Today we’d like to introduce you to Areba Hashmi.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been a visual person pretty much for as long as I can remember. When I hear a catchy song, I can immediately visualize a series of images, a scene, or even an entire video concept that matches the feeling it creates. I find myself constantly observing, imagining, and creating stories in my head; it’s something that follows me from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. Looking back, I think that instinct to visualize and create has always been at the core of why storytelling through media feels so natural to me.
Cameras have been a medium I was always drawn to. I didn’t always have the best tools to work with, but I worked with what I had accessible to me, whether it was a busted laptop webcam to make silly videos in middle school or my parents old camcorders and digicams. It was obvious for everyone around me (except for myself) that this was a calling.
I got my own first camera during Covid with some Kohls Cash and a dream. It wasn’t for the purposes of professional photography. I loved being both behind the camera and in front of it and I wanted to have high quality photos for the big moments through life, Holidays, birthdays, graduations, my sisters wedding. The more places i took my camera the more visibility I got; My friends and family started asking me to be the designated person to take a few pictures during the big and small milestones. At first, I didn’t think I was doing anything particularly special. I thought everyone thought the way I did and was interested in media like this. I slowly realized I was definitely the odd one out who took taking pictures way more seriously than anyone else. During this time I learned the technical aspects of shooting and experimented with compositions, exposures, settings and more. I’ve always loved the technical aspect of cameras, and one thing that started fascinating me during this time was how good Iphone cameras were getting especially for video. Photography is pretty accessible from digicams, to phone cameras, to DSLRs and Mirrorless, there is something for everyone! Videography on the other hand is more exclusive. A gap i noticed was that people wanted to be able to have high quality video content of their moments, without having to go all in on the cinematic, expensive option. This concept gained more popularity as Content Creation and it became something i adored doing as I loved the stillness of capturing a moment in photo but I also loved having the entirety of the memory in video. Mostly, I just liked having an excuse to create something memorable.
In April 2025, I felt so limited to what i was shooting. I wanted to do so much more than shoot the same events and people over and over again. I had so many creative ideas that i wanted to implement but no canvas to try them on. I finally decided to stop treating photography and content creation as “just a hobby” and officially take on paid clients with photo and content as a service. I booked my first paid client that month for both Photography and Content Creation which was an incredible milestone and more followed shortly after. I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse, but I never come home satisfied from a session. I’m always thinking about how to improve, from my skillset to the overall client experience. This mindset allowed me to progress in a way that I honestly still have trouble wrapping my mind around. In only a few short months, I was upgrading my equipment, and investing all my time and energy into this business. Six months after, in October 2025, my career brought me to Dallas. Though I was initially quite hesitant about starting over in a new city, The metroplex became a gift that kept on giving. Dallas has an amazing community of vendors and clients, there is truly something for everyone here. Instead of slowing down, I accelerated.
Moving to Dallas represented a leap of faith in myself. For the first time, I was building a life, career, and creative business without comfort or familiarity. Every booking reminded me that I was more capable than I had given myself credit for. As I grew, so did my creative vision. Photography and content creation became two distinct crafts with their own identities. To give each the focus and intention they deserved, I reimagined my brand entirely and evolved it into two dedicated spaces under my creative umbrella: Rie Photo Collective to focus on couple’s, event, and commercial photography and Rie Content Collective to focus on event content creation, brand partnerships, short form content curated for social media.
The special thing about being a creative is how personal and impactful the journey is. Photography, content creation, and media in general genuinely feels like my purpose. Showing these stories through photo and video through my vision is the work that energizes me and continually pushes me to grow. It’s hard to believe where I was this time last year and how far Rie Media has come in such a short period of time. From zero clients to fashion brands, collaborations, couples, weddings, and more, so much has changed and continues to do so. While I’m proud of what has been built so far, I feel like I’m only scratching the surface of what’s possible.
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?
There were many roadblocks along the way and they were and continue to be a massive test of my endurance and resilience. From working full time in Tech to the physical strain of standing with extremely heavy equipment for 7-8 hours, it’s more exhausting than not. Every session and event is a massive commitment. From the moment an inquiry comes in to the gallery being delivered there is a lot that goes into the before, in between, and after. It’s often difficult when people try to undermine that without seeing the pre production or hours of post production. Morally, it will occasionally hit a blow and there are times that I’m discouraged with myself and seriously question whether I should keep going.
The internal fight with myself is the easy part; Once I come back from a session or deliver a gallery to a satisfied client, it all becomes worth it. It’s the external war that has been the hardest and most debilitating roadblock. I’m a pakistani woman balancing a full time career and business in a new city and doing it all independently at 25. While to some this may be impressive, in my community this is often far too audacious. The challenges that I navigate as a Pakistani American woman are so much more unique because not only do I have to overcome the standard barriers of owning a business , but also battle within my own people and communities. It’s a lonely and extremely debilitating process to have to explain your hard work and efforts to those who dont want to see you succeed because it challenges their notion of the status quo. However, it has taught me to endure since nothing worth having in life is acquired without hard work. I won’t say it’s easy, but tuning out all the difficulties and maintaining self assurity and confidence has gotten me back on track more times than i can count.
Building my business has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. Something like this career or craft; it’s already not easy at the base line. There are so many physical, mental, emotional, financial, hurdles to cross every step of the way, especially in the beginning. I’ve always believed that love is a choice not a feeling, it’s a decision to wake up everyday and choose the things you love over and over again. That’s precisely what i have done with this because to my core — I love the work I do so deeply.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Photographer / Content Creator; owner and creative strategist of Rie Content Collective and Rie photo collective (pronounced REE). Though I primarily operate in lifestyle or event settings, I don’t like to niche down, I’m always open to trying new ideas and styles from product/commercial to documentary. My work is centered around documenting ideas and moments through whatever medium tells the story best. From professional DSLR photography to iPhone video, vintage camcorders, instant prints, film photography, and more, every camera is simply another tool in our creative toolkit. It’s more than the equipment, the goal is to bring the moment to life exactly how it was envisioned by the client.
One unique thing about our work is that there isn’t a single “right” way to tell a story. Every person, event, and idea deserves its own creative approach, and I love discovering what that looks like.
I’m incredibly emotion-driven, so I try to infuse as much feeling into my imagery as possible. Creating atmosphere is just as important to me as creating beautiful visuals, whether that’s through quiet in-between moments, thoughtful composition, or the way light shapes a scene. I want people to look back at my work and remember not just what happened, but how it felt.
I’ve found that the work people connect with most is almost always rooted in culture. Some of my most recognizable projects have been concepts I developed around South Asian storytelling for example a Bollywood inspired train shoot or Old Pakistan inspired engagement session. Many of my clients come from culturally diverse backgrounds, and I’ve noticed they’re often looking for imagery that reflects the places, aesthetics, and stories they grew up with. Those visual experiences aren’t always easy to recreate in the U.S., so I love designing concepts that allow people to reconnect with a piece of home through photography.
What I’m most proud of when it comes to this brand is its authenticity. My hope has always been that every experience reflects who we truly are. Whether it is the visual identity that’s been thoughtfully built over time or every client interaction along the way. I never present a version of myself or my work simply because it might perform better or give me an edge.
The greatest compliment I receive isn’t about the photos or videos I deliver; it’s when clients tell me that working with me felt exactly like they expected. The experience reflects the person behind the brand, and that’s something I never want to compromise.
Authenticity creates authenticity. By building a brand that’s a genuine reflection of who I am, I can create work that’s an honest reflection of who you are — your story, your people, your moments.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Of course! Art inspires art and I am someone who feels very inspired by what I’m surrounded by. Luckily, today we live in a world where so much creation is accessible and free. Youtube and TikTok have been a huge help, especially as a self taught Photographer. Oh Shoot! by Cassidy Lynne is a podcast I kept up with in my earlier days of learning. Keeping up with some of my favorite photographers that I feel most inspired by has also been an underrated resource. They’re interactions with followers and IG stories will always have some sort of valuable information or advice that I can gain some knowledge from. As a huge reader, I love to read books or substack articles on concepts that are aligned in parallel with
photography such as eyesight, light processes, color theory, and more.
Aside from that, my biggest resource has always been music. Music is really where I draw inspiration from and it helps set the mood for what I am creating. Every project I work on gets its own special playlist on Spotify that contains the vibe and motivates the direction. Music evokes a strong feeling which is very similar to raw feelings photographers try to create in their images and videos.
While, there is no singular resource that has changed the game, everything I learn from works in unison with each other. Whether it’s a podcast, a playlist, a book, or simply observing the work of people I admire, every source of inspiration teaches me to see the world a little differently and broadens the perspective I bring to every project.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/RiePhotoCo and Instagram.com/RieContentCo
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@riephotoco
