Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Rhymes.
Hi Andrea, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I started photography as a freshman in high school. I had always been a poet; a writer of sorts. As well as an athlete. Those were the things I was known for at the time, and the activities my mother pushed wholeheartedly. My best friend at the time told me she wanted me to take a photography class with her, and the rest is history. I haven’t put a camera down since. Since then, I have been a newspaper photographer for high school, went to college, and became a newspaper photographer for my college.
As a freshman, I became the Photo Editor for 3 semesters and left that position to become the Student Staff Photographer for the football program at Indiana State University. I held quite a few titles with the ISU Football Program. Everything from Equipment Manager to Videographer to Graphic Designer to the Assistant to the Recruiting Coordinator and Defensive Coordinator. When I graduated in 2017, I started accepting requests for portrait sessions made by my classmates.
There was a request for events, senior graduation photos, engagement photos, pageants, probates, and professional headshots. That is when I decided to move back home and start excepting sessions solely as a portrait photographer. I have held many jobs in various industries (Aircraft Cleaner, corporate positions, Flight Attendant, Event Planner, Corporate Center Photographer, Fever Equipment Manager) but all roads tended to lead back to my passion for photography.
In 2020, while on leave from the airline and pregnant with my son, I was approached by my favorite two romance authors to shoot a marketing campaign for a series they were collaborating on. That was the first time I was able to wear the “Project Director” hat, handling everything from the model call to wardrobe and hair and makeup. While of course directing the posing and editing.
The models always depict the characters in the novel and pose specific scenes in the latest releases. Not only did it work out that I shoot the marketing for both books, but two photos were also used as the book covers for the books. My first two publications were as a photographer. Since then, I have booked four more projects alike with various authors collecting an additional book cover with two more to be released toward the start of the new year.
My goal is to make this specific industry my lane. The lack of diversity in the stock photography universe makes way for a need for creatives like me. In the meantime, I am running Indelible Images In full, accepting portrait clients for family, engagement, senior, maternity, event, and anything in between. I have just recently photographed a wedding with a fellow photographer, giving the idea of us becoming a wedding photography duo. That’ll be my late venture!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has NOT been a smooth road. I have battled with thoughts of being inadequate and imposture syndrome. I have always felt like this passion I have needs to be supplemented with positions that have not made me as happy as photography has. I have struggled with the transition between simply creating art and becoming a business owner. There is also the persistent battle between finding balance with entrepreneurship, motherhood, being a homemaker, and my relationship.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in Family, Engagement, Senior, and Maternity Photography. I also have made a name for working with romance authors. I am most proud of my three book covers! What sets me apart from others is I always put professionalism at the forefront of my business. I have found that if you operate in that space in its entirety, it solves a vast majority of the problems a small business owner can and will run into. In addition, I make it my mission to offer an experience that will bring out my subject’s most true and unique selves.
Book Covers:
Love’s Encroachment by Love Belvin
Offensive Formations by Christina C. Jones
Fixing Us by Honesty Price
(Upcoming) Necessary Departure by Christina C. Jones
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I love to travel! I would like to work with individuals outside of the midwest. Broaden my reach into various communities. My time as a Flight Attendant and Aircraft Cleaner has awarded me the opportunity to explore my adventurous side, and it takes absolutely nothing for me to hop on a plane!
Pricing:
- Book Cover Concept: Starting at $900
- Novel Marketing Spread: Starting at $1000
- Portraits: Starting at $300
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.indelibleimagesgalleries.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indelible.images/
Image Credits
Capture Me Photography – Denisha Stringer, and Indelible Images
