Your Connecticut Wedding Photographer
I am an award winning, published, New England wedding photographer originally from Wisconsin, now located in Farmington, Connecticut. I love LOVE, humor, true crime, red wine, breweries, romance, coffee, John Hughes movies, horror films, Halloween, adventure, travel, my little people (Jace and Isla) and my dog (Mosby the doodle bug) and now a tortie cat named Wisco. I'm also only 4 degrees from Kevin Bacon (so that officially makes you 5 if you book us!).
I'm the photographer that might climb a tree to get the perfect shot. I'm the photographer that might have to calm your mother-in-law down when the groomsmen pose naked with nothing but bridesmaids' bouquets in front of them. I'm the photographer that is going to go out of her way to capture the perfect moments, not just the posed ones.
I am going to capture the look of love in your eyes, the genuine giggle of a child and the raw emotion of a groom when he sees his bride for the first time. I'm not about copying another "jumping" bridal party photo. I'm not about making you pose in a cheesy formation. I'm about making you feel as comfortable as though your best friend was behind the camera taking your pictures. I'm about real. I'm about genuine. I'm about creativity, and I'm about art. I will capture your most celebrated moments with a piece of my artistry. I have a creative twist, a unique one and something canvas-worthy.
You will love what I do.
Love,
Rayleen
"Is it weird to be OBSESSED with your photographer? Because I totally was/am! Rayleen was a DREAM to work with from day one. Kindred spirits immediately. After a terrible experience with a prior photographer, Rayleen swooped in and saved our day. She is super creative, super communicative and ridiculously talented. I would also like to shout out her partner Katie who was incredibly creative and an absolute joy to work with as well! We had a themed wedding and both Rayleen and Katie embraced the fun and came in costume lol! We received so many compliments from our guests about these two and Ken and I would recommend them a million times over! Truly grateful for everything they did and we don't even need to get the pics back yet to know they will be out of this world." -Niki, 2023 bride
“Um, he's sick. My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.”
The Life of the Party
Julia is a 24 (Leo T) year old, kick-ass hype girl that resides in Connecticut—born and raised! She grew up in Glastonbury and graduated from Simsbury High in 2018.
She has some fur babies (which we LOVE!): two cats and a dog—and yes, she's fully embraced her inner crazy cat lady. She never thought she’d be one, but then she met Bluey and fell in love. Then came Cheeto, and now she wants all the cats in all the colors. No shame. And then there’s Tank—a 45-pound, one-eyed Frenchie who looks intimidating but is actually the biggest cuddle bug.
Julia and her boyfriend Nick have been together for 3.5 years! They met online (no shame in the game) and have started traveling the world together. They recently explored Costa Rica, and their next big trip is already in the works for 2025!
Travel is Julia's biggest passion. She's been to five countries so far, and her goal is to visit at least one new country every year. She even solo traveled to Indonesia in January 2024, which completely changed her perspective on life. The world has so much to offer—beautiful cultures, amazing food, and breathtaking sights.
Julia's photography journey has been a whirlwind of epic prosperities. She's always loved photography, but she had no idea how to turn it into a career—until she met Rayleen. Rayleen took Julia and Nick's first-anniversary photos, and they instantly clicked! Julia later became Rayleen's nanny for her two adorable children, and after some time, Rayleen took a chance on Julia. Rayleen asked Julia to second-shoot a wedding in Vermont back in June of 2023. The rest is history! Julia has been second-shooting (and even some solo!) all of Meraki Photo Inc.’s weddings since, and she couldn’t be more grateful.
Julia is so excited for this journey, and she can’t thank you all enough for following along! She hopes to meet some of you along the way and capture your most precious moments. Let’s create some magic together!
“Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.” – Judith Thurman
