Hi, I’m Rachel.

I’m an adventure lovin’, thrill seeking, photographer and writer based in Phoenix AZ, and Minneapolis, MN. My heart beats for cacti, city skylines, handcrafted old fashioneds and potatoes in any form.

In 2017 I lost my mom to suicide and spiraled down the awkward and emotionally isolating experience commonly referred to as grief. My story doesn’t exactly have an a-ha! moment because the light bulb that lit up for me was on a dimmer switch but since her death I slowly discovered that grief doesn’t happen in a vacuum, but alongside a mixture of all the other human emotions—joy, hope, fear, anger, and even love. Grief’s imprint taught me that life is precious and sparked me to quit my 9-5, uproot my life to the desert, and pursue my passion for creative storytelling full time.

Now I navigate life with my camera in one hand and a pen in the other and my blog is a mashup of love stories, brand stories, mental health and grief stories (it’s a niche), and my “real life” (I can’t make this shit up) stories. I bring heart and a little humor to even the toughest of stories and candidly share about a range of topics including living through loss, grief, and new beginnings, and how to run a creative based business.

Latest From The Blog

Posts tagged mn wedding photographer

A Love Poem to 2019

A Love Poem to 2019

Life & StyleRachel SmakDecember 31, 2018arizona photographer, arizona wedding photographer, double tree hilton st paul wedding, double tree hilton wedding, Double Tree Hilton Wedding Down Town St- Paul, Double tree Hilton Wedding reception, downtown st paul wedding photography, downtown st paul wedding photos, impulse chamber choir wedding, Mears Park St- Paul Wedding, Mears Park St- Paul wedding photos, Mears Park Wedding Photography, Mears Park wedding photos, minneapolis wedding photographer, minneapolis wedding photography, Minneapolis Wedding reception, Minnesota wedding photographer, mn wedding photographer, mn wedding photography, MN wedding reception, Mori Lee wedding gown, phoenix photographer, phoenix wedding photographer, phoenix wedding photography, phoenix weddings, scottsdale photographer, scottsdale wedding photographer, scottsdale wedding photography, scottsdale wedding photos, Sica Dawn Fox Den Salon Wedding, st paul wedding, St Thomas More Catholic Church Wedding, St- Paul wedding photographer, St- Paul Wedding Photography, st- paul wedding photos, St- Paul wedding reception, St- Thomas More Catholic Church MN Wedding, st- thomas more catholic church wedding ceremony, st- thomas more catholic church wedding photography, st- thomas more wedding ceremony, St- Thomas More wedding ceromony, st- thomas more wedding cery, the wedding shoppe gown, wedding, wedding photographer, wedding photography

Ceci + Michael Double Tree Hilton St. Paul, MN Wedding

Ceci + Michael Double Tree Hilton St. Paul, MN Wedding

PhotographyRachel SmakOctober 1, 2018arizona photographer, arizona wedding photographer, double tree hilton st paul wedding, double tree hilton wedding, Double Tree Hilton Wedding Down Town St- Paul, Double tree Hilton Wedding reception, downtown st paul wedding photography, downtown st paul wedding photos, impulse chamber choir wedding, Mears Park St- Paul Wedding, Mears Park St- Paul wedding photos, Mears Park Wedding Photography, Mears Park wedding photos, minneapolis wedding photographer, minneapolis wedding photography, Minneapolis Wedding reception, Minnesota wedding photographer, mn wedding photographer, mn wedding photography, MN wedding reception, Mori Lee wedding gown, phoenix photographer, phoenix wedding photographer, phoenix wedding photography, phoenix weddings, scottsdale photographer, scottsdale wedding photographer, scottsdale wedding photography, scottsdale wedding photos, Sica Dawn Fox Den Salon Wedding, st paul wedding, St Thomas More Catholic Church Wedding, St- Paul wedding photographer, St- Paul Wedding Photography, st- paul wedding photos, St- Paul wedding reception, St- Thomas More Catholic Church MN Wedding, st- thomas more catholic church wedding ceremony, st- thomas more catholic church wedding photography, st- thomas more wedding ceremony, St- Thomas More wedding ceromony, st- thomas more wedding cery, the wedding shoppe gown, wedding, wedding photographer, wedding photography

Hilary + Keaton Dellwood Country Club Wedding

Hilary + Keaton Dellwood Country Club Wedding

How Loss Changed The Way I Photograph

How Loss Changed The Way I Photograph

Photography, Life & StyleRachel SmakApril 23, 2018how important photos become after someone dies, how loss changed the way I shoot, mn wedding photographer, mn wedding photographer shares how death changed the way she shot weddings, photography and mortality, significance of wedding photography, the importance of wedding photographs, wedding photography articles, why a good wedding photographer is important, why hire a professional photographer, why wedding photography is important, why wedding photography is so important