Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhianon Brown.
Hi Rhianon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my journey in photography when I was a kid. My mom would buy me a disposable camera before every family vacation and I loved getting home to see what the photos looked like after they developed (most of them were photos of stray cats). Throughout my childhood and into high school and college I was always the girl with the camera at functions and on trips. After college I moved to Sitka, Alaska to work as a nanny and before I moved I decided I needed a legitimate camera if I was going to be living in such a beautiful place. That’s when I bought my first dslr. A canon 6d. From there, everything kind of snowballed. I started posting my landscape photos online and when I moved back home other Missouri I had people requesting me for photoshoots. It started with seniors and families, and then couples and eventually weddings. I officially created an LLC for my business in 2019 focusing on weddings.
In 2020 I photographed my first yoga retreat and my first branding session for a friend that I met there. I fell in love. Getting to help someone achieve their dream for their business by providing them with stunning imagery to grow their brand felt like what I was actually supposed to be doing with photography. It took me a couple years to totally change my focus, but in 2023 I decided to go full force with branding photography. Now I photograph brands, retreats, events, tourism, and occasionally concerts! I absolutely loveee this career and most days I can’t believe that I get to do this. When I was little my dream job was to be a National Geographic Photographer, so to say I am a photographer for a living is pretty dang cool! (National Geographic is still one of my dreams though!)
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t always been smooth being in this industry. Like many people, the pandemic hit my business hard and all my weddings that year were either canceled or postponed. However, that led me to want to switch my focus to brands, so it was a silent blessing! However, the last couple years with the state of our country and everyone having to be really conscious of their spending has made things a bit difficult. I’m not as busy as I have been in past years. But with that being said, the clients who do choose to spend their money on me make me feel incredibly grateful! And I still wouldn’t want to do any other job full-time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In my day-to-day photography life I am a brand, retreat, and event photographer. But I also LOVE creating work for tourism boards and photographing concerts as well. I know people tell you to niche down to one thing, but I’m an Aries and get bored and could never do that! I think it is totally okay to pursue all your passions and not give up something just because that’s the norm.
I think I have a way of really listening to my clients’ ideas and vision, but then bringing my own creativity to take everything to the next level. I make people feel comfortable in front of the camera, and I think I capture the most beautiful, natural moments by being a warm presence for my clients and allowing them to trust me.
I also have a massive love and passion for animals and LOVE working with clients when animals are involved. I find that animals really trust me and my energy and allow me into their space to capture the most magical moments. Which I think is more rare than people think. Animals respond so deeply to people’s energies and they are highly sensitive. I’ve worked with equine therapists, dog trainers, end of life shoots for pets. I am most proud of any work that I have involving animals.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I am also a travel nanny! My degree is in elementary education and after college I began working with a nanny agency; that is actually how I landed in Alaska! That was my first long term placement with them (1 year) and since then I’ve switched to only taking on short-term travel placements. I’ve been to the Amalfi Coast, California, New York, New Orleans, Paris, Rome, Pisa, Mexico, New Hampshire, London, all over the country as a tour nanny, etc. I love working with kids, and being a travel nanny allows me to do that and have my photography business. They work quite perfectly together!
Pricing:
- Most branding clients invest $2.5-$6k, but I custom quote my clients because every brand’s needs are different!
- Retreats are custom quoted. Each one is so different based on location, how long the retreat is, how much daily coverage is needed, etc.
- Events are custom quoted, but are mostly based on number of hours needed and amount of people at the event.
- Travel/tourism is custom quoted
- Concerts are also custom quoted depending on scope
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rhianonbrown.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/rhianonbrownphotography
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/rhianonbrownphoto
