Rachel Knowles is no stranger to the spotlight. For two years after college, she acted in film, television, and theater productions, even penning her own off-Broadway play. In 2011, after her son was born, Rachel shifted gears from acting to another creative passion: photography.

Knowing a performer’s nerves firsthand, she maintains a pressure-free environment at each session, which she conducts at clients’ homes and other locations where they feel comfortable. At every one- to two-hour shoot, the natural-light photographer snaps a mixture of posed and candid shots of subjects, from expectant moms, newborns, and kids to whole families and wedding parties. Afterward, she preserves her clients’ favorite images with packages whose products range from prints and digital images to canvas collages.