A former Creative Media and Photography student from Stratford-upon-Avon College is growing her business whilst working closely with Birmingham Hippodrome.
Rachel Bridgewater began studying at the College in 2017 on the Level 2 Creative Media course before progressing on to the Level 3 Photography course.
Originally from Solihull, Rachel decided to study at the College after hearing positive reviews from her peers. She commented: “I wanted a change of scenery and wanted to gain a little bit more independence by studying a bit further afield. I knew people who had studied at Stratford, and they had really positive things to say.”
Whilst on her Photography course, Rachel started a freelance photography business called R.A.B Photography, specialising in event, theatre and festival photography. She comments: “Whilst I was at the College I was able to work closely with the performing arts department. I took photos of some of their shows and I was able to gain some valuable experience and build my portfolio.”
Rachel has a good relationship with the Birmingham Hippodrome and had collaborated with them closely for a couple of years, photographing several events. She also works as a Young Advocate; working closely with young people to make theatre more approachable and fun, and as an Access & Inclusion Advocate whose mission is to make the Hippodrome more disability friendly.
Rachel has now been invited to take photos at the ‘Birmingham Weekender’ – a festival that offers free performances, installations, and experiences for local people.
Rachel credits Stratford for a lot of the skills and knowledge that she uses day-to-day in her job: “They taught us how to use software like Lightroom and Photoshop, and that’s been really useful for me in my career.”
Rachel hopes to turn her freelance business into a full-time career, working in live events such as concerts, theatre, and festivals.
