We had the good fortune of connecting with Ria Taylor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ria, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born in England, in a town so small it’s technically called a village. My family has lived there for generations, and they probably will long after i’m gone. My aunt used to sit by the window in her living room for hours, just watching her neighbors and passing along the gossip at next mornings tea. It was an isolated, small town in the middle of England that felt so separated from the world around it. To make things more interesting, I was apart of one of the only black families that lived there. I grew up feeling like I never belonged — feeling like I was so different than the world around me. We ended up moving to America when I was ten, and all of a sudden I was immersed in all of this culture and surrounded by people who didn’t care that I was different than them. Growing up taught me to never make yourself smaller just to fit into something you were never destined for. Be bold. Be different. Share who you are with the world. The world is way too big to think so small.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a wedding photographer, but I haven’t always been. I started my business in college shooting with friends, which eventually became grads, then families, and just about everything under the sun while working and going to school. I hustled so hard because I wanted to. I wanted to know everything I possibly could about photography and be the best I could possibly be. It wasn’t easy, I burned myself out, I worked for free, and I struggled for years to get my foot into weddings. One day, I responded to a post from a wedding photographer looking for an unpaid second shooter for an upcoming wedding. She decided to give me a chance, and to this day her kindness has changed my life. I fell in love with shooting weddings, I knew I had finally found my calling. Now, I photograph weddings for a living and I love every single moment of it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d get some coffee from Alfreds then take a stroll. I love thrifting and shopping along Melrose. It’s always so lively and fun with such good energy. The Melrose Trading post on Sundays always has such amazing finds! I’d head to West Hollywood next for lunch and drinks at Gracias Madre before catching the sunset with a view at Catch LA.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents. They were brave enough to leave the little town their families lived in for years, to explore an unknown life in America. I was just lucky enough to come along for the ride. It could have been so easy for them to continue living a small life in England, but they knew that there was more to the world than just staying in one place.

Website: www.riageorgia.com
Instagram: @ria.georgia

Image Credits
Ria Georgia Photography