Meet Rachel Smith | Photographer & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought process behind starting my own business was motivated mainly by me wanting to create my own schedule and have control over what jobs to say yes to. In the past I have worked as a videographer and photographer for companies where I had to do work for a client or project I wasn’t passionate about. Creating my own business has allowed me to have greater creative liberty, which has led to better final products.

Another reason why I started my own company was because of the financial benefits it entails. So far I have loved establishing my own business and having the freedom to pick up whatever jobs draw my attention, whether that be photography, videography, or other jobs in the film industry such as being a production assistant. Eventually I would like to expand my team, which will ideally be mainly made up of women in the industry, to create content. I would like to prioritize female voices because from my experience women are not given the same opportunities as men, often being put in uncomfortable positions with clients that do not give them the same respect or they have to fight for equal opportunities. I have been fortunate to have met amazing men and women in the film industry, but I would love to even the playing field and give women a safe space to create.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a freelance photographer and videographer. In terms of photography, I enjoy doing event, photojournalism, and posed photography. As someone who gets bored very easily I need to have several projects going on at once to feel productive. A huge part of getting to where I am today professionally, was attending the University of South Carolina and receiving a B.A. in media arts, minoring in advertising and mass communications. Here I learned the fundamentals of filmmaking and was able to network with people I still work with to this day. Graduating was a little more difficult than anticipated because Covid hit my junior year, but I was able to complete a few films while staying within the safety restrictions.

I am still growing my business but so far my photography jobs include working for bigger brands such as Home Depot and ESPN at College GameDay, as well as several local businesses such as Interi, c.HAIR.i.TEE, 1801 Grille, and Market on Main. The behind the scene photography job for Home Depot is definitely the job I am proudest of, since I booked it fairly quickly after moving to Atlanta. My film jobs include working as a production assistant for Religion of Sports, Hardpin Media, and on an iHeartRadio/Pepsi commercial. Besides working as a production assistant, my two favorite roles in filmmaking are being a producer and director of photography, so I try to find time to do both.

Along with having my own company, I am part of Famously Hot Films, an award-winning production company I co-created with a team of UofSC film graduates. As much as I love doing events on my own and creating the various content I have planned, it is an amazing feeling to be a part of a team and work on bigger picture projects.

The main lesson I want people to take away from my brand is that no matter how young you are you can still create meaningful content that matters. You also don’t need to have the fanciest equipment to start booking gigs.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area I would take them to hang out at Rev Coffee Roasters, then we would go visit and take pictures at the Dunwoody Nature Center. For lunch we would hit up Taco Cantina and end the day seeing a movie at Silverspot Cinema.

My best friend is coming to visit in May because we’re trying to see Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour tour so hopefully we will get to do all of these things.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my mother. I feel like not many parents are supportive of their kids going into the arts, since it’s such a tough industry to be in, but my mom bought me my first camera and supported me as I went through four years of college at the University of South Carolina to receive my B.A. in media arts. She also supported me as I moved to Atlanta, Georgia to pursue film and start my own company. Even though she doesn’t know much about the film industry or photography, since none of our family comes from that background, she periodically sends me articles on tips to manage your own business. When I visit home she always wants to show me media jobs she found that are hiring. The majority of the time these gigs are based in Charlotte, NC near where my family lives, which are difficult to do because I live several hours away, however it is nice that she spends time helping me get jobs, despite them being a sneaky attempt to draw me back home.

Website: rachelsmithmedia.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelsmithmedia/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-smith-05b466170/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100021860764732

Image Credits
Pictured in Photographs: Zach McKinley Zaj Eugene Darian O’Neil Lizzie Grosso Jean Barlow Kinzie Correll BTS: Vincent Arceo