The beginnings of Atelier Reiko Photography

Hello, everyone! Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to visit my website as well as read my blog. It means the world to me that you are here, and supporting my journey as a photographer.

To be honest, I never thought I would actually be doing what I am doing now.

If I looked back about 5 or so years ago, doing photography as a career would be absolutely unthinkable. At the time, I just wanted to pick up my camera and take pretty pictures of my family and friends - plain and simple. It made me smile to see how I can capture photos, and savor in the memories that we made on those events. Lots of friends encouraged me to pursue photography professionally, and I shrugged it off at first. I thought, "Nah, there's no way I'd be as good as the photographers I've worked with and admired" - after all, I knew they had many years ahead of me in experience than I ever did.

But then it occurred to me... What would it take to get me started?

I'll share in a later blog on how I overcame imposter syndrome, but it took me a few years to get to where I am today. To briefly summarize, I had to dive into practice with my work, and take time and effort to learn and hone in on new skills. Eventually, my work was noticed by my local community, and now it's captured my family's attention too. I learned on Father's Day in 2022 that my paternal grandfather, Alvaro (Al) Ramones not only was a war hero in the Philippines during World War II, but a photographer for Clark Air Force Base's newspaper. I knew I had some sort of connection with photography, and it absolutely blew my mind that I was artfully connected to my grandfather that I sadly never had the chance to get to know (he passed away when I was very young). I decided then and there that this was my chance to prove myself in what it took to be a photographer I aspire to be:

Making magic in the memories captured in every snapshot.

On August 23, 2022, on my 35th birthday, I purchased a new camera and lenses, which officially gave birth to my new business as Atelier Reiko Photography. And it's been a journey since then! I've met some amazing people and built a community that I love and cherish. I am thankful that I gave this journey and myself a chance, and I look forward to making even more beautiful, magical memories in the years to come.

Thank you for being a part of the journey! Here in this blog, I will share with you my experiences as a photographer - things I have seen and learned, lessons learned, mistakes made, and even some things that have helped me that I hope will help an aspiring artist, model, or photographer in the future. I may not be the best of writers either, but I will certainly be sure to do my very best there as well!

I look forward to sharing more soon!

With love,

Jenni