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

Rebeca, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear your thoughts about making remote work effective.

My whole business history is a story of working remotely. I started my company, Rebeca Velie Photography when I was a sophomore in college at Wesleyan University. It was the first year of COVID-19, so I was remotely completing my schoolwork from New Hampshire. While taking classes on Zoom, I was also constantly working on my photography website and publishing marketing content relating to a business I hoped would survive. That summer I booked my first weddings and loved each one. I ended up having to go back to on-campus classes the next year, so I ran my business (based in New Hampshire) from my school in Connecticut. I had to balance a lot that year: completing my Environmental thesis, running for the school’s track team, and meeting with potential clients to discuss their wedding plans. Eventually, the year came to a close and I was able to return to NH to run my photography business. In December of this past year, I then began working remotely from Thailand and Portugal where I lived for a combined 4 months. The nature of my wedding photography business allowed me to explore the world while; something I could’ve never dreamed of a few years ago. In the fall, I will be moving to Colorado where I will transition my business. All in all, I’ve learned so much about how to balance work and travel and still deliver consistent experiences and exceptional wedding photography and videography to my clients. For anyone out there who is thinking about whether or not it’s possible to run a business remotely from a foreign country – it is! Go for it!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m a 23-year-old traveling elopement and wedding photographer based out of Denver, Colorado. I photograph with my whole heart, meaning that, yeah, I’ll probably shed a tear or two at any wedding I attend. Capturing the real love of my couples is what’s most important to me. That’s why I’m in this business. I love working with my clients to create images that represent their authentic and raw adoration for one another. Outside of the big day, I love tagging along with my clients on a date to the mountains or even just drinking hot coffee and laughing on cold winter days. I am passionate about capturing a real & unrestrained version of my couples.

My mission is to just capture my subjects as authentically as possible.

My mom’s advice the first time I flew alone: “Stop waving to people!” I can’t help it. I like to think of my clients as friends because I’ll be there when you’re laughing, crying, feeling awkward, and just having the best day of your life. I want to be someone you text when you’re happy and wave to when you see me on the street (because I’m definitely waving to you).

I studied photography at Wesleyan University in Connecticut but began more than 10 years ago in my backyard with only a point-and-shoot and my little sister as an unwilling model. I’m currently booking for all of 2023 and 2024 in the Colorado area – but regardless of where your wedding is, I’d love to chat with you about your plans and work something out. I’m very happy and willing to travel to you. Reach out to me to see if I still have your date available!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The nice thing about starting a photography business is that the start-up cost is not high! The real hurdle to starting your own photography business is making sure that you have enough practice and confidence to perform well in the heat of things on the wedding day. It doesn’t matter what camera you start out with (that’s what I always tell novice photographers who are looking to start their own businesses). The cool thing is that with enough skill and practice, you can achieve similar-looking photos; regardless of whether you’re using a $500 or $4,000 camera. So, start small. Buy the cheap camera and really learn how to use it. Then build up a gallery of images that you think are really strong and work on building the confidence to be able to market yourself. Once you get the ball rolling, it gets easier and easier.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think I built my reputation within my market by being genuine in how I interact with people. I find that on the wedding day, it’s not only important to be kind to the couple getting married, but also to the friends and family who stand by their side. The saying ‘your reputation proceeds you’ really is true in this business and can be good or bad. If you seem inflexible or unwilling to lend a hand to someone who asks you for your help, then that’s the message you’re putting out into the world. For example, if a guest asks you to take their photo at the reception, be more willing to say yes than say no. The message you send out inevitably gets back to your wedding couple, so make sure it’s a good one!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rebecaveliephotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veliephotography/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecaveliephotography/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeca-velie-a419191a0/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGCD50H5BavGV-iZJ-YHsMA?app=desktop
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rebeca-velie-photography-moultonborough
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Rebecaveliephotography/