Meet Rosie Valentine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosie Valentine.

Hi Rosie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Do you remember being a teenager and daydreaming with friends about what superpower you would love to have? I wanted telepathy; a very specific kind. I wished I could share a full, empathic telepathic experience with others; share the way I saw the world beyond the visual. I wanted to give the feeling of it, bearing the weight of details and the significant intricacy of seemingly small things. If the people I loved who struggled with self-esteem (and who doesn’t, at times?) could catch a glimpse of what I saw when I looked at them, I felt sure that would have the power to change something. I saw the divine human beauty in people and I wanted to reflect that back to them. Of course, I didn’t yet have language for all of this.

Over time, photography has given me the visual language I yearned for to articulate people’s stories of courage, empowerment, loss, transformation, discovery, joy, and love. Over the course of the last fifteen years, I have developed my own aesthetic, goals, and strengths in this arena. I pour my life experience into my work, striving to create a practice that is in alignment with my values and what I want to see changing in our world. Today, I am a photographer of magical elopements, engagements, portraits, and editorial artist branding. My practice is trauma-informed and gender-affirming.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Throughout school and in college, I felt called to storytelling. I dabbled in mediums, including painting, photorealistic charcoal drawings, and creative writing. Photography was always there, something I enjoyed as a fun way to preserve memories, but not something I dove into headfirst. Then, in my early twenties, all of my creative processes ground abruptly to a halt. I grappled with various traumas; things I had been too young and powerless to process earlier in life and things that had just happened. I dedicated myself to healing and growth and when I did, I discovered so many beautiful things about myself and the world, in addition to the harsh realities.

I realized I was nonbinary- this was a slow process because it terrified me. It still does, sometimes, and that’s okay. I love my expansive, fluid gender and the ways that it pushes me to learn and empathize, connect with others and hold my boundaries. At the same time that I was coming to terms with my gender, I was figuring out that I’m neurodivergent and hypermobile. (This hypermobility comes with a whole host of related issues that impact my lived experience, including lots of pain and frequent injuries.) I reconnected with my innate, non-religious spirituality, committed to recovery from my eating disorder, and worked on loving myself as an active practice. In all of this, I could feel my creative energy being restored and longing for a way out into the world. Painting and drawing were too triggering for me to engage in deeply, and I was at a loss until I remembered photography.

When I picked up my camera again, something had changed. I wasn’t very “good” in the traditional sense in that I didn’t have the full skill set to use it, had no idea what this tool was capable of, and was constantly frustrated by the gap between what I wanted to be capable of and what I could achieve. Yet the draw was powerful and undeniable; when I wasn’t taking photos I was thinking about it. It was worth doing simply for the sake of doing. Bless my friends for letting me taking many thousands of photos of them while I practiced! Eventually, the most wonderful friend and photography mentor came into my life: Meghan Hill. She gave me some pointers and endless encouragement, eventually inviting me to be a second shooter in her wedding photography business. I learned from her for several years, all the while seeking out every other learning resource I could and putting it all together. I worked seven days a week for a year saving up money to buy my first full-frame camera and launched as an independent photographer shortly afterward.

I had always been one of those “gifted kids” that was wildly talented in some areas and struggled in others (hello neurodivergence and crying in every math class) and this was the first time I felt empowered and driven to fully commit to something that didn’t just “come naturally” to me. It was hard.

It was also hard facing financial struggles, familial estrangement, health problems, the pandemic, and working other jobs to support myself. I had to face transphobia when I came out, and as anyone LGBTQIA+ knows, coming out is a never-ending process. However, I have also found incredible community and fulfillment. Every bit of adversity is worth it to be able to do this work. I am still in the early days of my business, and filling my books enough to make a living is a huge challenge as I work to establish myself – yet every month I get more calls and emails from people who resonate with what I have to offer. I believe in what I do and I believe that my clients deserve to be cared for and celebrated. That is what gets me through the times of self-doubt.

Being committed to photography has required me to face my insecurities, my ego, and my limitations head-on. I sobbed with joy on the day that I finally started taking the photos I wanted to create. Every time a client reaches out to work with me, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to connect and create.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For me, photography is a way to interact with magic and contribute to my community. Every aspect of life, from the tiniest microorganisms to our lush and struggling ecosystems, is meaningful and holds intrinsic value. Human experience and intention is powerful. Love of self, and the love of connection, hold incredible energy. So when I work with photography, I work with reverence for the magic of life and existence.

This shows up in various ways depending on the nature of the session. With some of my clients, my sessions are more of a standard photography session; lots of laughter, playful prompts and games, and having fun together. With others, those who are seeking to do intentional spiritual work, we create a plan and set intentions and boundaries around that prior to our session and then work together in-session. Often, this looks like calling in divine energy, healing energy, and/or light to the session and moving through the session with an awareness of and respect for our innate human magic and our connection with the world. Every session is very personal work and is tailored to each client’s needs and goals. My goal is to support them.

I have developed a range of techniques that I believe show the magic of my clients and their experiences in visible ways; these include working with light and tools to show rainbows, reflections, moonlight, water, and fire. Most of this visual magic is created in-camera, with mindful editing to further enhance what is already there and bring it to life.

Magic requires creating space for people to show up and be fully present as their true selves. It’s critically important to me that the people I work with have the safest experience with me that I can create. I feel a great responsibility to design my practices to be trauma-informed, gender affirming, and fat-positive. My clients deserve respect and support and I strive to provide this experience for them.

In crafting my trauma-informed practices, I draw on what I learned in my experience as a volunteer, intern, and staff member at a local nonprofit serving those in our community who have been impacted by domestic violence, and well as everything I have learned in my own personal healing and growth journey. I have been learning about gender and trauma for eight years, and I work to integrate this knowledge and lived experience into forms of interpersonal care and support for my clients throughout our time together.

In addition to offering individual portrait sessions and artist branding sessions, I am passionate about celebrating love through engagement & elopement photography, as well as alternative celebrations of caring and commitment. The magic of people in love, fully committed to growing together and as individuals, fills my heart with joy. Many of my clients are fellow LGBTQIA+ folks, and serving them is particularly meaningful to me. Overall, my goal is to uplift and affirm each of my clients and co-create an amazing experience. We make memories to cherish in art form. I am profoundly grateful to be doing this work within the communities I love so dearly.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
My photography practice, at its core, centers my clients. I care very much about every single one of my clients and I believe that that shines through in my work. I take the time to get to know my clients and what they want in our sessions in order to feel supported, safe, and important. Having created an intentionally trauma-informed, gender-affirming approach to photography services makes me stand out.

Being nonbinary is often seen as a potential weakness in our transphobic binary culture. I see it as a gift. This aspect of my identity has ushered the most amazing connections into my life. Many of my clients are nonbinary and sharing that understanding and respect with them has created a space of powerful vulnerability for us. I love my nonbinary clients!

Additionally, my work is a bit different from most of what I see out there. My magical photography techniques and editing processes give my photos a distinctive feel and aesthetic, even with such a diverse range of visual experiences. Check out my Instagram or website for more examples of this!

Pricing:

• Portrait Session: $275
• Engagement Session: $350
• Elopment: starts at $800, inquire for details
• Artist Branding/Editorial Session: starts at $450
• Boudoir Session: $275

Contact Info:

• Email: rosie@rosievalentine.photography
• Website: https://www.rosievalentine.photography
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosievalentinephotography/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/pg/RosieValentinePhotography/community/