Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Ortega.
Hi Rachel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story started ever since I was a kid; I have always had a passion for photography ever since. I started doing videos on Youtube, and that’s when I first bought my first camera; my passion for photography grew even more of course, as I kept recording videos for YouTube, and I had my dream Nikon camera. I then kept doing photography but wouldn’t use my camera as much because I wanted something newer, so I would use my iPhone camera to take photos and would strictly use my camera for videos. I then turned 16 and had a sweet 16th birthday party. I had seen that best buy was having a Black Friday sale on cameras, and there was a Canon I was eyeing, especially because I would see other photographers use it, and they would recommend it as a good beginner camera. I finally had the chance to buy a Canon EOS T6; I would use it for photography strictly only since I decided to buy a separate vlogging camera. When all this happened, I was a sophomore in high school; while I was in HS, I also wanted to be a veterinarian. I was undecided if I wanted to do one or the other or both. At first, photography was a hobby, and then I decided I wanted to keep going with the idea of wanting to be a veterinarian and have photography as my side/second option. Fast forward to when I was a freshman in college, I decided the veterinarian career was not for me, and I stopped studying that, and I kept going with photography. I had put my camera aside for a while since I was so focused on studying for vet school I would still do YouTube videos here and there, but photography was not that big for me any more till I decided the veterinarian career was not for me. Fast forward to 2022, I attended Dallas Cup. It was my 3rd year attending, and I was so excited to attend, especially since my friends were going to be there helping me record my interviews with the soccer players and take photos. By this time, photography was back into being my main priority, and so was filming for Youtube. I met some photographers at Dallas Cup that helped me realize I wanted to be a sports photographer. I feel great being at soccer games, and the atmosphere is my favorite; that was when I realized Sports Photography is the career for me. In the middle of all of this, I also loved makeup; I decided to go to a makeup school and get my professional makeup artist certificate. I attended Boss Beauty Makeup Academy. It was one of the best decisions I made because they go hand in hand with photography. Currently, I only do makeup as a side, or when a family member needs it, I’m more focused on photography. I did not know where to start or how exactly, but I made my Instagram profile, and I started posting photos that I have taken in the past, even if they were not sport related. I’m a big FC Dallas fan, and ever since I began my photography career, I told myself that one day I’ll be taking photos for the team. One day I was scrolling on social media and came across a post that a sales rep posted; I decided to reach out and ask how I could get an internship or what I could do to get some practice. Ever since then, I’ve had the privilege to take photos for NTSC, which is FC Dallas-affiliated team; I never imagined I would be able to be taking photos with them as such an early start in my career. Thanks to them, I have grown an as a photographer, I’ve grown as a person as well. I also work individually with a player from the team as his personal photographer; never in a million years would I imagine I would be doing that. I also realized while doing all of this that I want to do videography. I am currently in college about to take video technology classed for the fall semester, and I will be taking more photography classes as well. This is only the start, and I cannot wait to see where all of this and god takes me in the future.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road because I, of course, changed my career pathway in school, and at first, it was hard to adjust since it was all new to me, but it was not impossible. I’m glad I can count on the support from my parents, the rest of my family, and my friends and I’m really thankful for that. Another reason it has not been a smooth road is because halfway thru me starting my career, I started to get anxiety, it’s something that is very new to me, and I know I’m not the only person that struggles with that. I believe it came from me stressing out over little things or over things that I had no control over sometimes. I have also struggled with self-doubt along the way, I see other photographers doing things I wish I was doing, but I was not doing them due to my anxiety because I would let my anxiety get to me, and I was just stuck in my head what felt like 24/7. I had to understand that gods timing is perfect and that if this career was not for me, I would not have done it to begin with, I had to chance my mentality even though I still struggle with anxiety, but it is not as bad as when I first got it. I would let the overthinking get to me, and that is what caused myself doubt. I would constantly think, ” Oh, he’s better than me; he’s just getting started and has accomplished a lot,” and things like that. Like I said, I had to change my mentality for the best and for my future because anxiety/overthinking simply cannot win!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For work, I am a photographer, I specialize in sports photography, but I mainly take photos for the sport of soccer. I am mainly known for a certain picture I took of the goalie for NTSC, or some people may know me from YouTube even though my focus is not on filming YouTube videos as much anymore, but I did used to interview soccer players. I am also known for whenever I take pictures there Is a story behind the photo, or whenever you simply look at it, you feel like you are there in that very moment. I am mostly proud of how much I have accomplished in such little time of me starting my sports photography journey; like I mentioned before, I never imagined in a million years, I would be doing what I am doing now. I am also proud of the photos I have taken since I started doing sports photographer, I’m learning every day as I go, of course, and I’m proud of myself for being capable of taking photos the way I do. I’m more proud of me not letting my anxiety/overthinking get to me and let it win and not letting me do what I love, I was in a really dark hole, and I am mostly proud that I am out of that over anything if It was not for that I wouldn’t be doing what I love this day. What sets me apart from others is the passion I have for what I do; I actually feel and take in every second and moment when I am doing what I love.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters to me most is family, mental health, and my work. Family matters a lot to me because, without their support and their guidance, I would not be where I am at this moment; they always know best, especially parents. My parents’ support means a lot to me because they’re the ones that have guided me and supported me the most out of everyone else, they’re the ones I want to make proud at the end of the day. My parents are my main support system, and I owe it all to them from getting me to where I am now and for dealing with me when I was really going thru it mentally. Second of all mental health matters a lot to me now because if I am not in a good mental state, I won’t accomplish my goals/dreams that I have set for myself. Ever since I experienced anxiety and overthinking, I take mental health more serious, and I try to understand every day why it is not okay to overthink and that not everything is in my control, and that everything will be okay at the end of the day, even if it may seem or feel like it is not.
What I mean by work matters to me is that whenever I take a photo for a client or for a team, I want that whenever they look back on one of the photos, I take that they relive the moment and that it brings them happiness and joy. I want people to be able to tell that I poured my heart out and that I put my all in my work whenever I take a photo or when I take videos in the future.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelsphotolab_1/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-ortega-ab337b184/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8_ONjL4k7pSTI_h9PyMdeA
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/glamxrachel_/
Image Credits
Antonio Carrera
Andre Costa
Jose Mulato
Pablo Torre
Jesus Ferreira
