Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhiannon Rouyre.
Rhiannon, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 2014, I was putting myself through county college to become a Dental Hygienist and working 60 hours a week at Sonic Drive-In to support my infant son. I was a single mother barely surviving. I felt STUCK. I hated school and I hated how I was never with my son, I was all he had. My life was not moving the way I wanted it to and I was literally working myself to death. I had always loved photography, I had been told many times that I just had ‘the eye’. Photography just never seemed to be in reach with the path I was taking. My boss/boyfriend at this time, who is now my amazing husband, knew how badly I wanted out of the life that I was living. So, in October 2014, I found out I was pregnant with my second child. I withdrew from college classes and quit sonic. I honestly had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I did not want to continue wasting time trying to make a future work for me that my heart just was not in.
I had gotten a desk job working for a remodeling company, as my belly grew, so did my anxiety. I kept thinking ‘WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE?!’ I knew I did not want to work for someone else and I knew that I had a burning desire to be great, but how? My boyfriend was always into photography and he had a cropped framed camera, a Canon Rebel t3i. So, At eight months pregnant I took my two-year-old son out to a park and I used him as my model. I had never used professional equipment in my life, but I was determined to learn, needless to say, I was HOOKED and I knew at that moment, this was my next journey. I would stay up for hours and hours watching youtube tutorials, reading online forums, joining every photography group on Facebook that I could and literally begging anyone and everyone to model for me so I could learn my camera. After the birth of our second baby, money was tight with one income. I was a stay at home mom and I wanted to contribute financially, I wanted to create art and be paid for it, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in photography. I was absolutely intimidated at the thought of starting a business and putting my work out in the world. This was terrifying to me, I was such a small fish in such a huge pond. I kept pushing through, I rarely slept, I cried A LOT, no really like all the time and when I had down time between a newborn, two other small children and a household to keep up with, I was researching every single thing I could to become a successful photographer.
After about two years of basically giving away sessions to build a solid portfolio and begging anyone to just give me the chance to be great, I felt I had paid my dues and was finally confident in my work. I was ready to take the leap to become a legit business. I never thought in a million years I would be where I am today. I am currently running two successful photography business’, Lifestyle by Rhiannon Rae, which is aimed towards empowering women through my camera lens, whether it be intimate portraits, fun, and sassy portraits or online blogging portraits. Lifestyle by Rhiannon Rae has changed my life. The amazing women in my tribe are some of the best. I run an all women’s VIP group on Facebook and I am always so humbled when a client (or as I like to call them, Unicorns) tells me how much they’re experienced with me has changed their lives. I finally feel like I am exactly where I belong and doing exactly what I should be. Embracing women and showing them aside to themselves that they have forgotten.
The second photography business I own is Michael + Rhi Photography, which is my sister company with my Husband. This portion of the business is all about weddings, families, newborns and senior sessions. I have met some of the most amazing people through this journey and I am so grateful to each and every person who helped push me towards my dream and that took a chance on a starving artist who just wanted to make it in this world. I am absolutely living proof that you do not have to settle for mediocre, if you want it, GO MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR YOURSELF, fight for what you want and never stop reaching for greatness. No one will care about your dreams more than you do, ever, So chase them HARD.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth road? Not at all haha, I wanted to give up, a lot. The hardest thing for me was comparing myself to other photographers. I stopped that though Lol. Also building a portfolio and finding my editing style and what I actually wanted to focus on photographing. There are thousands and thousands of photographers, trying to convince people that you are worth paying, was a really hard thing for me to learn. I did not have a lot of confidence, I am self-taught- no mentor or someone to turn to when I had doubts.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Lifestyle by Rhiannon Rae – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Lifestyle by Rhiannon Rae is all about empowering women. I specialize in intimate portrait photography. I am known for helping women embrace their bodies, no matter what their size is, how many children they have, how old they are. We as women are held to some seriously crazy standards, and I wanted to help break that stigma, someway, somehow. What I am most proud of, is that my passion is not only photography but uplifting and showing women a side to themselves that somewhere along the way they have forgotten. I am who you come to see for a reminder of who you really are. The experience alone is life changing.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The future is bright, I am hoping to be published more and more. I am hoping to grow my VIP group and my tribe. I am planning to keep changing women’s lives and the way that they see themselves everyday.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boudoirbyrhiannonrae.com
- Phone: 817-674-7997
- Email: RRboudoir@gmail.com
- Instagram: @lifestylebyrhiannonrae
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/BoudoirbyRhiannonRae
Image Credit:
Lifestyle by Rhiannon Rae
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