WE MIGHT AS WELL GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER
HEY,
I’M RAECINE
Photography can get personal pretty quickly. I might be there while you’re getting married, welcoming a baby, or doing something completely outside your comfort zone. So yeah, I think you should know a little about the person holding the camera.
I’m Raecine, a photographer and artist based in San Antonio and raised in the Boerne Hill Country. I started taking photography seriously in 2020 and later studied at Rocky Mountain School of Photography because I wanted to understand both the art and technical side of what I do.
I care about making good photographs, obviously, but I care just as much about whether you enjoy making them with me. I’ll give you direction, listen to your ideas, and probably encourage at least one thing you weren’t sure you could pull off.
THE PEOPLE WHO MADE ME, ME
I grew up in a heavily queer family with all kinds of personalities and a whole lot of creativity. My family is my world.
I’m the middle child, with an older sister, a younger brother, and two step-sisters. My sister also gave me three nieces who I’m completely obsessed with.
I’m a mama’s girl through and through. My mom has been my rock through the absolute worst moments and the best ones too. She is also one of the most creative people I know. She draws, paints, crafts, reads tarot, loves astrology, and somehow always has some new thing she’s learning or making.
My dad was away a lot for work, but he gave me so much of my love for art. He was the one who introduced me to theatre, film, and musicals. A huge part of why I fell in love with storytelling started with him. He would always come up with intricate bedtime stories and games to play. We're always quoting movies together or analyzing characters and plotlines in every film or tv show we watch.
Honestly, creativity is kind of everywhere in my family. My mom’s partner makes insanely beautiful hand-drawn portraits and does incredible leatherwork. My older sister can draw, paint, craft, and somehow turn random things into something beautiful. My little brother became a tattoo and comic artist.
So even though most of my family ended up somewhere in medicine, art was always right there too.
I’ve also been really lucky with the friends I’ve had in my life. The kind who have seen me through different seasons, different versions of myself, and plenty of chaos in between.
Looking back, photography makes a lot of sense for me. I grew up around people who were always creating, telling stories, making things with their hands, and finding beauty in unexpected places. I think I’ve been doing the same thing in my own way all along.
THE THINGS I NOTICE
I’m always looking beyond the obvious moment. The light shifting across a room, the hand that reaches out without thinking, the look that happens before anyone realizes I’m watching.
I love the big moments too, but it’s often the smaller ones around them that make the story feel whole.
THE WORK
THE WORK
Behind
A LITTLE MORE THAN JUST INSTINCT
1,000+ HOURS OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
Rocky Mountain School of Photography, Professional Intensive, Class of 2024
I graduated from Rocky Mountain School of Photography’s Professional Intensive program in 2024 after completing well over 1,000 hours of professional photography training. By the time I arrived in Montana, I had already spent years behind a camera, photographing weddings, elopements, graduations, families, headshots, events, and just about anything else I could get my hands on. I was still figuring out what kind of artist I wanted to become, and RMSP gave me the opportunity to take that experience and build a much stronger foundation underneath it.
One of the most valuable parts of my time there was learning from working photographers, educators, and guest instructors from around the world who had already made names for themselves in the industry. Rather than learning from a single perspective, I had the opportunity to learn from more than 20 instructors and subject-matter experts throughout the program. I got to see how different professionals approached lighting, people, storytelling, challenging situations, creativity, and the business of taking care of clients. Many of those instructors still influence the way I think about photography today.
Just as important were the people sitting beside me every day. Being completely immersed in photography alongside a group of talented classmates meant constantly seeing things from different perspectives, sharing ideas, having our work critiqued, making mistakes, trying again, and pushing each other to get better. We learned through hands-on shoots, assignments, critiques, labs, and real-world experience, not just by sitting in a classroom.
Since coming home, I’ve been just as focused on improving how it feels to work with me as I am on improving the quality of my work. I keep shooting, studying, working alongside other photographers, experimenting, refining my editing, and paying attention to what I can do better for the people who trust me with their memories.
RMSP gave me an incredible foundation, but I never want graduation to be the point where I decide I know enough. Photography is something I’ll always be learning and growing with. The better I understand my craft, the more I can let the technical side fade into the background and focus on what matters most to me: the people in front of my camera, being present in the moment, and creating something beautiful from it.
More About Raecine
WHAT DO PEOPLE USUALLY GET WRONG ABOUT YOU AT FIRST?
WHO DO YOU NATURALLY CONNECT WITH?
WHAT DO YOU GET WAY TOO EXCITED ABOUT?
WHAT DOES A REALLY GOOD DAY OFF LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
Probably that confidence comes naturally to me.
I talk a lot about being yourself, taking up space, and showing up as you are, but I’m actually a naturally anxious, introverted person who works on my own confidence all the time. Sometimes that makes me feel a little like an imposter, and then I remember that confidence isn’t something you either have or you don’t. It’s something you keep choosing, while learning to accept yourself where you are.
Personality-wise, I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m bubbly, kind, quirky, and pretty good at matching the energy of the people around me. I wouldn’t call myself shy, but I’m definitely not the person trying to be the loudest one in the room either.
I’ve always had a knack for getting people to open up and feel comfortable being themselves, which is probably why a career built entirely around people somehow works so well for this introvert. Just know I’ll probably need a solid battery recharge afterward.
WHAT DO PEOPLE USUALLY GET WRONG ABOUT YOU AT FIRST?
WHO DO YOU NATURALLY CONNECT WITH?
WHAT DO YOU GET WAY TOO EXCITED ABOUT?
WHAT DOES A REALLY GOOD DAY OFF LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
I can usually find something to connect over with almost anyone I meet. I’m pretty decent at reading the room, matching people’s energy, and making conversation feel comfortable even when we’re very different from each other.
That said, there are definitely people I click with almost immediately. Usually they’re kind, open-minded, a little quirky, able to laugh at themselves, and comfortable letting people be who they are. I love people who can be silly one minute and have a real conversation the next.
You absolutely do not need to have the same personality, interests, background, or energy as me for us to work well together. Different people bring out different sides of me, and honestly, that’s part of what I love about this job.
The one thing I’ll never compromise on is basic respect for other people. Hate, cruelty, discrimination, or making someone feel small because of their beliefs or who they are as a person has no place in my life or in my business.
Other than that, come as you are. Chances are, we’ll find something to click on.
WHAT DO PEOPLE USUALLY GET WRONG ABOUT YOU AT FIRST?
WHO DO YOU NATURALLY CONNECT WITH?
WHAT DO YOU GET WAY TOO EXCITED ABOUT?
WHAT DOES A REALLY GOOD DAY OFF LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
Stop-motion films (especially Coraline), coffee, spooky season, animals, and probably whatever random art project convinced me I could absolutely make it myself.
I’ve always been an art and theatre nerd, so anything creative can send me straight down a rabbit hole. I love musicals, horror movies, market days, First Friday at Blue Star, finding really good food, and coffee (which is basically a personality trait at this point. I know, cliché. right?).
I also love live music so much that, for a while, I seriously thought concert photography might be the direction I took. There’s something about the energy, movement, lighting, and split-second moments that completely pull me in.
I’m also ridiculously happy around animals. Escaping to my mom’s ranch to love on the animals and wander through the garden is one of my favorite ways to reset.
Basically, if it involves art, animals, something slightly strange, a good soundtrack, or snacks, I’m probably interested.
WHAT DO PEOPLE USUALLY GET WRONG ABOUT YOU AT FIRST?
WHO DO YOU NATURALLY CONNECT WITH?
WHAT DO YOU GET WAY TOO EXCITED ABOUT?
WHAT DOES A REALLY GOOD DAY OFF LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
Honestly, a real day off is pretty rare. If I’m home, I’m usually editing, working on the back end of my business, or trying to catch up on cleaning.
So my favorite moments are usually the ones that make me slow down a little. Disappearing into a random art project, spending time with family and friends, or getting outside to hike, camp, swim, breathe in the fresh air, or escape to my mom’s ranch.
I especially love our sibling days at my sister’s apartment, giant frozen lavender matcha's with oat milk in hand, sitting around with the girls (my nieces) and debriefing on whatever chaos life has thrown at us lately.
I also cherish lunches with my grandpa and uncle at the little mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant behind their house. I order the enchiladas verdes every single time, and somehow they never get old.
I guess my best days aren’t really about doing nothing. They’re the ones where I get to be creative, get outside, eat something good, and spend time with the people I love.
