Creativity wins as creator Rachelle balances life as a product photographer and architect

Rachelle Co juggles her creative self between her profession practicing architecture and her passion for product photography. Hailing from the Philippines, she is a dedicated creator who inspires others through her work and finds joy in all things creative.

Rachelle's background in architecture is evident in her photography, as she has an incredible eye for detail, composition, and structure. Her aesthetic is beautifully clean, colourful, and crisp, whilst her composed and restrained style is a credit to her talent.

Rachelle impressed our team from her very first project with our platform and has only gone from strength to strength through her journey. Rachelle’s exquisite branded work for Creatively Squared customers like Aveeno Baby, Love, Beauty & Planet, Neutrogena and Olay have been the perfect building blocks to add to her growing photography portfolio.

Keep scrolling down to hear from Rachelle herself and be in awe of her stunning work.

Let’s meet Rachelle!

Hi, I’m Rachelle! My interest in photography started way back when I was still in college, and as someone who took Architecture as my major, my photo subjects mostly revolved around spaces, structures, interiors and other forms of art related to my course. It was only during the pandemic that I decided to quit my 9-5 job and ventured into food and product photography. I started small and step by step developed my skills to reach where I am now. I mostly do food and product photography but I would say my strongest suit and favourite would fall on product photography.

However, I would like to add that I do enjoy making short video reels. I would describe my style as minimalistic, clean, and modern however I'm open to do & try other styles too.

Currently, I'm doing freelance for both architecture and photography, however, I’m doing more photography works now since there are more opportunities coming to me in this industry. Aside from architecture and photography, I'm into music so I play piano/guitar and sometimes mix lofi beats for fun. I also try different sports and workout daily if I'm not working.

Journey with Creatively Squared

I discovered this community through Account Manager Kate who messaged me on Instagram, introduced me to Creatively Squared and invited me to join. I saw this as an opportunity to grow and expand my knowledge about photography. Aside from being able to work with reputable brands, I get to learn from different creators around the globe.

One project that I found challenging was shooting the Love, Beauty & Planet Ingredients brief. We had to make sure that the fruits we use were fresh and there were some fruits that were not very fresh since they were already exposed for quite some time after slicing so the colours changed a bit. Fortunately, when I submitted my work the Creatively Squared editing team were able to freshen the photos.

Tools of the trade

I mainly use Fujifilm for my camera, tripod, strobe and continuous lights. For the editing process, I use Lightroom and Photoshop for minor touches.

I personally like props with finishes or textures in general such as glass, tiles, objects with geometrical shapes and forms because they are fun to style. My favourite photoshoot location would be my home studio as I have everything I need with me, mostly my bedroom other times family or dining area.

Rachelle creates her beautiful content from her home studio setup. Source: Rachelle Co

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Rachelle’s creative process

Every photoshoot, I used to sketch my concepts when I started but now I just visualise them in my head and wing it. For creative inspiration, I always look up to @marctranvn on Instagram.

Mostly I am a one-man team. For shoots that require a model I ask family members/relatives, if no one is available I sometimes use my own hands.

Top creative tip

I have two top tips! Always have good lighting and visualise your concept - don’t be afraid to trial and error to nail your concept!

What’s next for Rachelle?

I am looking forward to exploring other methods of lighting and styling.

Thank you Rachelle for sharing more about yourself and your journey with us so far. Follow Rachelle’s creative life over on her Instagram at @raconstudio and her architectural images at @raconic. Inspired by Rachelle? Don’t forget to join our community too, here’s the link to start your journey.