Welcome to Foto Awesome! My name is Rachel Awesome, and I am a passionate photographer dedicated to capturing life’s most beautiful moments. I have provided professional quality head-shots, set photography as well as assisted in the production of over a hundred videos including serving as the producer and editor for a web series. My photographs have been used in numerous articles, books, manuals, videos and web courses. Additionally my photographs were also used extensively for the United States Department of Homeland Security web course that was a part of President Obama’s White House school Safety initiative. Photos that I took of school safety programs, drills and exercises are also used in many other FEMA web courses and training programs. 

My love for photographing started as a kid with my dad and his passion for cameras and dark rooms. He loved to buy broken cameras from local pawn shops, fix them, and take us out on adventures. I remember riding between him and my sister in his truck looking for abandoned shacks, graveyards, and other interesting places to shoot. In my early 20’s I started shooting local events and learning to experience the communities surrounding me through my camera. 

Being dyslexic I often find it difficult to accurately portray my thoughts via language and have developed an eye through my lens that speaks  and advocates for me much more clearly. I love capturing life as it happens as a gift for our future selves to remember our histories. 

Selected Publications featuring my photography: 

Billboard.com: Bonnaroo 2012 Live Event Coverage & Artist Interviews

    Black Lips, April 77/Vice Records: “Nightmare Field” Limited Edition Flexi-Disc cover

    Cognella, Inc. (Textbook publisher) Extreme Violence: Understanding and Protecting People from Active Shooter, Active Killer, Terrorist and Hate-Based Attacks (2018)

    Barron’s Education Series: Staying Alive: How to Act Fast and Survive Deadly Encounters (2014)

    Maine Department of Education: “Twenty Strategies for Safer Schools” (2014)

    Indiana Department of Education: “Seven Important Building Design Features to     Enhance School Safety and Security” (2014)

    FEMA: IS-360 Web Course: Preparing for Mass Casualty Incidents (2013)

    Set Photography Experience:

    Black Lips: Nightmare Field video + Album Cover credit

    Magic The Gathering the Musical (Short film)

    Big Trouble in Little Five Points (Pilot)

    Safe Havens International Safe Topics Series (Training video series)

    Dozens of non-profit, commercial, industrial and artistic productions

        Professional Awards

    2014 W3 Award for “School Safety Assessment Tool” mobile business application

    2014 Telly Award for the “Safe Topics” Training video series

    2014 Communicator Award for the “Safe Topics” Training video series

    2014 Communicator Award for “Safer Schools in Rock Hill”

    2013 Davey Award for “Safe Topics” Training video series

    2011 Telly Award for “Lincoln County School District Emergency Procedures”

    2011 Telly Award for “School Crisis Recovery in Pennsylvania”

    2011 W3 Award for “LCSD Emergency Procedures” web course content