Meet Raphael Coelho: Videographer, photographer and musician

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

Hi Raphael, how do you think about risk?
If you want to have your own business, you will cross that path: Taking risks. To be honest, I always wanted a stable career, with a formal job and a monthly salary. I mean, without risks. Before starting my business, I worked at a big bank, and I had a good salary with many benefits. I had financial security, but I felt with no purpose. I have always been involved with art, music. But photography / videography was not in my plans. Briefly, after taking a trip to Bariloche / Argentina with my wife, I filmed and edited a short video of the trip on my cell phone. That was about 7 years ago. After this video, many friends commented on the video, but I did it without any commitment or commercial intent. This turned out to be the first incentive. From there, still working at the bank, I decided to learn photography to make better videos. So I started a photography course in Rio de Janeiro / Brazil. After learning the fundamentals of photography and its languages, I started to practice video production at home. My wife created a YouTube channel about decoration and I produced the videos. During this period, after people see the results of the channel, I was invited by some friends and started freelancing on the weekends, as a second cameraman at weddings. But I still worked at the bank. You can see that things did not happen overnight. I just decided to take a first step, and I went through a transition process that was going on gradually. I believe there is a time of maturation. One day, my wife said to me, “My friend is getting married and I am going to sell your service to her.” I thought: “How are you going to sell my work if I don’t have a wedding portfolio?” But she went there and sold our first contract. Yes she is a good salesperson! After that, the next ones came and I ended up in an intense work routine. During the week, I worked at the bank, at night I edited videos, and on weekends I filmed weddings. After almost 2 years of doing this, I decided to take my first big risk to invest in my business. I gave up security to plunge headlong into what I believed. There was no guarantee of success, but we took the risks. From that decision, I was able to dedicate myself totally to videography (nativetreefilms.com), to my music projects (youtube.com/aurorah) and started to have more financial return than I had working at the bank. It is not possible to walk in entrepreneurship without taking risks. But it is possible to calculate the risks and prepare yourself to take them. Even if I did everything I could do, I believe I would not have progressed without two things: favor and grace of God.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I had the opportunity to get involved and learn from very talented people. The more I got to know people, the more I worked with artists that I admired, the more my work gained references and its own personality. Before working with audiovisual, I was always involved with music. And it seems that it also helped me a lot in the creative process.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A bike or scooter ride on the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail is a very pleasant ride for sunny days. I also suggest going through Piedmont Park. Very close by, you can visit the Ponce City Market, and enjoy many delicious gastronomic options. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Having people around to support you is essential. My wife (Thaize Coelho) knew it would work even when I didn’t have a camera. So, thank you, my love, for all your support. Special thanks to Phillip and Heather (Applehead photography), who have been good friends and supportive.

Website: nativetreefilms.com

Instagram: @nativetreefilms

Facebook: facebook.com/raphaelsarmento

Youtube: youtube.com/aurorah

Other: instagram.com/oraphacoelho

Image Credits
Applehead Photography Renatha Fogaça Jhonata Batalha Gabriel Telles