ABOUT RACHEL
IN WHICH RACHEL TALKS IN THIRD PERSON
IN ORDER TO APPEAR MORE PROFESSIONAL:
Rachel Waters is a wedding and lifestyle photographer living in Oklahoma City,
but frequently shoots in Colorado, the Pacific Northwest, California, and NYC.
She’ll travel wherever you want to go with an extra large smile on her face.
She’s been photographing professionally going on five years now,
but has always loved having a camera in her hands.
Her first camera was gifted to her on her 12th birthday by her grandmother
and she never put it down. What started as photographing anything and everything for fun lead to the job of her dreams: traveling the world, meeting cool new people, taking photographs, and creating art. Nothing better.
Rachel is an award-winning wedding photographer, having won both Junebug
Weddings’ Best of the Best Wedding Photos and Best of the Best Engagement
Photos. Her work has been featured on the cover of Brides of Oklahoma
and in Green Wedding Shoes, Junebug Weddings, Wedding Chicks,
WHITE Magazine, Brides, Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, Elle Decor,
and Lookslikefilm to name a few.
Her clients’ kind words, reviews, and happy tears are much better than any award, though.
Her aim when photographing is to tell the story and to create art.
Her style is heavily photojournalistic, modern, and a little whimsical while
remaining timeless at its core. While she stays away from super-trendy editing,
she will make sure your final images are clean and as true-to-life as possible.
That means your skin looks like your skin, the trees and grass look alive,
and all the colors included in your wedding day shine like you want them to.
She works tirelessly to make sure each client is comfortable and receiving
the best possible images from their day, and ultimately wants your
final gallery to perfectly tell the story of your day via images.
Rachel thinks people are wonderful and that the human connection
is one of life’s greatest gifts. She loves game nights, shared meals,
long, deep conversations (despite her introversion),
and laughter more than just about anything.
She is fascinated with human beings and delights in the honor
of getting to share her gifts of artful narration with the world.
+ WILL CRY AT YOUR WEDDING
+ WILL ALSO CRY IF YOU BRING YOUR DOG TO YOUR SESSION
+ CAN AND WOULD EAT TEX-MEX OR THAI FOOD FOR EVERY MEAL
+ USUALLY CAN’T THINK OF HER FAVORITE COLOR, BUT TYPICALLY SETTLES FOR EMERALD GREEN IF SOMEONE ASKS
+ SPENDS HER TIME COMPARING HERSELF TO LESLIE KNOPE AND LIZ LEMON
+ LOVES TO COOK AND HOPES TO START HOSTING MORE DINNER PARTIES
+ THINKS FOOD IS BETTER SPICY
+ AND COFFEE IS BETTER ICED
+ PLAYED THE SAXOPHONE FOR A LONG TIME AND COULD LISTEN TO JAZZ ALL DAY
+ ALSO HIP-HOP
+ AND THAT GOOD INDIE SHIT (JUSTIN VERNON’S FALSETTO FOREVER)
+ CUSSES A LITTLE SOMETIMES
+ ISN’T GOOD AT BULLET POINTS
+ HOPES TO TRAVEL TO A NEW COUNTRY FOR EACH YEAR SHE’S ALIVE
+ LOVES FRESH FLOWERS, LAVENDER SCENTED THINGS, HONEYBEES, AND ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA
+ BELIEVES THAT EVERYBODY HAS A SUPERPOWER
+ DESPERATELY WISHES CARBS WERE GOOD FOR YOU
+ LOOKS FOR MAGIC IN EVERY DAY
+ HAS 6 TATTOOS AND WILL GET MORE (SORRY MOM)
+ WOULD TOTALLY DRINK A MARGARITA WITH YOU
+ PERSONALLY THINKS SHE HAS THE BEST FRIENDS AND FAM
+ LIKES RAINY, DREARY WEATHER BUT THRIVES IN SUNSHINE
+ WILL TALK HARRY POTTER, THE OFFICE, TRAVELING, FOOD, MATILDA, OR PHOTOGRAPHY WITH YOU ALL DAY
+ WEARS BLACK, STRIPES, AND DENIM ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY
+ HAS YET TO MAKE IT OUT OF TARGET WITH ONLY THE ITEMS ON HER LIST
+ WANTS A SWEATSHIRT WITH HER DOGS’ FACES ON IT SOOOOOO BAD
+ LOVES TO SMELL LIKE CAMPFIRE, THE SEA, OR GRAPEFRUIT
+ THINKS HER BOYFRIEND HAS THE BEST FACE EVER
+ MESSY-HAIRED LOVER OF MOMENTS AND NOSTALGIA
+ GRATEFUL FOR EACH BREATH
Bio images by Jessi Murray, Tricia Miller, and Colleen Hudgins.
I am Rachel Waters. I have pink hair. It’s usually the only color I wear, unless denim counts.
I like to think my last name is “Waters” because I was a mermaid in a past life. Lord know it’s not because I drink enough of the stuff now (I’m working on it).
I’m really into dogs and people. Sometimes in that order.
I will out-drink you if it’s iced coffee. You will certainly win if it’s anything else.
I’m working on writing bios without starting each sentence with the word “I” but I am obviously not doing too hot.
When I’m not working, I am either watching a nice rotation of: The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, Broad City, Criminal Minds, Master Chef (and Master Chef: Junior because those kids make me cry with joy), or Chopped. One time Ted Allen of Chopped tweeted at me and I lost my shit.
Other times I’ve lost my shit: when I met Justin Vernon by pure, amazing happenstance and we talked like old pals (and when he followed me on instagram/twitter); when I saw how precious Ira was for the first time upon adopting him and every time he yawns to this day; when I met and proposed to The Civil Wars and they both said “yes” (I have a signed vinyl as proof lol); when I selfied with Bernie Sanders and was photographed and when my face was on his website; when I found out two of my images were chosen as The Best of The Best Wedding Photos and again when one of my engagement images won The Best of The Best Engagement Photos-both hosted by Junebug Weddings; when I was on a NYC subway and some street performers did the CrAzIeSt gymnastics/dance-moves/magical things with their bodies using the handrails and all that; when I watched the episode of Chef’s Table about Alinea; when I drank my coffee in the same place J.K Rowling wrote Harry Potter (and also, I’ll throw this in: The First Time I Stepped Into Diagon Alley At The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, I Yelled “OHMYGOD” And Then Immediately Started Crying); when I saw Chance The Rapper perform for the first time; any time I fly; when I ate a blueberry bourbon basil donut from Blue Star for the first time; one time in a hot-air balloon.
Moving on…I like to make people playlists wth secret messages attached and am constantly updating my own soundtrack just in case my life is ever made into a movie. I love waking up early, but don’t do it often. My other love besides taking photos is cooking and eating. I hope to write my own cookbook someday. I love day-dreaming up menus with cocktail pairings and would totally host dinner parties several times a week if my kitchen could stay clean on its own. In high school, I was in speech and debate and wholeheartedly believe it is the one thing that made me who I am today. I was finally surrounded with weird, like-minded people and I could get out of my shell without fear of judgement. My brother is my favorite person to ever exist. If I could give him the world, I would. My family co-owns a little cabin in Colorado and vacationing there and waking up with fresh air and sunbeams is my favorite thing. Colorado feels like home even though I’ve yet to live there. I write poetry/prose sometimes. I’m terrible at drawing, but like to pick it up from time-to-time. Same with painting. I love the sea. I love exploring new places and getting a little lost. I love listening to my music loudly and I love dancing a bit to it as well.
I am grateful for my life, and the designer of it all. I try to remember to look for the magic in each day, to share my appreciation out loud, and to love as fully as I know how. To be kind, to give freely, to be vulnerable-I do my damnedest to operate by these.
Thank you for being here, friend. Let’s hang.