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.

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Branded | Spikes of Reality

Rachel SmakDecember 11, 2020arizona brand photographer, brand photographer tempe, brand photographer in phoenix, brand photographer in arizona, brand consulting, branding, branding for small businesses, branding blog, brand photography gilbert arizona, corporate photographer in phoenix, corpora, commercial photography, commercial brand photographer in arizona, commercial brand photographer phoenix, Commercial and Editorial Brand Photographer in Phoenix, scottsdale commercial photographer, phx commercial photographer, nyc brand photography, nyc brand photographer, new york photographer, nyc photography, athletic photography, athletic wear photography, minneapolis lifestyle photographer, arizona lifestyle photographer, scottsdale lifestyle photographer, phoenix lifestyle photographer, nyc lifestyle photography, career photography, personal branding, personal branding photography, nyc personal branding