Today we’d like to introduce you to Ciarra Rico.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ciarra. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Ever since I was younger, I remember you could always find my sisters and I somewhere with a camera taking pictures of either ourselves or anything significant, like birthday parties, holidays, etc. Honestly, as a child everything is significant and special if that gives you an idea. My parents divorced young, so afterwards it was these pictures I was left with and able to cling to. It was 4×7 photographs that allowed me to relive and continue to keep those moments close forever. It wasn’t until then that I realized the importance of documentation through photography, and it was then that I truly fell in love with the art that photography is.
In 2012 I got my first “big girl” camera and first client. (Shoutout to my sister for letting me take her senior pictures at only thirteen.) After that, I began to take my camera everywhere I went to capture everything I could- my pets, friends and family, all the things in my world just the way I saw it. At thirteen, I was fueled by passion, but as I grew older motivation and hard work collided alongside that and became the driving force to become more than just a child taking photos.
My senior year of high school, I got to capture many of my classmates and experience my own senior photoshoot with Lucy Krodell Photography, and at last it all made sense. Finally, I understood the purpose God placed on my life and the significance of every detail He was orchestrating together along the way. With photography, I would be able to reach people, connect with people, and give them back something I still cling to today- moments.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’d like to say everything has been smooth sailing and perfect, but that’s not the truth. After high school, I got a scholarship to play college soccer and soon after stopped focusing on photography. I allowed the noise of the world to be louder than the calling God had for me and eventually lost sight of where I was going. I majored in psychology for a year and by the spring semester hit what felt like the lowest point I’ve ever experienced in my life. I had no passion for life, no desire to learn, and decided to return home. I took the summer to refocus on myself and eventually enrolled at Texas A&M where I took multiple classes in photography.
In December 2019, I completed my associate’s degree and decided I wanted to invest my time and money in educational opportunities that better suited me, like workshops and mentorships. It’s been nearly a whole semester of constant work and focus strictly on my photography business and I have never felt more at peace with the choices I have made and the place I am now. More than ever I am hopeful for the future and know the best is yet to come.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Ciarra C Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a lifestyle photographer inspired by natural light. I specialize in capturing portraits, couples, families, businesses, and small special events. I am passionate about honest documentation of moments that matter to people and believe all things are significant enough to captured. It’s so important to me that every person I photograph knows they are welcome to be their authentic selves and are, and will always be, loved and accepted in front of my lens. I am so grateful for the connection and relationships I am able to create through photography and my passion and purpose will always be to reach and love people.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think as we continue to become a more technological and social media saturated world that over the next 5-10 years, the photography industry will expand into something far greater than any of us can imagine. Photography is such an important tool in our lives and continues to grow, and I think that that’s a big reason why so many photographers are able to make incomes as large as six figures or be able to pursue a career in photography long after retirement age. Sports, celebrities, brands, your community, so many things in our everyday lives have a room and need for photography and I see the acknowledgment for that only growing in the coming years.
Pricing:
- 1 hr Portrait Sessions : $200
- 1 hr Couple Sessions : $250
- 1 hr Family Session : $275
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ciarracphotography.squarespace.com
- Email: ciarracphotography@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Ciarra C Photography
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