Meet Becky Velie of Rebeca Velie Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Velie.

Becky, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I first took up photography when I was in middle school. My parents gave me a very simple point-and-shoot camera with which I began shooting everything and everyone around me. My little sister became my main model, much to her chagrin, as I was accustomed to dragging her outside to take pictures with me day after day. I took lots of photos of my friends and the New Hampshire landscape where I grew up. Importantly, I began to learn a lot about photography techniques during this time. Eventually, I started my high school’s photography club and took nearly everyone in my grade’s senior pictures. However, these monotonous graduation photos lacked the creative nature that I had loved about photography and I think I grew a lot more self-conscious about my art during this time. I ended up giving up photography for a few years as I began my studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

When COVID-19 sent everyone at my university home my sophomore year, I began to look for things to distract me from my time spent stuck in my small town. I ended up using a hatchet to fashion a huge pine log into a canoe and embarking on the 227-mile John Muir Trail that summer. Those experiences taught me the benefit of working hard for what I want and the following year (my junior year of college), I ended up picking back up my photography and starting my wedding photography business while also attending my remote classes. The time away from photography gave me the fresh start I needed and I began to redevelop my photography style and love for the art form.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. When I was just starting out, I lacked a lot of experience with weddings and knowledge of how to operate my own business. The lack of confidence in my own ability to get my business up and going was definitely my biggest obstacle. However, after repeated discussions with my boyfriend in which he assured me I was a good enough photographer to do this, I shot my first wedding for just a few hundred dollars. This set me on the road to building my wedding photography portfolio and my confidence. It’s been a learning process the whole way, but once I had set up the infrastructure of my business things got exponentially easier.

I was really overwhelmed with work last summer which ended up being a bit of a mental struggle and a lesson on how much was okay to take on for myself. I was shooting weddings on the weekends, taking classes through the quantitative analysis center at my university five days a week, and collecting and writing up my senior thesis. This summer I’ve taken a lot more time to get my feet underneath me and feel much more prepared to shoot some fantastic weddings during this upcoming year.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Rebeca Velie Photography?
My business is Rebeca Velie Photography and I specialize in wedding photography that is all you. I adapt my coverage style to my client’s needs and wants and really focus on making sure that my clients’ photos feel like their own.

I pride myself on being flexible and laying low during the wedding day (it’s about my couple’s not me!). My biggest concern on the day itself is that my clients are having a blast and are able to feel relaxed and enjoy the party they’ve spent months upon months planning for themselves. I am just there to help facilitate their day and document all the giggles, tears, and love.

I’m known for the light and airy look of my photos and my focus on candid moments. Posed photos are great and important, but at the end of the day, a candid photo with genuine laughs is the one that makes you tear up when you look back at it years later. I love the candid moments and capturing them is easy and makes it so the focus is on the moments during the wedding and not on preparing for the photos.

I also have recently started offering hybrid wedding photography and videography services. The wedding films are short 2-4 minute highlight reels that help my clients to really remember the day as fully as possible. The ability to shoot both styles is something I’m really proud of and which I believe truly sets me apart.

What makes you happy?
A lot of things make me happy. My mom calls me “smiley” and a common joke in my family is that “Becky could make friends with a stop sign.” Genuine moments make me smile; loving looks make my heart warm, and witnessing people during some of the happiest moments of their lives legitimately brings me to tears… Seeing other people happy makes me happy. That’s why I think I love wedding photography so much. I get to hang out with my clients, laugh with them and in the process help them to cement their happiest moments forever in their wedding photos.

Pricing:

• Bronze Package: $3,150 (4 hours coverage)
• Silver Package: $4,350 (6 hours coverage + a free engagement session)
• Gold Package: $5,250 (8 hours coverage + a free engagement session)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rebecaveliephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veliephotography/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecaveliephotography/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aefHfsU1_B8
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/Rebecaveliephotography/_created
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbMTdeuyXnA