Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Bulow.
Hi Rachael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My passion for photography started when I was very young, but within the last year, I have somewhat unexpectedly turned my passion into a full-blown business adventure of a lifetime! Through the pandemic, my love for photography, and documenting human interaction blossomed once again and I knew I needed to let the creative side of my brain run wild after working as a nurse pandemic.
Instead of just a creative outlet for myself, I found that I was able to empower others in such a unique way by photographing them! Being a Labor & Delivery Nurse by trade, I have done a lot of education surrounding Trauma-Informed Care to facilitate the most supportive birth space for every patient I have – so I have honed a very unique skill set that I now use during my photoshoots as well.
I have found that I can turn a photoshoot from something that might feel vulnerable and scary, into something that is empowering and fun for all types of clients! My “why” has completely changed from being solely a creative outlet for myself in my younger years, to now, where I find the most joy in being able to facilitate an entire experience for each client. I am able to show them how beautiful they are in their own skin!
I want their experience with me to be empowering, exciting, and memorable, and I want the photos to be almost viewed as a bonus to be able to look back on the feelings of bliss surrounding the photoshoot! In December, I applied for an Artist Residency through Studio Apparatus in St. Paul, MN – This is how Botanical Bliss came to fruition! Botanical Bliss Artist Residency is multi-faceted and embodies everything I stand for as a female entrepreneur and creative in Minnesota.
I have designed 2 immaculate floral installations 15′ in height, spanning across the interior of Studio Apparatus. I partnered with Ray of Rose Botanical to help bring my installations to life, and I will be photographing fellow creatives and clients in the installations! The dates of the Artist Residency are Saturday, April 22nd & Sunday, April 23rd. On Saturday, April 22nd I have chosen a select number of local creatives in all different industries to come and model in the installations.
I chose each creative because I personally believe in their craft and wanted to give them incredible content to use for their creative endeavors without charging them a single dollar to be there – in fact, I am paying for all of the costs associated with the production to bring to life their own personalized photoshoot that fits their aesthetic and creative goals. There is a wide variety of creatives including models, painters, photographers, florists, videographers, musicians, and writers involved with this shoot & each person has a unique session planned.
We will be creating everything from short-form content, creative portraits, music video footage, etc! On the second day, April 23rd, I opened up mini-sessions to the public! All of the money raised from the mini-sessions will be going straight back into the production costs of the first day – so each client who purchases a mini-session will be directly supporting the local artists in our community!
This is a passion project for me – with the goal of giving back to the local creative community – so I am donating my time to this project free of charge! I asked to be awarded the month of April for a few reasons. As we all know, winter drags on for so long here in Minnesota and it dramatically impacts the quality of life of many people who reside here.
My brother, Riley, lost his life to mental illness in the winter of 2018, and he is one of the multiple people I know personally who have lost their lives to mental illness specifically during the winter here in Minnesota. Riley’s birth month is April & he was a musician and creative himself, so I am honoring him every step of the way with this residency. I like to think that, as we are in the last challenging months of winter, this residency might give people something to look forward to.
Hopefully, Botanical Bliss can be something that people will put on their calendars, and be held accountable to be in attendance for – and maybe it is the thing that will get someone through the next couple of months. “Something extremely bright and exciting is in my future” has been playing over and over in my mind since I was awarded the Artist Residency, and I am hoping that is also the case for the creatives and clients who will be coming to it, too!
Booking information and vision boards for the residency can be found on my Instagram (@raemariemn), and the booking link is: https://raemariephotographymn.pixieset.com/booking/
When I am writing this, there are 10/22 timeslots still available and it has only been available for booking for 48ish hours!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say it has been a winding road to get to where I am today, but relatively smooth along the way. My biggest struggles have come in the form of growing pains, but that has really been more exciting than anything else! I have now decreased my hours at the hospital to pursue photography more full-time, and I have been building up a client base of people who I LOVE to work with!
My biggest struggle right now is just keeping up with inquiries, having enough time to book all the clients that want me to photograph them, and also showing up for the loved ones in my personal life as I am growing such a beautiful business. Most days I wish I could clone myself a couple of times over to be able to accomplish everything I want to accomplish in a day!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Rae Marie Photography?
Rae Marie Photography is my photography business – it is based out of Minneapolis, MN, but I am ready to pack a bag and travel anywhere around the world to photograph my client’s memories! I take on a wide variety of session types to continue to flex the creative side of my brain, but some of my favorite types of shoots are boudoir, maternity sessions, and weddings/engagements/elopements.
I also absolutely love my family sessions, in-home newborn photoshoots, and birth photography clients! I do a little bit of everything, mostly so that I can document many facets of my clients’ lives and watch them grow and change as we all grow older. My approach is what sets me apart – my goal is to gain a new best friend while documenting life’s big moments.
I am not interested in taking a photo and then never seeing a person again – I am invested in the joy in the lives of my clients – from the moment someone sends me an inquiry and for years down the road. I want my clients to leave their session feeling like they know me and I know them. The experience that comes along with the photos is the most important thing, and the photos themselves could even be seen as a bonus!
I strive to show authenticity through my photos. I facilitate a space for genuine emotion – whether it be capturing those genuine laughs from the kiddos, catching the true emotions between partners on their wedding day, or documenting that divine feminine energy that someone exudes through a boudoir session! I believe this is why I have repeat clients and why my current clients choose to tell others about me – it really feels like an honor to do what I do.
I offer all types of photo sessions and I am open to booking through the end of the year! The easiest way to get ahold of me is via my website raemariephotography.com. (or https://raemariephotographymn.mypixieset.com/), or via Instagram @raemariemn. I have a contact form on my website and my DM’s are always open!
What’s next?
The biggest thing I am looking forward to right now is my Artist Residency. It is a huge honor to have been chosen and I am so grateful to bring my ideas to life! After the residency is over, I will be focusing on continuing to improve my client experience and provide the best service to every single person who books a shoot with me this year!
I am especially looking forward to a couple of sessions I have booked outside of Minnesota – especially a shoot in Colorado in the wildflower fields, and I was hired to photograph a wedding at the base of Mount Rainier! I have the best clients in the world, they continuously make my dreams a reality!
Pricing:
- Photo Sessions Start at $350
- Wedding Packages Start at $2,500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://raemariephotographymn.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: @raemariemn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachael.bulow/
