Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Stonecipher.
Rachael, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I have considered myself an artist ever since I was a child. My favorite class, all the way through middle school, was always art. I wasn’t very good, though. I’m not great with pencils, or paint, or clay. I could never seem to use those mediums to represent the images I had in my head. I discovered digital photography as a junior in high school. I started dabbling with images earlier on, but my high school was offering a digital photography class (with access to high-quality DSLRs), so I took the leap. Art suddenly clicked for me. I could manipulate the camera and the light to take exquisite images. My teacher even recommended that I take her college course, as a high school student. So I enrolled. Honestly, I got through the rest of high school by taking pictures. Life at home was really rough, but photography kept me busy and distracted. And I finally felt good at something. When I graduated high school, I no longer had access to high-quality DSLRs on a daily basis. I went to college at the University of North Texas and settled on a degree in Development and Family Studies. I was learning a lot, but not making art. My husband’s (then boyfriend) parents gave me a DSLR for Christmas my junior year of college, and I’ve been back on photography ever since! I am a teacher and a college adjunct, but photography is still a good weekend gig for me. Someday it will be an everyday gig, but that’s part of the ongoing journey. I’ll get there someday.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I always said I would never photograph people. It’s too cliché, and then it would become a “job.” Then I realized that flowers and bees are nice, but I needed to step it up. I realized I was afraid of disappointing people if the pictures weren’t good enough. I had some friends in relationships and graduating from college, and I asked them if I could practice on them. After my first engagement session for one of my best friends, I realized how much I loved capturing other people’s love and personalities. Graduation shoots are always fun; school can be really draining but seeing how happy people are to finally reach their goals and being able to tell their story through my lens, is an incredible feeling. I hope people feel like I’ve captured “them.” Which is super cliché, but it’s true! I want people to be able to look at their photos from me and remember how they felt at that moment; all they had accomplished and done.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
This is tough. I would say success as an artist is feeling like you’ve done what you want to do. If you don’t want to photograph people, don’t do it. If you don’t want to paint landscapes, don’t. Take pictures of creepy bugs. Paint abstract things that don’t make sense to everyone. If you start doing something you don’t want to do because other people want you to, or because they won’t pay for what you do, it becomes a job. And you’re not staying true to your artistic eye. Stand strong as an artist. Don’t sacrifice your personal happiness or growth because someone else doesn’t like it.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I’m on Facebook and Instagram, and I have my own website. Obviously, the best way for people to support any artist is to hire them or buy their product, but people don’t always need professional photography. Following my work, liking or sharing posts, and recommending me to others who are looking for photography services are great options, too! Occasionally I enter local contests if I do I will share it on my pages.
PS if anyone is concerned with the images, Captured. By Rachael Martin was my business name before I got married and changed my name!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rachaelstonecipher.com/
- Email: rachaelstonecipher5@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachaelstonecipherphotography/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachaelstonecipherphotography/?eid=ARCcIoxuIfHtokiTpWJ7tGoqxYcwcs7PZ0GzZVbrrS5dF5yMVHnHDDWv371a3OfX3JULRcINUfBiURCf
Image Credit:
Nee Nordhus
Rachael Stonecipher
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