Rachel Bell
meet
your photographer
Family has been something that makes me teary-eyed for as long as I can remember.
Ever since I was little, I had a strong desire to really know the people that came before me.
I was (and still am) filled with awe and wonder looking through photo albums scattered with the youthful faces of people I've only known as elderly.
The memories handed down to me through photograph have helped me to better understand those that raised me, and with that, given me a deeper understanding of myself.
I hope to pass these same kind of memories down to my kids and grandkids someday. Memories that give them a better understanding of the love that shaped them.
And I hope to help you do the same.
book a session
i can't tell you
about me
without telling you
about them
way back in grade school
our story starts
A majority of my life has been spent with my husband, Logan, who I met in the 6th grade. We started dating in high school, got married right after college, moved away from our small hometown in Ohio, and welcomed our first son right after celebrating our first wedding anniversary.
Logan got me my first "real" camera as a birthday gift so I could document our new baby in all of his littleness. I cried when I opened it. It meant so much to me to be able to preserve that sweet time in a still frame with a better quality camera than my phone offered. I deep-dived into the world of DSLR's to learn everything that my new gift could do. Even though I'd long been a picture-taker, this was my pathway into becoming a photographer.
Since then, we've welcomed two more beautiful, blonde sons to our crew, moved across the country to the Bay Area, and I've grown leaps and bounds as a photographer. But I will always cherish those first DSLR photos of my oldest son, and will always remember the way I felt about finally being able to capture him as I really saw him.
I know how stressful family photos can feel. My boys do not stop moving. Ever. I love this about them but it does not lend itself well to "stand here, do this" when getting our pictures taken. This has unfortunately led me to feeling frustrated with family photos in the past, and I imagine you've felt the same.
Our session is going to be way more fun than that.
My philosophy when it comes to family photos is to be as hands-off as possible without it being weird. I'll offer prompts to help everyone feel at ease and have fun, but I won't pose you. Your kids can just be kids, and it will actually be better for the sake of photos.
This is how we capture the essence of who your family is. This is the window into the past for future generations of your family. They won't know what it's like unless we show them. So let's show them!
don't worry.
more about my process
as a mom,
a few more things about me...
My ideal day would go something like this:
enough about me, I wanna get to know
you
get in touch
I come from a large family - I'm one of ten kids in a messy and mixed bunch. I'm so thankful for them; they are some of my closest friends.
I wanted to be a police officer or a firefighter when I was young and my first try at college started in a dental hygiene program. I'm very glad none of those things worked out for me. I ended up with a degree in marketing after I decided I might want to run my own business one day. I had dreams of opening a coffee shop or a home-design studio, never a photography business. Funny how life works out like that.
As much as I am sentimental, I am also fun-loving and like to keep things pretty light-hearted most of the time. I love to joke around with my husband and kids (fart jokes galore in this house full of boys) and have a pretty goofy side if you catch me in the right mood.
I love to be outside and taking our family camping is something we're just getting into. We did a trial run last summer and plan to go on a few camping trips this summer!
I get to wake up early, have a slow start to the day, hang out with my kids and share coffee with Logan.
I get ready for the day (in peace) and grab a friend to go shopping. We mostly hit up antique and thrift stores and maybe the mall for a mall pretzel.
We grab an afternoon coffee and sit at the shop and chit chat. I looove to chit chat.
I bring a coffee home for Logan, and we take a family walk down to the park. The kids run in the grass until their hearts' content and we just watch in awe of the fact that we're even adults, let alone parents to three boys.
Then we head home, I make a nice home-cooked meal and everyone eats it (no complaints!!). After we eat the dishes magically clean themselves. My family and I go directly to the couch to snuggle and watch a movie. Logan makes us popcorn on the stove because he's the best at it.
After the kids go to bed, we adults eat a little ice cream treat. All is right in the world.
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