Exploring Life & Business with Rachel Rhoton of Reflections by Rae Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Rhoton.

Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up on a farm in Montpelier, Indiana. As a kid, I would go with my dad to my older sisters basketball games. He has always been very involved with the basketball program, but back then he would do the game recordings for the high school teams. While he was working on that, he would give me his camera and I would run around the gym taking action shots of the game as the high school girls played. When I went off to college, I started thinking about what I thought could be a successful and somewhat safe career. I liked science, and I am particularly fond of the environment, so after four years I graduated with a degree in geology and a hope to work in some sort of rehabilitation field. Photography continued to stick with me as a hobby, and I was constantly investing what I made working at my normal job in my camera equipment in the hope of maybe eventually doing it as a full time business. I was extremely fortunate to have met two great friends, Courtney Brewer and Cheyenne Simpkins, during a photography retreat at Yosemite. Their passion for not only work, but also people, really stuck with and inspired me to want to do more and really give my dream of being a photographer a fair chance. I continued working while living out in Arizona, but dedicated more time to photography, taking landscape pictures and taking on wedding gigs. I have recently moved to Nashville, where I have accepted a Scientist position at PACE and where I hope I can continue to grow my business and take photos of both places and people.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Most of my 20’s has been surrounded by struggles with anxiety, depression and PTSD. Some days are harder than others, but there have definitely been days where editing some photos I took on my latest hike have seemed more like a chore than something I enjoy. On the business side, the town in Arizona that I was in was a small retiree town with minimal opportunity outside of healthcare or local government work. This definitely made it hard to follow my goals of working in a field where I could have a positive environmental impact, which is something I have found that I care about enough for it to be a major aspect of my current career path. It also made it hard to pursue my photography business as a full time pursuit, as the clientele group that would mean steady work was just not there.
Moving to Nashville has provided me with better business and educational opportunities, but has also given me a means to focus on taking care of myself and really manage my mental health. I look forward to small things that I have missed for a while now, and I find myself getting excited about photography opportunities again.
My most recent obstacle has been saving up and shopping for a new editing computer; my current one decided it was done the minute I took it out of its case in Nashville. I just try to see it as an excuse to do some shopping!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Reflections by Rae Photography?
I have been doing photography as a side gig since around 2021, but over the last year and some decided I really wanted to take things more seriously. I took the plunge and started my LLC in 2024. Since then, I’ve focused on my social media and branding presence, and launched my own official website. I feel like my confidence in my craft and my consistency in my results has gotten me to a point where I am comfortable and feel good about being more public about my business and my goals for it.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
One of my favorite hikes that I’ve gotten to do would definitely be the Wave in northern Arizona. As a permitted hike, only roughly 3.6% of people are actually able to get the lottery permit. It’s one of the 9 most competitive hiking permits in the US, and I was fortunate enough to get it my first time applying!
I’ve also visited Utah’s mighty 5 national parks, all of the national parks in Arizona, and all but two national parks in California.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reflectionsbyraephotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reflections.by.rae/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18JNTrbykF/?mibextid=wwXlfr