We started our business in 2014, and we both held full time jobs for until 2022 (Ian still works full time outside of the business). In that time, we also had two kids! Working a full time job outside of your business is one of the smartest decisions we made. It allowed us to take creative risks, make mistakes, and grow slowly. I left my full time job this year and now get to work on Radian full time. A few incredible books for those considering whether to make the jump: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, Quitter by Jon Acuff, Start With Why by Simon Sinek.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://radianphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radianphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/radianphoto

Image Credits
Amanda Castle (headshot)