Rachel Conrad

I attribute my success to a lot of prayers, first and foremost. My mother-in-law, when she was still alive, was a very big influence on me - she was very encouraging and gave me the guts to stray from the traditional 9-to-5 and pursue something completely different. She gave me permission, in a way, to go ahead and do it even though I had a steady income. It's also been a lot of hard work, and I'm blessed to have an incredibly supportive family. My husband is an angel, and my girls are so supportive too. Running a business isn't roses and glitter and rainbows every day, so it's very nice to have such a supportive family when I have a bad day. So I'd say the key to my success is a lot of prayers, some good advice from people who believed in me, great family support, and hard work.

The best advice I ever received was from my mother-in-law, and it was really about getting out of my own way and giving myself permission to follow my dream. I remember being nervous about putting myself out there, and she asked me, 'What's the worst that can happen? Somebody doesn't like your image?' That was a really good point, because some people like vanilla ice cream, some people like chocolate ice cream. I'm not going to mesh with everyone, and that's okay. Learning that it's okay to not be everyone's cup of tea - and I mean that in the humblest way - was so freeing. It taught me to give myself permission to not be everyone's photographer, to push the fear aside, put the nerves aside, and just do it. Get out of your own way and follow your dream, because sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, but you have to try.

My biggest advice is to overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Just stay true to your vision. You can set two photographers in the same set, and it's not going to be the same image or the same feel, so don't feel that you have to be like this person or that person. Do what feels right to you artistically, and have the guts to do it. You have the creativity for a reason - God gave you that gift. Don't feel like it's not good enough. It's very hard not to compare yourself in any business, but try to get that nonsense out of your head and stay true to who you are. And here's the thing about starting out: you're never going to be 100% prepared for everything that's going to come up. Don't fall into analysis paralysis, trying to make sure you have everything ready. Just start. Just do it and learn. You're going to make mistakes because you're human, and that's okay. Be kind to yourself, give yourself grace, and learn from your mistakes. As long as you're learning from them, you're growing. My biggest thing is just start and learn.

I think the biggest challenge facing young women in photography right now is self-doubt and imposter syndrome. It's so easy to compare yourself to other photographers and feel like you're not good enough, but the truth is that every photographer has their own unique vision and style. You can put two photographers in the same setting and they'll create completely different images with different feels. The challenge is having the confidence to stay true to your own artistic vision and not feeling like you have to copy someone else. You have to remember that you have creativity for a reason - it's a gift - and you need to trust that it's good enough. The opportunity is in embracing your uniqueness and having the guts to do what feels right to you artistically, even when that voice of self-doubt creeps in.

I am a Christian, so my faith is very important to me. The golden rule guides how I work - I treat my clients how I want to be treated. I believe in really listening to people and letting them be heard. If you're quiet and listen to your clients, you can really pull out what they truly need, not just pretty pictures. It's about giving them something deeper. Family is very important to me, and so is health. These values shape everything I do, both in my business and in my personal life.