HI, I’M RACHAEL!
Since I had no idea what I was doing, the picture that resulted didn’t reflect the beauty of the moment. But that perfect moment, the perfect coming together of light and subject, led me to who I am now and who you are to me: the perfect subject to beautifully illuminate.
I'm equal parts stay-at-home gypsy and restless adventurer, a lover of coffee in all its forms, an incurable goofball, skilled in the art of relating to toddlers on a personal level, a mother, a partner, a friend, a photographer.
loved-up
for
storyteller
a visual
photographer,
just a
Not
souls.
I’ve always been someone who needs a creative outlet. I’ve been a singer, a decent piano player, a mediocre flute player, and an admirer of the vastly unique ways people use art to express themselves.
But I fell hard for light one morning at the age of 15 after an ice storm the night before coated every branch of the maple tree in our front yard with ice. The morning sun reflecting off the tree took my breath away and I begged my dad to let me take a picture with his camera.
Guys, life is busy. Too. Damn. Busy. We don't document like we used to. My clients love the feel of a photo album in their hands that will be held by their children and grandchildren. They love to let loose and don't take themselves too seriously. They're down to experiment and roll around and get quiet in order to create something personal and beautiful with me.
When I'm not behind the camera, you can often find me spending work hours curled up on the couch with the latest Netflix binge or holed up in a coffee shop with other fellow creatives. I hate pants with zippers and am bad at finishing house projects once I start. I'll never say no to a Dirty Chai latte, a last minute weekend trip, or a really long hug.
ALL-OUT CAR DANCER // CHRONIC RE-WATCHER OF "THE OFFICE" AND "SCHITT'S CREEK" // NOT AFRAID OF REHEATED COFFEE // CLASSIC ENFJ
Fostering connection through honest and intimate imagery.
We will tell your story together, every little piece of it, in a way that is uniquely yours.
To me, life is about connecting with the people close to you and the world around you.
Photographs are the visual history of our lives and the way we connect to the people in it. They are more than simply pieces of paper or screensavers; they're proof that we lived and loved.
Photographs are the most important thing next to the people in them.
When I pick up my camera, I want to make you feel safe to be yourself so we can capture the moments of this time we'll never get back.
"For when a child is born the mother also is born again."
-Gilbert Parker
I have many descriptors and have been called a lot of things, but nothing has brought me more fulfillment and inspiration than being called "mama".
My two children are the reason that photography became anything other than a hobby to me. Their existence is what made photos matter to me. They're what make everything matter to me. Their faces on paper are a stark reminder that time goes by faster than we can catch it.
Photos are time machines, reminding us of the moments, big and small, that have made up our lives. They are irrefutable proof that we love and are loved.
Rain, hail or shine, I won’t miss a beat.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned since beginning my photography journey twelve years ago, it’s that the small things are really the big things. Nothing is too small, no detail insignificant. Tiny hands picking flowers, grandma’s handkerchief around your bouquet; it all matters. Those are the things that transport us back to that time and reconnect us with the in-between moments and ordinary things that make up our lives.
I enjoy a perfectly placed bad word as much as a good dad joke. If there's an opportunity to have music playing, there will be music playing. If there's a reflective surface anywhere during our time together, you will have a photo of me making a dumb face somewhere in your gallery.
I am involved. I will laugh with you, chase your children, lay on the ground, fix your makeup, dance at your reception, take a shot at the end of the night with you, and go hard for you. I'll give you everything I have to preserve your most important moments with honesty and love.
+ I grew up with three brothers, which means fart jokes will always be funny.
+ I have a potty mouth. I fought against it for years after learning all the good swears in sixth grade but it didn't take. Sorry, dad.
+ I started my photography business after seeing an acquaintance showing off photos they took of someone's baby and thinking, "I can do way better than that." I'm 100% that person.
+ I cannot dance but once entered a dance contest at a bar and won. The takeaway: you can succeed at anything if you have the right amount of unfounded confidence (and tequila).
+ I was born and raised in Canada. If that's all you know about me, that's enough.
+ Enneagram 7. If you know, you know.
My journey...
→
2000
I took my first photography course in college. I learned how to shoot film and develop photos in a darkroom and knew right away that it was love.
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2008
→
2010
My competitive personality led me to realize that I wanted to do photography professionally and I filed for my first business license under the name BlueBike Photography.
→
2022
I'm twelve years into this "little side gig" and I keep falling in love with it and the people I get to work with more every year.
When I had my second child, I bought the cheapest digital SLR camera and lens combo I could find so I could take photos of my kids. They were awful but I loved that I was creating memories for my family.
Rachael has taken our family portraits for years now, and I wouldn't think of asking anyone else. Taking pictures of a family with multiple little boys is no easy task, but somehow she manages to get the highest quality, natural and perfectly timed shots every year! She definitely has a gift behind the lens!
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WALTER FAMILY
She is so talented behind the camera and each time has created beautiful images that we will cherish forever.
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RACHEL + ADAM
Rachael is SO much fun to be around, is incredibly professional, makes you feel at ease in front of the camera, and pays so much attention to details. She made our wedding day even more enjoyable, relaxed and memorable.
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BRI + MICHAEL
YOUR LOVE, YOUR STORY
No story is one and the same. Let's start our journey of telling yours together.
