Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Carrillo.
Rachel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story begins with the most beautiful struggle. It was 2015, and I became pregnant with my second child, single and could in no way afford to be head of household and daycare for two little ones, so I quit my job in telecommunication sales and became a stay at home single mom. I had no other choice than to pick up my camera that I had put down on and off for over ten years.
It was extremely difficult for me to do this, I had to let go of my job, something I had excelled at and enjoyed so much and with a company I wanted to grow with. I felt like I was losing who I was, my identity. Everything I had envisioned for myself went right out the window, so I thought, and I had to do what I had to do to survive. I had my car repossessed, an incident with Child Protective Services (not on my behalf), filed bankruptcy, welfare and even my puppy ran away.
It just seemed like the blows were never-ending. I felt stuck. And it felt like an eternity. It definitely took a toll on me mentally, and I suffer from anxiety because of it. I didn’t take care of myself during that time. Being at home with two children, a newborn and two year old made it seem like time stood still and I would never get out of my predicament. But, I kept going. I persisted. I did not give up, and that is how I am where I am today.
Thankfully, I had the immense support of my parents, my therapist and a shift in perspective and slowly but surely I was able to get out of that dark place I was in. There is still so much I want to learn, accomplish and do, and through the community, I surround myself in and all the amazing people I have met through this journey, I know I can, and I will keep going to achieve it.
Has it been a smooth road?
I know in the beginning of this journey my youngest was a baby so leaving her and my son to go to events and network for potential work was difficult and I couldn’t do it as much as I wanted. Also, having it be difficult to invest in my business, camera gear is not cheap. I’ve even purchased equipment on craigslist that ended up being broken, so the little money I had saved up over time went right out the window. Lesson learned.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the L.A. Momma Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I had been photographing families and children, but one of my first gigs that lead me down this road was shooting for the amazing Anabel Marquez and her magazine Mommy in Los Angeles. Working with her gave me the opportunity to connect with most of the amazing people I work with now. I was shooting various mommy entrepreneurs with Anabel.
These were fierce women who were doing what they love to do which helped in inspiring myself. Since then, I have worked with so many other women entrepreneurs who I have connected with along the way on photoshoots for content, blogs, and events. I work with amazing women like Paulina and Bricia of the Super Mamas Podcast, Luz Warrior from the Let There Be Luz Podcast.
The beautiful mother/daughter duo Arlene and Keanni of Glamlindo Artesania, makeup artist Camille Ariane and Lindsay Kavet of Expressing Motherhood along with so many others. I never imagined that I would be doing this, but I am. I now realize that what seemed like the end of the world for me a few years ago was just the beginning of a new one for me.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Cameras are evolving so quickly! It’s not just about Nikon and Canon anymore. The industry is getting much bigger especially with the technology that is out now and not only with DSLR cameras but phones! It’s exciting if you’re able to experiment with all the new equipment.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l.a.momma/?hl=en
Image credit:
Family photo – Jose Delgado Of @jose_d_photography
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