I'm a wedding and elopement photographer currently living in Oceanside, CA just north of San Diego! I love living here with my husband, we're about an hour and a half away from the mountains, a little less than 2 hours to the desert and only 10 min from the beach! My husband and I love to be outside and explore new places, often in our Tacoma that we take everywhere! Living somewhere so diverse allows me to spend hours weekly soaking up all the fresh air and sunshine while always scouting for new spots to shoot!
Just a little about me...I have dual citizenship with New Zealand (thanks mom!), I think aviation and spaceflight are both so interesting and I love watching rocket launches from our balcony. I constantly crave boba, have lots of plants, obsess over Taylor Swift, and I'm always trying yummy new foods, I love pretty much all animals (even the creepy crawly ones).
Hi! I'm Rachel!
How I want to serve you:
Get you feeling comfy!
I want to get you to relax and feel as comfortable as possible in front of my camera. I want both you, your partner, and anyone else in front of my camera to be ok with sharing genuine laughter and enjoyment with me during your wedding day or photo session.
I try to get to know you via socials, phone calls, just general communicating, etc. before the big day so you'll feel at ease!
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Direct you on what to do!
I love to give a mix of light prompting and subtle posing, you'll get tons of thoughtful direction like how to place your feet and where to put your hands so you look natural and comfy. I sometimes compare myself to a movie director, I'm usually just saying things like "ok hold hands and walk over there" or "pretend..." you'll get the hang of it quickly!
This avoids awkward moments and you having to say "we don't know what to do". Don't worry! I got you!
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Get creative while staying true to your vision!
I strive to use the surroundings and natural elements around us to capture lasting memories. I think being able to incorporate where you chose to get married or have your session into a part of a photo is so rewarding and fun. It tells the story of your day and it really challenges me to get creative with my work!
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By forming a REAL connection
To capture your day as authentic to you as possible I think it's SO important for us to know each other. I love following you along on Instagram and other socials so we have things to chat about the day of. I also love consult and planning calls before your wedding day so we can get to know each other even more. Plus I'm always available vis email!
My Photo Journey:
We all know how this year went BUT I didn't give up and spent the slow times learning and perfecting my craft. I also shot my first wedding AND moved to Oceanside at the end of the year!
2020- The PANDEMIC
2021- Moving to oceanside
2022- NOw- LEt's do this!
Decided to start doing photography "for real" and really try to make something out of what I loved! This is when I made it IG official, so you know I meant business! I also purchased my first full frame (pro) camera.
2018- Rachel Laura photography was born!
Started over in a new town at the beginning of the year. Found all the best new spots (location scouting is the best) met amazing clients, and grew my business WAY faster than I had expected when we moved!
Had a completely booked year! Shot TONs of couples (my dream), met so many amazing clients, and shot more weddings than I could have ever imagined! The following years have just continued to grow me into the photographer I am today!
I love elopements! As much as I love big weddings I absolutely love elopements. The intimacy of the day and the way it feels just brings me back to the day I eloped with my husband.
Being outside is a HUGE mood booster for me. On weekends you can usually catch me doing something in the sun or out with our truck driving all over the place!
We love adventuring anywhere and everywhere!
Location scouting is a favorite way for me to combine two of my favorite things; photography and being outside. I love finding new and beautiful spots to take your photos!
I'm a HUGE animal lover and not really afraid of anything creepy or crawly. So if we see some kind of animal at your session...don't be surprised when i'm more excited than freaked out!
Traveling and exploring new places! I know that sound so cliche because I mean who doesn't like to travel haha
My husband and I love heading to new places with no plans (sometimes we don't even have a hotel booked), exploring without a destination and just being present in a new place.
Keeping photography fun is so important for me. I want to enjoy this forever so I can always eagerly serve you! To keep it fun I continue to do what got me on this photography journey to begin with; landscapes, architecture, and nature photography! I also LOVE playing with film and film simulation. Photography is a HUGE passion of mine.
Just-for-fun Photography
Besides your spouse, your photographer is the person you'll spend the most time with on your wedding day so getting to know each other is important. I share about myself so you can feel like I'd be someone you would feel comfortable hanging out with ALL day on your wedding day!
And who knows...maybe we'll be new BFFS!
