Daily Inspiration: Meet Rose Groves

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rose Groves. 

Hi Rose, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I bought my first Canon when I was in high school right before a camping trip to Yellowstone with my family. Along for the ride was a good family friend, who just so happens to be *really* into astronomy and landscape photography. For a solid four days, I was his constant shadow, asking all the questions and was quite curious about the wonder of this incredible (and slightly overwhelming) tool I had just acquired. 

After college I spent some time teaching English in Korea, and as a side gig would work with both locals and fellow ex-pats as their photographer. From capturing traditional Korean weddings, to working long weekends as a photojournalist for a local tourism agency, I got to use my camera to experience the world in a whole new way. Documenting travel and culture ignited a passion in me for storytelling. 

Fast forward to graduate school where I spent a summer living and working in Bosnia. I chose to work with a local adventure tourism company that guided visitors on epic trips through the Dinaric Alps. From mountaineering to slow food eating and beyond, this group of talented locals showed me the power of a good story. I spent the summer in the mountains photographing these visitors immersing themselves in novel experiences and surrounded by a sense of wonder. I felt that my camera, this incredible tool, could not only take me places but bring others together in a way that words sometimes cannot. I carried these experiences and lessons with me later to South Africa, where I worked with Photographers Without Borders. This organization works to inspire social and environmental change through storytelling. With PWB, I was tasked to tell the stories of people living with AIDS and the power and strength of community. It taught me how to listen, how to work with people vastly different from myself, and how significant stories are. 

This path has led me to where I am now. I work as an elopement and intimate wedding photographer, telling not only stories of love, but of growth, change and hope. I work in some of the world’s most beautiful places with couples that value the experience and cherish the present. With intention and passion, my photography has grown in so many ways thanks to these experiences. I am always learning and growing, but to me great storytelling is emotive- it makes you feel connected to someone or something larger than yourself. To me, that is the story worth telling. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting a business is hard. There is really no simpler way to say it. But everything building up to the launch of Matlai Photography was not without its challenges. I went to graduate school for Global Finance and Economics thinking I wanted a career in foreign policy. I pretty much always had a camera in hand, but for some time I was elbow deep in the Washington Post and NY Times, comparing it to the coverage in Al Jazeera and then writing briefs on the implications of Brexit on the EU’s defense strategy. It was a whole different world, literally. However, I think some of the biggest challenges have just been with myself- and shifting what I perceived to be expected of me from society, to what I actually want to make of my life. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an intimate wedding and elopement photographer based in Colorado and Alaska. 

What does that means exactly- that’s a question I get often. The concept of elopements has really shifted in the last 5 years. Where it was once this shotgun, secretive plan Z that is slightly socially awkward to bring up in public, it has transformed into a shining plan A full of intention, inclusivity, and joy. As someone who also eloped, I can speak from personal experience that finding an Airbnb in the mountains, hiring a private chef, photographer, bringing in florals, and asking my dad to make pancakes the morning after our wedding was by no means this scary, shunned experience. 

Elopements can be whatever you want them to be. 

Part of what sets me apart is that I am not just your photographer. So much of what I do for my couples is help them choose a unique location, research permit, and logistic requirements, book a helicopter ride, find a vintage car to drive off into the sunset, and recommend a list of preferred vendors who are incredible and eager to help. It’s an all-in experience, and one that I so love being part of. 

What matters most to you? Why?
I was born in Kenya and my family lived all over the world until I was about 14 and we settled in Denver, Colorado. Moving and living abroad where there was no cable, McDonald’s, trick or treating, or summer soccer leagues meant that my best friends were my siblings, and we were constantly creating games and interacting with our environment quite simply because we had no other choice. This cultivated a deep curiosity about the world, and a lust for exploring new places, cultures and foods. Hand in hand with that is my value of family and relationships. What makes the world the most interesting is the people you meet along the way and grow to love. In part due to the moving around, and in part due to who I have become as an adult, I stick to good people whether you like it or not. Learning to listen, making delicious food, gift a meaningful gift, and spending the most time outside – these are some of the things that matter the most. 

Contact Info:

• Email: rose@matlaiphotography.com
• Website: www.matlaiphotography.com
• Instagram: @Matlai_Photography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MatlaiPhotography

Image Credits:
Rose Groves
Matlai Photography