She fell in love with photography in middle school, spending hours daily in the darkroom as soon as she was old enough to take classes at her high school. Rae earned her bachelors degree in Applied Art from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC in 2004 and began her professional photography career within a month of graduating. Just 18 months later, she was living in a tiny town in the Adirondack mountains of New York with her new husband, working full time as a full service wedding photographer. Living in a small town and being new to the area and industry meant that she took on every photography job that came her way: weddings, seniors, maternity, babies and kids, family reunions, real estate, head shots, parties and even commercial work. By 2008, Rae owned a studio on Main Street that brought in over six-figures in sales from mostly weddings.