This week we interviewed one of our newest members/photographers,

RACHEL LIVERMORE

CONTINUE READING TO LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT RACHEL!

Tell us about yourself!

In the words of my younger brother, "Howdy". My name is Rachel and I'm a photographer/cosmetologist/fashion enthusiast! I love photographing creative portraits, couples sessions, seniors and grads, and weddings. It's kind of awesome to think that my hobby grew into my passion and career. My interest in photography began back when I was in high school. Even though my high school was very supportive of their music and arts departments, they unfortunately didn't have any sort of photography or digital art classes. But regardless, I started by taking simple pictures of flowers and my pets with my Kodak point-and-shoot. Friends eventually heard I could take pictures and asked me to takes their senior pictures. Almost immediately I fell in love with photographing people!

What inspired you to pursue your current creative path?

I've always felt drawn to the creative life, numbers and science just never agreed with me. I went to art school for a year and also studied to be a cosmetologist, which helps with my creative sessions. A good chunk of the time, I use my hair and makeup skills for those sessions. My dream is to travel and be a photographer for a fashion magazine, kind of like Funny Face.

How did you find out about TGS?

So I'm not from California. Originally, I'm from a small town called Le Roy, New York (fun fact: we are the birth place off Jell-o, look it up if you don't believe me LOL). I moved out to Cali because my husband is in the Marine Corps. When I found out where I would be moving, I wanted to familiarize myself with the area and the creatives in it. I dove into Instagram and searched all of the photographers and creative groups that were out here, TGS being one of them.

Why did you decide to join TGS?

TGS stood out to me because of their progressive and inclusive mindset. I love how supportive they are of everyone in the creative field. But what I love even more than all of that, is the creative meet ups they hold. Not only is it a great way for everyone to meet and connect, but it's also helping to foster and grow their passions. It's hard to get your creative career started, but it makes a world of difference when you have supportive friends that are in the same boat as you.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Instagram, Pinterest, magazines, and my surroundings!

Fave aesthetic, look or theme when shooting?
That's a tough one, but I'd have to say bohemian themed. I try to make my shots moody and dramatic, but I'm still developing my style.

Do you have creative friends you like to meetup and brainstorm with?

A lot of my creative friends live back in New York, but I love sharing my ideas and work with them. They are the best of friends and we are all so supportive of each other. I'm still making new friends out here, but everyone I met so far is always down to get together and collaborate!

Most interesting story revolving around your creative medium?

A few years ago, I had the incredible opportunity to be invited to a high school to work with a few girls that were involved in art club. The goal was to inspire them to pursue a career in the arts field, and also empower them and encourage body positivity. I spent the whole day with all of them, doing each girls hair and makeup, styling, and taking their pictures. I had such a blast connecting with the girls and making them feel good about themselves! A few weeks late after they had received their images and prints, the art teacher reached out to me to tell me how much I had impacted these girls. She told me one of her girls started to cry when she was looking through her pictures. But they weren't sad tears. She said she was crying because she had no idea that she was beautiful. That broke my heart. But it also set a fire in my soul. I firmly believe that everyone is beautiful and deserving of love. And that's what keeps me motivated during any of my sessions--to show every person a side of them they didn't know they had, and make them feel confident, important, and beautiful.

Random stuff about you?

I'm a quirky person in general, lol. I love ice cream, fro-yo, gelato--basically any frozen treat. I'm not afraid to say I've eaten an entire ice cream cake in one sitting! Also, whenever I have a bunch of shots to edit, I need to have something playing in the background while I work. Normal, right? Basically everyone does. But what I like to have play in the background is Jim Carrey's How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It's either that or Friends, just depends on my mood. But I've watched both of them MANY times, like an unhealthy amount.

FOLLOW RACHEL ON INSTAGRAM:

@insta_graham1995