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Life and Work with Reda Ruokyte

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Reda Ruokyte.

Reda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My life began in Lithuania, Europe, my parents brought us to the United States when in 2002 when I was eight years old.

I started my journey in photography four years ago when I found a job ad on craigslist for a snowmobile tour photographer in the winter and a zip line tour photographer in the summer, I came in with little to no experience in the field but was so eager to get away from the 9-5 office lifestyle and start a new chapter.

My love for the outdoors drew me into the position, I used to sit at my desk and watch the snowfall, the flowers bloom, and the sunshine, and after a while realized that I needed a more fulfilling career because I just wasn’t happy. Within weeks of working at White Mountain, I was taking photos and snowmobiling for a living- literally a dream come true. Tim, my manager taught me everything I know and continues to mentor me throughout all of my new ventures in photography.

Over the last year, I have expanded my portfolio and started to create a little photo business of my own with great success, I have shot everything from portraits, product & real estate to wildlife, concerts and even weddings! It is incredible the places that this passion and career have taken me to, I have only dreamt of ever shooting at Red Rocks, or on top of a mountain top, and now get to do it all. I am very much looking forward to getting back to my roots in just a few months when the snow falls, action photography and snowmobiling/snowboarding are still my favorite thing to capture.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been anything but a smooth road during this journey, photography is a very demanding job once you start to dive in deeper, booking shoot after shoot and staring at your computer editing and distributing photos is very time-consuming.

Starting a business for yourself requires a lot of self-discipline as well as funds and not to mention the knowledge on how to operate it. I have no business degree, nor did I have a lot of money when I realized this is what I want to do, but if there’s a will there is always a way. Little by little, I started to book shoots with the camera I used from work, and with the money from that, help from friends, family, and my manager I was able to buy my own camera, financed a lens and started to do this thing!

This passion started out as a hobby and quickly became my full-time job, I am working about 10 hours a day most days and have a hard time pulling myself away from work because I genuinely love what I do, but finding a balance between your work and the rest of your life is incredibly important, your friends and family want to see you and it is necessary to take breaks as to not get stressed out.

If I could say anything about my first year of trying to start a business, it’s that things will go wrong, clients will cancel, money will be tight, your car may break and you might lose your head just a little bit, but after all the stress, for any woman starting their journey in a new career I recommend to be patient, everything works out in time and when it feels like you’ve hit a dead-end, just make sure you have researched all of your options and taken some time to clear your head before ever thinking about giving up.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Reda Ruokyte Photography – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My favorite type of photography is action, astrophotography, I love to just get outside and shoot anything from snowmobiling, snowboarding to dirt biking and hiking.

I have recently started to advertise something I call ‘active shoots’ where I accompany a single person or groups on their adventures outdoors, I most recently hiked 4 miles with a yoga retreat which was extremely fun! Among active shoots, I very much enjoy sitting under the night sky and watching the stars and the milky way, while also capturing some unreal photos that we cannot see with our naked eye.

I like to think that I set myself apart from other photographers in the fact that I don’t do this just for the money, I do it for my own satisfaction and thrill, getting to shoot photos is just a bonus compared to the experiences I get to be a part of. I am very much looking forward to seeing what mountains I’ll get on top of during this next year.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
A lot of my resources for photography come from friends and socializing with other artists, however, a great portion of it stems from social media as well, Instagram has so many amazing photographers and ideas, it is an absolutely endless resource when I am in need of inspiration and fresh ideas.

Pricing:

  • $150/hour for a photography session

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Reda Ruokyte

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