Photography has been a passion of Rachael's for a lifetime; from being a child, recording family gatherings with her first 126 Instamatic, through two decades of capturing beautiful landscapes, to more recently working on film shoots, stage dramas and live music events. She is motivated by wanting to preserve special moments forever, and this helps her engage with her subjects; be they people, the natural world, or man-made things of beauty or interest. She therefore came happily to making the transition from enthusiastic part-time freelancer to full-time professional in 2008.

Rachael studied photography in the 1980s as part of a Creative Arts degree at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU Cheshire), and since graduating, is seldom to be seen without one camera or another to record travels, social gatherings and public events. In the mid 1990s she became involved in the flourishing music scene in Manchester, and started photographing the gigs she was attending. This led to commissions from bands and singers to document their performances and provide promotional images.

Her shooting subject interests are broad-ranging. Preferring location-based work to studio, she has a fondness for landscapes, the natural world, still life and architecture. She also has extensive experiences of event coverage, primarliy in the areas of live music and drama; being frequently engaged to document concerts, plays, and film and television productions.

Rachael's approach to event photography is one of relaxed informality. She aims to capture the essence of an event via a candid documentary style. She has a respectful and non-intrusive method of shooting, and prefers using available light to electronic flash, which results in more natural-looking and atmospheric photos.

Having also had a life-long interest in architectural history, Rachael is happy photographing houses and other buildings. Whether you need pictures taken for a business event or brochure, or perhaps want photographs of your home, (if you are selling it, or are moving and would like to preserve the memories of a place which has given you pleasure over the years). Whatever the reason, Rachael can provide you with a set of shots of the interior, exterior and garden, if applicable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"From the minute I received my first camera (a French-made Viva 126) in the early 1970s, I became smitten with photography. For me, as a youngster, drifting through a childhood of daydreams and imagination, it was the perfect way to capture forever all the moments, places and people that were special to me, so that I would always have them, like a box of treasures. It was, simply put, a way to stop time; to keep hold of things that moved me, and to ensure that the memories I had stayed sharp and vivid.

When I grew a little older it became important to me to share these treasures with others. The photographs I took evolved so that they did more than just capture a moment, but sometimes aimed to make a comment about aspects of life, filtered through my perception of it. My first exhibition, titled 'Natural Perspectives' was upon this theme, specifically my view of humankind's inmpact upon and interaction with the natural world. It's a point of view I often revisit in my work, tied in closely with my love of Nature and strong desire to protect it.

My portraiture is as informal as possible. I never use a studio, and it's vitally important to me to put the people I photograph at ease. In 2013 I was talking with the late great celebrity photographer Harry Goodwin about the key to good portrait photography, and we both agreed that in order to get shots that really show someone's character you have to make your subjects feel completely comfortable...or else sneak up on them and take pictures when they're not looking!"
~ Rachael Magowan, May 2014.