charityrachelle.com

charityrachellephoto@gmail.com

I finally attended the Opp Alabama rattlesnake rodeo. I imagined it would be more charming than it was. A generation of papaws selling walking sticks and bird houses has sadly been replaced by younger country mamas and boat dads selling cheap factory-made souvenirs. My biggest take-away from attending was learning the official medically-advised response in case of snake bite from veteran rattlesnake strike survivors. As it turns out, all the advice I’ve ever been given is wrong. Do not suck out the venom with your mouth (no matter what a midcentury western movie depicts),  do not “just take two aspirin and lie down”, and do not tourniquet the bitten limb to isolate the venom to one area. Come to find out, you want to remain calm (haha) and allow the venom to spread evenly through your whole body while you find a way to (hopefully) get to a hospital. Best of luck to you all.

The past few months have been full of milestone events. I’m excited to announce I am the recipient of a 2025 Magnum Foundation Reporting Partnership Grant in collaboration with Mother Jones. Since early springtime, I have been working on a photo essay depicting the current state of reproductive health equity in Alabama. Here is a preview of the project featuring a very informative podcast produced by Reveal News. The full photo essay  will debut later this summer.  

(Image produced with support from the Magnum Foundation and Commonwealth Fund)

Another milestone event was when I decided to road-test the “never meet your heroes” theory by applying to Fotofilmic’s year-long international photography mentorship program. I was selected as one of ten participants from across the globe and we kicked off our year together on beautiful Bowen Island, B.C. I’m happy to report that being mentored by one of my favorite artists as well as two new-to-me artists / mentors has been the best thing that’s ever happened to my career. Also a first, I am surrounded by nine other incredible photographers who light up my life and already mean so much to me. We’re currently in the fieldwork and remote-classwork phase of the program, going hard on our photography projects while looking forward to being together again at  Paris Photo this fall.

The milestones continue with the completion of my first video assignment. I’ve been slowly learning videography as I’m able to take time away from photo work (rarely), so it was a thrill to get to switch visual gears for this story. It also ended up being one of the most fun assignments I’ve ever received: following native plant influencer Kyle Lybarger around in the woods for New York Times. The story is part of a series titled “50 states 50 fixes” that feature emerging climate solutions from all 50 states. I’m so impressed by Kyle and happy that his work represents my home state of Alabama.

Another recent fun assignment was opening random lost suitcases and photographing them at Unclaimed Baggage for a story by New York Magazine / The Cut. I shopped for a bit after the shoot and bought a jacket I loved (apologies to its former owner). In a karmic turn of events, the next week I was returning from Los Angeles when Delta forced everyone to check their carry-on bags, then tagged mine wrong and lost it. Thankfully, after a panicked 36 hours it was returned to me. Moral of the story… never check a bag?

Additional selected recent assignments:

NYT - In Georgia, Republicans Vote to Kill Green Jobs but Face Little Fallout

WSJ - Three Siblings, One Fatal Gene: A Family’s Fight Against Early-Onset Alzheimer’s

Washington Post - Once an abortion clinic, it now offers formula, midwives, and housing help

A new addition to my photobook collection is the incredible “Walking Woman” by Tanyth Berkeley that was hand-delivered to me by my first unofficial artist-in-residence (the delightful Avery Norman) at my home in Birmingham.

I’m only 3/4 finished with renovating the interior of my 1936 house, so I created a makeshift bedroom for Avery’s stay. Authentic Alabama adventures were had and I’m looking forward to hosting more AIR applicants in the future.

HAGS.

205-515-3273