Atlanta Wedding Photographer: Getting to Know Rachel Boyd Photography

A Warm Welcome From Your Local Atlanta Wedding Photographer!

Are you recently engaged and looking for an Atlanta wedding photographer? If so, CONGRATS! I’m beyond excited for you both! In this blog, I’m sharing my journey to becoming an Atlanta wedding photographer. I truly believe that connection is key to capturing the most beautiful photos, and this is the perfect first step to getting to know me better!

Meet Your New Fav Atlanta Wedding Photographer | Rachel Boyd Photography

I’m Rachel, owner of Rachel Boyd Photography, an Atlanta wedding photographer and Georgia is my home!  

Writing about myself always feels so weird. I can’t tell you how long I have put off starting a blog because I was dreading what I knew would have to be my first post, the one all about me. Insert gagging emoji! 

I guess i’ll start from the beginning? 

I feel like this is the story of most photographers honestly, but I didn’t set out to be a photographer. Ever since I was a little girl all I wanted to be was a nurse. I went to college at Ohio State, was there for 3 years then moved here to Atlanta. Then I transferred to Kennesaw State but lost so many credits in the transfer that I basically had to start over. A huge bummer!

I was at KSU for a couple years. In that time I met my now husband, Patrick. We eventually got married and I continued to work towards my degree. It came time for me to apply for nursing school, I was so excited! I had been working as a CNA for awhile and was so ready to get one step closer to my goal! 

Well, I was rejected. 

I was devastated. I took a semester to gather my thoughts. Do I choose a new major? Do I apply again? I decided to try to apply one more time. 

Then, BOOM. Pregnant! 

We came to the conclusion that it was best for me to not re-apply. We figured it would be too much to be knee deep in clinicals while also navigating becoming a new mother. 

I always hoped to be a stay at home mom when the time came, so I was thankful that Patrick had a job that would allow me to do that.

Fast forward to our beautiful daughters arrival. Immediately, I became obsessed with capturing every move she made. My phone storage was monopolized with pictures of my Payton Rose, so that next Christmas, Patrick decided to buy my a nice camera! (Thank you, Patrick for believing in me.. even when I didn’t believe in myself!)

My first DSLR sat in the box for about a year…

I was so intimidated, there were so many buttons! I had no clue where to start. Patrick kept making jokes that we was going to return the camera if I didn’t start to use it. So, I hoped on YouTube and started watching all the videos on how to use a DSLR camera. 

I started taking a million more photos of Payton. Slowly but surely I was getting the hang of this whole fancy camera thing! I started taking pictures here and there for friends and family. I realized that I was really enjoying taking photos and I was getting sort of good! 

It was summer of 2019 that decided to see if I could make a little side business out of this. I started advertising for photography sessions for dirt cheap, like $50 a session. Just to see if people would even be interested and to build up my portfolio. I was shocked that I actually started booking people!! I was starting to gain traction and having a lot of fun with it, then it all came to a halt. 

Did I mention that when I first advertised photography sessions that I was pregnant with my second child? Ha! He came September 2019 so it was all put on pause while I navigated having two kids, two and under. 

After a few months, I decided to get back at it full force. I started an instagram account for my photography and started posting regularly. I got things booking again. And then. March of 2020 came. We all know what that meant. It all came back to a halt!

*SMH*

For the next year, photography was put on the back burner.

I would still take photos of my family, but I never thought I would actually turn it into a business. Not after all these hiccups… 

A New Chapter in 2021: Rekindling My Photography Journey

Come the beginning of 2021, I was a full-on stay-at-home mom. I loved it—it was hard, but being a stay-at-home mom is so rewarding! I recognize that it was a huge privilege, and I’m so grateful that I was able to do it.

But I started wanting something more for myself. I wanted to work but still be able to be at home with my kids when I needed to.

That’s when I decided to take the leap again with my photography business. It was time to give it my all, for real! In the past, I realized I was half in it, half out. Which was understandable—I had a newborn, and then we were all navigating a pandemic! As life began returning to normal, I knew I just needed to jump.

I started posting again on my business Instagram and promoting myself. This time, I also wanted to dabble in weddings. So, I signed up for styled shoots to build my portfolio, looked for second shooter positions, and bought new gear.

I was ALL IN on Becoming an Atlanta Wedding Photographer! 

Again, things quickly took off! Summer 2021 is when I went forward with getting my LLC and creating a website. The whole shebang! 

I closed out 2021 with dozens of sessions and 6 weddings under my belt! I created a whole business! What the heck?!

Now, here we are in 2024—thriving, with another addition to our sweet family! I’m growing my business as an Atlanta wedding photographer and loving every minute of it. Want to follow along with me on Instagram? Come say “hi” here!

XO, 

Rachel 

Family Photos by: Kelsie Jones Photo