About Me

Hi, I’m Raychel!

I’m an award winning photographer, journalist, and filmmaker based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My main subject and my obsession are epic skies wherever they may occur. Over the course of the past nearly 20 years, I’ve learned a lot about how to capture big weather, incredible skies, and captivating landscapes.

I’ve always found the beauty of storms and the sky something that is inspiring. Every storm offers a new chance to explore dramatic light and when mixed with the right landscapes, it creates a unique photography opportunity you won’t easily get elsewhere. My photos and films focus on that interplay of the landscape, the weather, and the cultures inhabiting where these two meet.

I have been known best for my weather photography and videography throughout much of my career — and while I still do that, my life is so much more these days. I explore New Mexico and hike glorious trails, see beautiful landscapes, and I learn about the varied and beautiful culture here.

But I still shoot incredible skies along the way. I absolutely love the interplay of weather and the places we live — in an era where the extremes are only getting more extreme, telling the stories of how people are coping (and not) with these changes is something I feel is a very important piece of what I do.

In 2018 I moved to New Mexico from Oklahoma after coming out to the world as transgender. Being trans is only a part of who I am, but it has allowed me to be more free to feel creative and to work on new concepts.

I grew up in rural Oklahoma in a tiny place called Velma. I still call it home even though I haven’t lived there for almost 12 years. Today, I’m working in political activism in my regular nine to five. In my spare time where I’m not pursing epic skies or trying to change the world, I try to spend time with my wife Sara and all of our fur animals. Sara is my rock and many of the adventures I will share are shared experiences with her.

Want to learn more? Want to work together? Use the contact form.