Today we’d like to introduce you to The Rankin Twins.
The Rankin Twins, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
First of all we are April & Amy, identical twin sister that makes up the country duo “The Rankin Twins”, as well as the photo/video duo “Twinty Photography + Films”. April started the photography back in 2006-2007. At that time, I was going through a breakup and had moved back home with my parents. We were in our mid 20’s with good day jobs but it didn’t take long for us to realize we wanted/needed something more. My mom got me guitar lesson to help ease my broke heart and I played my first gig without April. It’s still insane to think there was a moment where we weren’t THE RANKIN TWINS because once I moved back to Dallas and we started a band, that’s who we have been ever since. The photography started as a hobby and April shot her first wedding solo in Dec. of 2007. 2008 was a whirlwind! April started taking pictures of families, building a client base and we started playing gigs wherever they would have us. In Aug. of 2008 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and in Sept. 2008 had my first brain surgery to remove it. April threw me a GOING AWAY TUMOR PARTY… which I had named my tumor WALLY because he was the size of a walnut. I was very optimistic going into surgery and just felt like this wasn’t the end of my story, I had so much more in me to write about, sing about, take photos of…. so, I recovered like a champ with the help of my family & friends and my amazing neuro team at MD Anderson. We were just starting music really and building a photography company but we knew that time was precious and now was the moment to go after our dreams. It put life in perspective and made us realize that music needed to the be the center of it. So, we packed it up and moved to Austin to become THE RANKIN TWINS, meanwhile using photography to help us do that. We went on our first radio tour in 2010 and have released four albums since. We’ve travelled across the country and even wound up a second runner on the COZI TV Network show “Next Great Family Band”. Once we moved to Austin I jumped on board with April and began shooting as a second shooter and helping pose families and make the kids laugh, and fix hair… About four years ago I began shooting video during the sessions and then Twinty Photography + FILMS took life.
We also wrote a kid’s album and perform monthly at a kid’s museum here in Austin as APRIL & AMY. We have slowed down with the music since having our first kids, after many years of trying and IVF rounds for April. But we still LOVE to “Do what we love and love what we do”.
Photography is in high gear right now and during the pandemic we decided to jump on board with the “Front Steps Project” and shot over 300 families in four weeks and helped raise over $30k for our local food bank.
Great, 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?
Well, I had to survive a brain tumor for us to really take the music seriously and by doing so it allowed me to become part of Twinty Photography and really love that. April and I are very close… I mean we are identical twin sisters and we basically do everything in life together. We’ve been through a lot! April actually passed out one morning after giving herself a fertility shot and wound up temporarily paralyzed on the floor. She ended up having spinal fusion surgery and during her recovery I took over as the main shooter. Because of this traumatic experience I was able to transition into the confident shooter I knew I could be and April quickly bounced back to performing and photographing.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Twinty Photography – what should we know?
Twinty Photography & Films…. we are identical twin sisters and lifestyle photographers specializing in portraits and weddings, using natural light. We bring the fun and capture the magic!
THE RANKIN TWINS- Identical twin sister country duo. High energy, authentic lyrics and family harmonies!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My husband has always told me that he knows I’ll be the best I can be and the happiest as long as I’m doing whatever it is with my sister. She the yin to my yang and we will always find a way to make others happy, either through music or photos/videos.
Pricing:
- Family Session- $450
- Senior Session- $550
- Weddings start at $2000
- Newborn Session- $550
Contact Info:
- Website: www.
twintyphotography.com or www. therankintwins.com - Phone: 214-404-1339
- Email: twins@
twintyphotography.com or twin s@therankintwins.com
Image Credit:
Lisa Woods (photos of US)
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