Portrait of Raya

to the one reading this - i am so happy you are here.
you are about to enter my world and i welcome you with a warm hug. hope you will feel at home and find what you are looking for.

let me hold the door for you, as we walk through my story in hopes of you getting to know me a little bit more at the end.

born and raised in ukraine, i grew up in the country with a rich and vibrant culture. my parents were young christian students when they had me, so i was always surrounded by their peers, which played a big part in shaping me into an extravert that loves meeting new people.

in my teens i got my first camera, as the inner desire to capture the beauty around me grew stronger.

then came the busy university years, when the young me was finding her path in life, navigating through different occupations and hobbies like hairdstyling, nail art, dancing, singing, playing guitar and other. at the end, an educator by degree, i devoted 5 years of my life to school, passionately teaching kids English. all along, my love for photography was taking a deeper hold on my soul, and eventually finding its outlet through Instagram, where i shared my vision with others.

it was in 2020 when my photography turned into something more. after a brutal burnout in school, with my husband supporting and believing in me i became full-time instagram blogger that slowly turned into working as a content creator.

in 2022 we were forced to move to canada due to the war in our country. me and my friend built a photography business together, as we were trying to figure our life in the new place.

it is 2026 and life took another drastic turn - we moved to the states. here i started my journey of making photography my full time occupation. time after time God teaches me to see beauty through loss and hardship, through change and uncertainty. i dream of telling unique stories through my camera all over the world.

why hire me? well i will leave the answer to the people that have already worked with me (see reviews) but let me say this- i love what i do with all my heart; i am easygoing and friendly; i care about people; i notice little details that create a bigger picture; i am good at capturing true emotion; i do everything in my power to make you feel relaxed, so you can be yourself.

God’s beautiful creation is of no limit, as long as you have eyes to see. the ability to notice that beauty, to capture precious moments is a gift from God, which i am deeply grateful for. i want to glorify God by growing in that gift and sharing it with people.

as you scroll down, i invite you to visit my gallery room and see if my work matches your heart’s vision. there you can click on the section you are interested and see more of the related work.

enjoy

with love, Raya signature
Raya sitting on a rock in Sedona

You got to
know me

So, now it's your turn.
Come say hello!

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