We were lucky to catch up with Rheanna Grooms recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rheanna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

As soon as I graduated high school, I took a risk and moved 6 hours from home and started college classes to become a Veterinary Technician. I instantly fell in love with the profession and all it encountered; the good, the bad, the rewarding and the sad. Not many know, but the veterinary medical field is known for its high suicide rates. New research shows nearly 70% of veterinarians have lost a colleague or peer to suicide and about six in 10 have sought professional help for their mental health. This career is not for the weak. With that being said, you might can understand how much this job weighs on your and your mental health. When I started feeling like this career started taking a little bit of a toll on my happiness, I decided that I needed a part-time hobby to help balance the hard and easy in life. I have always adored taking photos of the sky, especially at sunrise and sunset. My husband then decided to surprise me with my very first Nikon, which sparked this joy and started this obsession of photography. It started out with the sunrises, and then quickly started booking clients left and right! Having a full-time job as a Registered Veterinary Technician in a surgery specialty clinic can be very demanding but photography was just a side-gig for me at first. I knew from the beginning that balancing both would be a learning experience, but boy was I in for a treat! Learning to balance two growing careers was such a journey for me. You lose yourself in the midst of it all and it can become overwhelming very quickly. You have to force yourself to find time for you and other little things you enjoy as well. I knew becoming a photographer would make me busy, but my advice is to DO IT! Take the risk! Be the jack of all trades! Do what ever it is that makes you happy!

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

As I said previously, I have always loved photography. Especially photographing the sunrises and sunsets. When the time came in my Veterinary Technician career that I needed a side hobby, my husband bought me my very first Nikon. I first fell in love with photographing nature, but then my very best friend had just had her first baby boy and asked me to do a session for him. This moment is what stole me. Seeing my best friend swoon over the photographs that I had taken of her precious baby boy was the best feeling. I then starting booking more and more clients and get to give the gift of memories to each of my clients. I do it all from couple, portrait, family, milestones, maternity, and much more, but newborn will always be my most favorite sessions. Babies are only that small for a matter of days and it is so rewarding to be able to capture those sweet little memories for my clients.

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

Balancing work, home, and hobbies should be an olympic sport at this point in life! While working my 40hr/week, I was also booking 6-8 sessions during the weekends, leaving me little to no time for myself. It’s not just showing up for the sessions and taking the photos, it’s also uploading, organizing, editing, emailing clients, scheduling, creating invoices, etc! It came to a point in my photography career that I was becoming burnt-out.. it’s natural! So I allowed myself to have a break and I found myself missing it tremendously! I have recently started back up and boy does it feel good! Taking a break isn’t giving up, it is resting for your next step!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My sole mission in this photography journey is to provide my clients with small captures of pure bliss. Memories that you can cherish forever. Nothing last forever like a photograph.     

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @rheannahadleyphotography
• Facebook: Rheanna Hadley Photography