This section is dedicated to answering the most frequently asked questions I receive. From this tab you will see a drop down menu of all the topics that people are curious about (like why don’t I get more than 25 images?). However, we’ll start this out with a little bit about the photographer…
(For those of you new to the site, thank you for stopping by and thank you to the kind soul that told you how to get here.)
Some background about me:
First things first, my name is really Erica Reed but my work name is Arika Reed. Now, yes- I am aware they are spelled differently. Long story short, my friend Shannon came up with Arika and well, I like the looks of it. Way back when I fantasized about owning my own store she said I should name it “Arika’s” such and such (or whatever type of store I would open). Here I am today with my own business and by golly, I’m going with the creative spelling.
My first camera was a gift from my grandma, and of the disk variety. I started out tormenting my elementary school friends by being a picture taking fool, continuing the trend throughout my youth. Regardless of how many snapshots I took, I continued thinking of photography as a hobby only and pursued other interests. Central Michigan University provided me with a background in “business and people” as I always say, graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Entrepreneurship and Anthropology.
Lacking start up capital for my own store, I worked odd jobs in education and retail before hearing some sound advice from my mother. As I wandered aimlessly through her kitchen one day, she pulled me aside and said, “What are you doing? You could be doing anything you want with your life.” Inspired by her prompt, I went upstairs and typed in Google, ‘Castles’ and ‘Employment.’ (I’ve always wanted to explore an abandoned castle). My search returned the results wedding planner and travel agent. I was always intrigued by travel and found the best school to be in Southern California. Within 6 months, I was moving to San Diego and attending Travel University International.
As the years passed, I fought my way up the knowledge ladder being employed with AAA. Soon I became CTA certified, and obtained many designations including wedding and honeymoon specialist. As a travel agent, I was blessed with the desire and opportunity to travel. Many of the places I have been will pop up on my website and include destinations such as: Alaska, Mexico, Italy, Greece, the Caribbean, Turkey, Monaco and various places in the U.S. One of my passions being a photographer is being able to capture the beauty this world has to offer. One day I would love to travel the world to visit and document all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (If you don’t know what they are, look them up).
Fast forward to today and here I am, a wife and mother with an opportunity to take pictures for a living. How fun is that!? I am excited and crossing both my fingers and toes that this all works out. Other than that, I enjoy white mocha’s, pizza, and anything cheesy. I also have addictions to buying CD’s, collecting scrapbook paper, and traveling to Michigan.
Thing to Remember:
I like to take pictures. Lots of pictures. In fact, I’d love to take pictures of you! If you’re lucky, you’ll show up on my website and everyone will talk about how good looking you are, what a great photographer I am, and how awesome this whole thing is.
My style tends to stray away from the formality of traditional portraiture as I try to capture emotion, personality, and relationships. I realize I may not be the photographer for everyone, but if you like my work, I’d love to be your photographer!
Come, look, enjoy, and give me a call or send an email!
Me and my daughter just enjoying life. Photo taken by the fabulous Pamela Marie Furst.