Today we’d like to introduce you to Saumya Rai.
Hi Saumya, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story has never really followed a straight line, and I think that is one of my favorite things about it.
I started my professional life as an engineer in India, following a path that felt practical and expected. But somewhere along the way, I realized that I was much more drawn to creativity, travel, people, and storytelling. Eventually, I made the decision to leave engineering behind and pursue something that felt much more like me.
Travel became a huge part of that journey. My husband and I started documenting our experiences together, and what began simply as sharing places and moments gradually grew into a travel and lifestyle platform. Through that experience, I learned so much about visual storytelling—how a single photograph can make someone feel something, remember something, or even inspire them to experience a place for themselves.
After moving to the United States, I found myself building a life again in a completely new place. Photography slowly became my way of connecting with people and with the community around me. What started with photographing moments and people I loved eventually grew through referrals, relationships, and a lot of learning into Just Shoot With Saumya.
Today, I photograph weddings, proposals, engagements, families, maternity, graduations, and so many important chapters in people’s lives throughout Albany, the Capital Region, and beyond. My style has evolved over the years, but the heart behind it really hasn’t. I love photographs that feel elevated and editorial, but I never want them to lose the people inside them. I want someone to look at their photographs years later and remember not only how everything looked, but how that season of their life actually felt.
Building this business has taught me that you don’t necessarily have to have your entire life mapped out from the beginning. Sometimes one chapter quietly prepares you for the next. Engineering taught me discipline, travel taught me curiosity and storytelling, moving countries taught me how to begin again, and photography gave me a way to bring all of those pieces together.
I am still building, learning, and evolving, but I am incredibly grateful that something that once started as a creative interest has grown into a business that allows me to preserve some of the most meaningful moments in people’s lives. That is something I never take for granted.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not always. Like most creative businesses, there have been seasons where things felt exciting and effortless, and others where I questioned whether I was doing enough or doing the right things.
In the beginning, one of the biggest struggles was simply getting inquiries. You can love photography and be confident in what you create, but turning that creativity into an actual business is a completely different skill. I had to learn how to market myself, price my work, communicate with clients, create a consistent experience, manage the administrative side, and understand what it really means to run a sustainable business—not just be a photographer.
There was also a lot of comparison in the early years. When inquiries were slow, it was very easy to look at what everyone else was doing and wonder if I needed to change my style, lower my prices, or become more like someone else in order to succeed.
One of the most important lessons I eventually learned was that I am not the photographer for everyone—and I don’t need to be.
That realization actually gave me a lot of freedom. My work has a certain feeling and approach, and the experience I want to give my clients matters just as much to me as the final photographs. I would rather work with people who genuinely connect with my style, trust my vision, and value what I bring to their story than try to appeal to everyone.
I think a big part of growing as a creative business owner is learning the difference between adapting because you are growing and changing yourself simply because you are afraid of not being chosen. It took me time to understand that.
There are still challenges, of course. Running your own business means you are constantly learning. But now, instead of seeing every slow season, rejection, or unanswered inquiry as a sign that something is wrong, I try to see it as part of building something that is truly my own.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Just Shoot With Saumya?
Just Shoot With Saumya is a photography brand built around one simple idea: your life deserves to be documented beautifully, but it should still feel like your life.
I specialize in weddings, proposals and engagements, maternity, families, graduations, and portraits throughout Albany, Upstate New York, and beyond. My work has an editorial and elevated feel, but I never want an image to feel so polished that it loses the emotion behind it. I love movement, genuine interactions, little in-between moments, and photographs that feel beautiful today but become even more meaningful with time.
One of the most important parts of my work is the experience I create for the people in front of my camera. Most of my clients aren’t models, and many begin by telling me, “We’re awkward in pictures” or “We don’t know how to pose.” I actually love hearing that because it isn’t their job to know what to do. It’s my job to make them comfortable, guide them when they need it, and create enough space for their real personalities and connections to come through.
My background in travel and visual storytelling has also shaped the way I photograph. I pay attention not only to the people, but also to the environment, light, movement, architecture, and small details that help tell the complete story. Whether I’m photographing an intimate proposal, a wedding, a graduating student, or a family with little ones running around, I want the final gallery to feel like a story rather than simply a collection of posed photographs.
What I’m most proud of is the trust and relationships I’ve built with my clients. I’ve had the privilege of photographing people through different chapters of their lives and having them return to me as their stories evolve. Being invited back into someone’s life to document another milestone is one of the greatest compliments I can receive.
There are so many incredibly talented photographers, and I’ve learned that setting yourself apart doesn’t necessarily mean trying to be better than everyone else. It means knowing what you stand for and finding the people who connect with it. For me, that will always be beautiful imagery, genuine connection, thoughtful storytelling, and creating an experience where people feel seen and celebrated exactly where they are in life.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think some of the most meaningful decisions in my life have involved taking risks, even though I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as someone who takes risks without thinking them through.
One of the biggest was walking away from engineering in India. I had studied for a career that was considered stable and secure, and leaving that path to pursue a creative life was definitely not the conventional choice. At the time, I didn’t have a perfect roadmap for where it would lead. I just knew that I wanted to build a life that gave me more room for creativity, travel, storytelling, and experiences.
Moving to the United States was another major risk in its own way. Starting over in a new country means rebuilding so many things—your community, your professional identity, your confidence, and sometimes even your understanding of where you belong. Eventually, starting my photography business meant putting myself out there all over again and asking people to trust me with some of the most important moments of their lives.
Entrepreneurship itself is a continuous exercise in risk. There is no guaranteed paycheck, no promise that inquiries will come in, and no one handing you a blueprint. You invest in yourself, make decisions with incomplete information, try things that may not work, and learn to keep moving when they don’t.
But I’ve also learned that not taking a risk is still a decision, and sometimes staying comfortable can cost you more than trying something new.
My relationship with risk has changed over the years. I don’t think risk has to mean being fearless or making impulsive decisions. For me, it means being willing to choose growth even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. Some risks work beautifully, some become lessons, and some simply redirect you somewhere you never expected to go.
Looking back, the biggest risks I’ve taken are also responsible for so much of the life and career I have today. I don’t think I would be doing what I love if I had waited until I felt completely ready or certain. Sometimes you have to trust yourself enough to begin before you know exactly how the story will unfold.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://justshootwithsaumya.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justshootwithsaumya
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/justshootwithsaumya
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/just-shoot-with-saumya-albany?osq=Just+Shoot+With+Saumya
