Rachel Santos has been documenting the world around her since childhood.

Raised by a mother who was both a photographer and entrepreneur, Rachel was introduced to the creative world early. By the age of ten, she was accompanying her mother to photoshoots, carrying equipment, keeping the energy light, and learning the rhythm of a set. At thirteen, she was handed a backup camera and began second shooting weddings, developing her eye through experience rather than formal instruction. What her mother lacked in technical teaching, she instilled through something far more lasting: a belief that emotion and genuine human interaction are the foundation of meaningful imagery.

It was not until her eighteenth birthday, when that same camera was gifted to her, that something shifted. As her mother stepped into a new chapter building and running a wedding venue, the gesture felt like a quiet passing of the torch. Rachel began creating more intentionally, asking friends to step in front of her lens as she refined her perspective.

Alongside this creative upbringing was a contrasting influence from her father, a surgeon, whose world introduced her to the intricacies of the human body and mind. Growing up around operating rooms and academic rigor, she developed a deep curiosity for psychology and anatomy, shaping the way she observes and understands people.

Blending her mother’s intuitive, emotional approach with her father’s analytical perspective, Rachel began to define her own visual language. Her work is driven by a desire to capture images that evoke feeling, preserving fleeting moments and translating them into something lasting.

“Together we can make imagery that makes people feel something...” 

Rachel has been named one of Over The Moon’s Top Photographers for three consecutive years. Her work has been featured in Vogue in both print and online, as well as The Wed, Town & Country, and Brides. With over 17 years of experience, she has photographed stories across the world, bringing a global perspective to her distinctly personal approach.