Rachael Venema Photography

06/24/2026

Three years ago, Amy and I started planning these wall galleries.

We talked about the images, the stories behind them, and what she wanted her family to see every day as they walked through their home. Life happened, and the project was put on hold. Then our hearts were broken when Amy passed away before we could see it completed.

Today, her husband fulfilled that dream.

As I installed each piece, my friend Janel Campbell and I found ourselves smiling, laughing, and sharing memories. We could almost hear Amy’s laugh and her voice in the room. Some people leave such a mark on your life that even years later, their presence still feels near.

There were tears today, but there was also gratitude.

Gratitude for a husband who made sure Amy’s vision became reality. Gratitude for the memories captured in these portraits. Gratitude for a friendship that continues to impact us long after she’s gone.

Photographs are so much more than pictures on a wall. They hold stories, personalities, moments, and people we never want to forget.

Today, Amy’s love for her family lives on in these walls.

And while our hearts deeply miss our friend, it was an honor to help bring her dream to life.

❤️

05/14/2026

Some posts are harder to share than others.

Amy was a friend who impacted my life, and so many others, in ways that are hard to put into words. This isn’t about business. It’s about remembering, honoring, and holding onto the people we love.

I wrote something from the heart about legacy and why photos matter more than we often realize.

You can read it here:
www.RachaelVenema.com/blog

05/10/2026

To the moms who wake up every day and quietly carry the weight of the world for their families… we see you.

To the women who keep everything running behind the scenes.
The planners.
The comforters.
The safe place.
The late-night worriers.
The appointment schedulers, lunch makers, homework helpers, cheerleaders, encouragers, and exhausted hearts who still keep showing up with love.

Today, we celebrate you.

We celebrate those who have beautiful relationships with their moms and those who carry complicated or painful ones.
Those who are mothers.
Those longing to become mothers.
Those who have experienced miscarriage, infertility, or the heartbreaking loss of a child.
Those missing their mom deeply today and wishing for one more hug, one more phone call, one more moment.

We celebrate the women who stepped in as mother figures when someone else could not.
The grandmas, aunts, sisters, mentors, friends, foster moms, bonus moms, and women who loved others like their own.

Mother’s Day can hold so much joy and so much ache at the very same time.
And wherever your heart finds itself today, you are not alone.

So today, we send love to the women carrying both gratitude and grief.
To the women giving endlessly to those around them.
To the women healing.
To the women holding others together while quietly needing someone to hold them too.

Hugs to those who fill these roles in beautiful ways.
And gentle hugs to those whose hearts hurt today.

You are deeply loved.
Happy Mother’s Day.

~ Rachael
Rachael Venema Photography

04/24/2026

04/07/2026

Jamie didn’t think she had a story worth telling.

Like so many of us, she felt like her life was just… her life.

But after losing both of her parents within just a few years, everything shifted.

As she went through old photos and memorabilia her mom had carefully kept…
pieces of a life, moments that mattered, stories held in every image…

She realized something deeper.

These stories…of faith, of life, of everything they had walked through…needed to live on.

But how?

How do you preserve something like that?
How do you capture more than just a moment… and actually hold onto a life story?

Then she came across my website and read about Storytelling Portraits.

And she knew.

This was how she wanted to preserve it.

Not just in photos…
but in her voice, her story, and the legacy she would pass on to her family.

And as she began to share, something shifted again.

She realized her story isn’t finished. It’s just beginning.

She talked about how she has learned to never stop being grateful for the hard…
because it’s in those seasons that God has been the most faithful.

And she knows that in the next 30+ years, there will be even more moments, more faith thresholds, more stories to tell.

Each of us has been given a life story.

And when we choose to share it, it has the power to impact others in ways we may never fully see.

Jamie’s story is one of God’s faithfulness.

Of waiting.
Of walking through the hard.
And of how God brought even more joy on the other side and gave her a greater story to tell.

By sharing her story, she’s allowing God to use it…
to show others His love, His faithfulness, and His presence in every season.

Stay tuned to see her full story, beautifully captured by RoTi Films,

and the portraits I created for her that will live on in an album for her and her family to hold onto for years to come.

This is a small piece of her story… and a reminder that yours matters too.

Your story matters.
If you’d like to preserve it for your family, you can learn more here:
www.rachaelvenema.com/storytelling-sessions
{Link in Profile}

04/02/2026

At the Radiance Retreat that I attended last November, I wasn’t just there to photograph and serve the women…

I was part of the experience too.

Jen created a space for all of us to slow down, reflect, and step into something deeper.

Desiree helped guide us in putting our stories into words…
in a way that brought clarity to what we’ve lived through and who we’ve become.

Then Rorey captured each woman and those words on film.

And I had the honor of creating portraits of each woman, using the words from their story to reflect who they are.

These were just mini storytelling sessions…
but this video means more to me than I expected.

It helps me see myself the way others see me.

It shows me the woman I am… and the woman I’m becoming.

And it brings me right back to how I felt in that space: seen, loved, and free to be fully myself.

But even more than that…

It reminded me why my story matters.

I want my story to be shared so people can see how God has worked in my life…
how He has carried me, healed me, and allowed me to share His love with my family and those around me.

Because of the work I’ve done in healing from my past, I’m able to help others see themselves differently…
through the portraits I create for them.

This idea of Storytelling Portraits… it wasn’t random.

I truly believe God placed it on my heart.

So people would realize:

They have a story to share.
Their life has meaning.
Their legacy can live on.

And for those who desire it…
their faith story can create ripples of impact far beyond what they can see.

You have a purpose in this world.

This is a small piece of my story…
and why I believe yours matters too.