We were lucky to catch up with Rhianon Brown recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rhianon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
I started out as a wedding photographer and I was in that industry for 3 years. While I absolutely loved my couples, I didn’t love photographing weddings. I am a huge advocate for Mama Earth and I just hated being around all the waste created by weddings, and not being able to do much about it. It was starting to really wear on me, both mentally and physically (as weddings are extremely long days). I was on Instagram one day working on marketing, and I saw a post that one of my college friends who is a baker was supplying bread to a local yoga retreat. I looked up the retreat and immediately felt connected to what I saw. I reached out to the retreat owner and asked if she needed any photographers. I would even do it for trade, I just wanted to experience what she was doing and get some experience in a new type of photography that I didn’t even know if it was a thing. She said yes, and that was 2 years ago and I’ve been doing the photography for her retreats ever since.
On one of the retreat I met a woman who was a holistic esthetician and she asked me if I wanted to do her branding photos as she was looking to expand her brand. I did the shoot and absolutely fell in LOVE – with the process of a brand shoot, with the creativity involved, with getting to work with someone who aligned with my values. I decided then that this was what I wanted to do. I needed to pivot. I needed to give up weddings. At the beginning of 2022 I decided this was going to be my last year as a full time wedding photographer and I was going to pivot to branding, retreats, and creative portraits. Even though weddings were a source of comfort for me – a secure stream of income since weddings are usually booked 1-2 years in advance – I knew that if I was going to do this I needed to go all in and pursue what I truly loved photographing.
While it has been scary completely pivoting my business it has been so worth it. I knew from that first branding shoot I did that I could do it. Life is long, yes, but it’s also way too short to be doing something that doesn’t set your soul on fire. I felt my soul on fire during that shoot. I get to work with clients who love the earth like I do, who are entrepreneurs like myself (most of them female too which we love!), who let me be creative, who trust me with their babies (if you have a business or a brand you know that it is your baby). I knew this would work when I got an inquiry from a potential client and in her inquiry form she said “I love how natural your photos are. Scrolling through Instagram viewing each photo I feel like I am taken to that place instantly. Your photos are so real I immediately feel comfortable with each location, almost like I was there myself. Basically I’m saying you have achieved cognitive time travel. The vibe is pure and organic. That’s the kind of art I’m looking for with my small business.” I knew that I was doing something different, something that was needed and valued, something that was worthwhile and what I believe is my purpose with my photography business.
Rhianon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a branding, retreat, and creative portrait photographer! I capture the soul of business owners, the magic of retreats, and the unique ideas of people who want photos rooted in purpose and that transmit you into the emotions. I live in the midwest but my business takes me all over the world, which I LOVE traveling so I’m so grateful for that!
I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was a little kid. My mom always took photos of us on family vacations, during school functions, doing nothing around the house. She instilled in me my love of capturing moments. I started my photography business kind of by accident. I always loved photography, but didn’t think I would actually be able to make a living doing it. I went to school for elementary education, but after graduating college decided it’s not what I wanted to do. So I moved to Sitka, Alaska for a year to be a travel nanny. Before I left on that adventure, I decided I needed a nice dslr camera to take landscape photos since I was going to be living in a place as stunning as Alaska. So I bought one and posted my images online. After my year in Alaska I moved back home and had a couple of my mom’s friends ask me to take their kids’ senior photos. That snowballed into families, couples, and finally into wedding photography. I was a wedding photographer for 3 years before pivoting to branding, retreats, and creative portraits, which is what I do now!
Like I mentioned, I now take photos for brands and retreats. For my branding clients I craft images that tell the story of their brand. Not only what service or product they provide, but who THEY are as a person or people. I want to show the heart + soul behind the brand, not just the surface level stuff. I want my client’s photos to embody their heart and soul so they can live freely in a space that aligns, is intentional, and sustainable without sacrificing themselves or mama earth. My images are very natural and organic and are meant to bring their ideal clients in. They are deep and fun and creative. I craft their session based on who my clients and their brands are, not what pinterest or instagram or society tells them it should be. Whether that is in the forest, on a mountaintop, in a studio, at their brick and mortar, in a vintage shop, in the creek. Whether that is dressed in a floor-length gown, in yoga clothes, in a tee and jeans. I want my clients’ sessions to 100% align with them and their brand.
During my photoshoots we create so much content that can be used for social media, my clients’ blogs, newsletters, their websites, etc. I take photos of them, their services, their products if they are a product based business, their team if they have one, everything that encompasses their brand. I also love to take little video clips during the shoot that can be used for reels, tiktoks, YouTube, etc.
The other main part of my business is photographing retreats. Yoga is a huge part of my life and has become even more so through photographing retreats. I get to document the experience, the magic, the connection, the little moments that happen during a retreat. By having a retreat photographer, the host(s) of the retreat does not have to worry about capturing anything and they can fully be present to guide their attendees. They don’t have to worry about not having enough content to post or to market for their next retreat. The people attending the retreat don’t have to worry about taking out their phone all the time to take photos and they can be fully present in the moment to soak up the magic.
One thing that I am most proud of in my business is who I work with. I choose my clients carefully and put an importance on working with people who think about the environment when making business decisions, or at least are open to learning about different ways they can lessen their footprint. My clients are healers, dreamers, makers, doers, earth changers. I love being able to help them share their brands and their passions with the world and being a part of their journeys. I’m also just really proud of myself and taking the leap into a niche of photography that I truly love and creating a business that lights me up!
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
Being friends with my clients is such an important thing for me! It’s hard not to be after all the deep diving we do into them and their brand/business during our time working together. I truly LOVE my clients. Even after our photoshoot I engage with their content on social media, I share their posts and refer them to people, I buy their products and hire them for their services because I truly believe in them and love what they do. During our time working together it’s a very collaborative effort and I am a big fan of voice messages and am constantly responding to and talking to my clients. Not just about the work we are doing, but about their lives and how they are outside of business.
I think that goes into fostering brand loyalty. A big part of my brand is believing in my clients and being stoked about them. I truly want all my friends and family and people I don’t even know to support them. I just love talking about what I love and being a cheerleader for my clients. Also for those who aren’t my clients! I am constantly sharing products that I use and love, and brands/businesses that I believe are magic.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
There are so many rewarding aspects of being an artist and a creative, it’s really hard to pick just one! I would say one of my biggest gifts that I give as an artist is capturing and showing the magic of the people/brands who are in front of my lens. People don’t see themselves the way that other people see them. I love delivering a gallery and my client telling me that they’ve never seen an image where they felt completely themself before they saw the images I took of them. Or a client telling me that I captured the pure essence of their retreat and the raw emotion in the experiences and that they bawled while looking through the gallery seeing how much of an impact they made on their attendees. It feels soul-fulfilling and purposeful and like my art has meaning. I love being able to give people that gift. When some aspects of being an artist/creative are tough, that’s what I think about. It’s all so worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: rhianonbrown.com
- Instagram: @rhianonbrownphotography