Meet Rikki Ramsey | Photographer

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

Hi Rikki, what makes you happy? Why?
What makes me happy is creating something WITH people, not at them. I love when a shoot feels collaborative — when people relax, trust me, and feel like themselves in front of the camera. I’ve worked really hard to build a reputation where people know I’ve got them and that I’m going to make them look their best without it feeling forced or awkward. I love dreaming up a concept, planning it, shooting it, and seeing it actually come to life. And I’ll never get tired of sending galleries and watching people get excited about their photos. Being part of people’s memories — especially after spending so much of my life thinking I wasn’t creative — is something I don’t take lightly.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Oddly enough it has been so difficult for me to even call myself an “artist.” I’m a very practical, business minded person who sort of found out almost accidentally that I also happen to be good with a camera.. I am most proud of the fact that I have stayed the course and still have so much daily passion for photography. I want to learn, I want to grow. It doesn’t feel “hard” to me.. I used to think that being good at something meant you had to go down a really difficult laborious path to get get good at it and photography has never felt that way to me.. initially this made me feel like I must be doing something wrong, or I was cutting a corner (hello imposter syndrome) but about a year in to my journey I had the thought that maybe its not hard because its my “thing..” maybe that’s how you know you’ve found it.. when it’s not hard. That’s the lesson I’ve learned.. which is particularly valuable for me specifically because I have spent so much of my life chasing my purpose in life, and what I’m meant to do..

I’d like to follow all of this up by saying that I don’t mean that this process hasn’t come with challenges.. of course I’ve spent countless hours practicing and learning and failing.. It’s taken me a long time to build up to shooting consistently. I’ve sat for hours and fiddled with triggers and lights and tethers and invoicing programs.. but, I guess if you want to figure out something badly enough, you will- and I’ve always wanted to figure things out when it comes to photography. That part has never felt hard. The commitment to it has been easy.

As far as what I want people to know about my brand.. I am a girl that went to high school in the early 2000’s and just want to emulate the art and graphics we saw in magazines and movies back then. I want drama and color. If you grew up watching movies like Romeo + Juliet (Leo & Claire version, obviously) you understand what I’m talking about, haha.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man, Ventura is one of the last real little “beach towns.” We have a very eclectic art & music community. We are SO lucky to have the Ventura Theater, where I’ve got to see people like Courtney Love, Billy Idol , Misfits, Gwar, Social D, Pepper etc etc without having to go to LA. We have incredible artists here and tons of events where you can check out and purchase their work. So I would def say go to a concert and a street fair if you can. Go to downtown Ventura and check out Ventiki, which is an awesome little Tiki Bar, or Cafe Fiore for awesome Italian food, and if you like dive bars San Souci is an awesome little dive bar that’s been there forever.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people deserve credit in my story. My friends Stephanie ,Kenneth and Jessica have been huge — all incredible photographers who never made me feel silly for asking questions and helped me learn and grow along the way. My husband is endlessly supportive in every possible way, from encouraging new gear purchases to literally helping me build, carry, and set up for shoots. My family has supported this photography journey from day one and has been so proud of me through it all. And my girlfriends — they’re always down for the vision, let me experiment with my ideas and learn w them, hype me up, and support and promote me like it’s a full-time team effort.

Website: https://www.rikkifilmsthings.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rikki_films_things/

Image Credits
Rikki Ramsey- Rikki Films Things