We recently connected with Rylan Lott and have shared our conversation below.

Rylan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?

This is kind of a crossover of creating more inclusive spaces, and serving specific communities. I grew up with a lack of representation and diversity around me, as I moved through life, I grew to understand my queerness through seeing others thriving in their identities, and finding shared experiences. The more I unlearned the shame and misunderstandings around it, and opened my eyes to see how many people are left out of spaces either intentionally or unintentionally, the more I realized I wanted to be able to create something where people felt like they were welcomed, not just merely tolerated. Currently one of my favorite quotes is from Dr. Crystal Jones, “There’s a huge difference between ‘all are welcome here’ and ‘this was created with you in mind’. ”

When my wife and I got married before I transitioned, it was only 4 years after Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same sex marriage federally,and even in that moment we experienced a lot in the industry where people were accepting, but it was clear the industry was not thinking about what made us feel included and seen. We were seen as a lesbian couple and we would often fill out forms that said bride and groom and just told we could cross out groom. While our vendors were affirming, and it wasn’t hateful or specifically harmful, we still felt othered – and I know there are couples who face legitimate discrimination to this day in the industry. I still see a lot of this happening in the wedding industry where much of it is either bride focused, or straight marriage focused, and while many say “love is love” and “all are welcome”, the messaging that gets put out sometimes shows that we are still afterthoughts. In my photography business, I lead with my values of celebrating and affirming clients, and especially focusing on the LGBTQ+ community. I want my clients to feel like they can show up as their authentic selves.

In addition to my own business, I have also given presentations to other entrepreneurs within and outside the photography community about serving the LGBTQ+ community. There are many people who want to be an ally and advocate for the community, and provide services that mean well but might not have as much information as they want or need to do so with best practices. I try to create an open dialogue by being open about my own experiences, presenting data and background information, and then sharing best practices with real world examples – while then sharing resources so that people can continue their self education and growth on their own.

I have been in situations and seen situations where there is discrimination for being in the community, or people feel unsafe to be who they are and it can be so isolating. But I’ve been fortunate to also be in situations where I have seen allyship and advocacy in practice and it creates environments where people can thrive in being their most authentic selves. When people can be who they are authentically, it creates more positive relationships and experiences.

Rylan, 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’m a wedding/event/portrait photographer that kind of stumbled into and grew in the industry, I was a hobbyist for documenting life until my friend (our wedding photographer) invited me to start assisting her at weddings and my interest grew. I am grateful that people invite me in to such important parts of their lives to document them. As a queer and trans photographer myself, I have an extra interest in serving clients that are outside the industry “norms” and supporting them as best I can. I am proud that I can connect with clients, and make them feel comfortable enough to show up as they are during our time together, and hopefully make their photo experience less awkward and/or stressful.

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

Like I said before, photo was a fun hobby for me, and others kept encouraging me to upgrade equipment, and continue to push into other areas to document with photography. A friend I met from a photo group over Covid lockdowns asked me to photograph a wedding with him, and another friend asked me to assist her at weddings so I could observe what the days were like – these were my ways in to the community. Once I started realizing I enjoyed weddings and portraiture, I invested in a business coach who aligned with my values, and began forming community and friendships with other similar photographers in the area so we could help each other. I also invested in online courses to get better at the technical aspects of photography.

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

Being able to work with so many different people in the industry, being open to sharing my experiences, partnering with local organizations, and also networking in general have been best at building my reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rylanlottphotography.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/rylott_photos