Rachel Hughes
website | instagram | facebook
Rachel is a family, newborn and pet photographer based in Jersey. She works with the stunning colours and details of nature to capture emotive and authentic pictures of real family connections. Rachel’s outdoor sessions are relaxed and playful - you should leave feeling like you’ve been for a walk with a friend with a bit of silliness thrown in. Her indoor sessions with babies are warm, cosy and a time to pause and take it all in. Rachel puts tremendous care and dedication into the session planning, the photoshoot and the editing afterwards to ensure you get something beautifully real that will stand the test of time.
“Don’t compete with others - compete with yourself."
Tell us about your path to setting up your business and what motivated you?
I’m an incredibly visual person and have always loved photography - I see photographs everywhere! Having my two children is what motivated me to want to get REALLY good at photography - the magic of childhood is so precious and fleeting and I wanted to capture and remember all the little details. I threw myself into learning photography in every single minute I had around being a mum, then took a leap of faith and stepped out of the corporate world to follow my passion when I felt I was good enough.
How do you work and what is a typical day like for you?
I’m a mum first and foremost, so I tend to schedule my photoshoots at the weekends, school holidays or weekday evenings in the lighter months. You’ll find me busy at my computer in the evenings, editing sessions or working on the business side of things.
What are the best parts about your business?
Being your own boss and setting your own creative ideas, getting to work outdoors in beautiful locations, kids holding your hand on photoshoots and parents crying with happiness when they see the photos, making people feel relaxed, happy and at their best.
What has been your greatest struggle as a business owner so far?
Not having enough hours in the day to grow the business as I would like to, and worrying about stepping out of job security into something quite risky. Oh, and switching off - hard when you are so passionate about something!
What has been your biggest a-ha moment so far?
Realising that undertaking a family photoshoot is 50% about being a photographer and 50% about larking around like a big kid! The most authentic and beautiful photographs are taken when the kids forget about the camera for a moment and just laugh and play with you.
Do you have any advice for other small business owners?
Don’t compete with others - compete with yourself. Never stop learning, and always strive to be better than you were yesterday.
What currently inspires you?
Light - whether it is streaming through trees, highlighting someone’s hair or glowing at sunset. My photographs are taken using natural light only because of it’s gorgeous soft quality and how it changes through the day and seasons. Back-lit, ethereal-like golden hour images make my heart sing. And my children - their connection to nature and their sweet everyday moments inspire me. I adore photographing them.
You can contact and find me here
