Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Bounds.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always enjoyed taking photos. I have Facebook albums full of random moments from trips with friends and school events, all taken on my little Kodak camera. I bought my first professional camera in high school and started taking senior photos for friends and classmates. I did this on and off again throughout the years, but it was mostly for fun and to make a little extra money here and there.
I went to Texas A&M University with the intention of becoming an Urban Planner, but life had other plans. COVID happened my senior year, and as I graduated with no job prospects, I decided to put the work in to photography and started pursing wedding photography. I had shot a wedding in 2018 and felt like I had gone in a little blind and inexperienced and it stressed me out honestly.
In 2020, I officially made Pictures with Ariel a real business and started putting in the work. I began second shooting with John Mansfield, and that experience really shaped how I approach weddings today. Photography skills don’t happen overnight. It takes practice, trial and error, and time. Eventually, I developed the technical skills, which gave me the confidence to grow the business side of things. Looking back, I had the skill early on, but I needed to build the confidence park.
My camera has allowed me to be part of so many beautiful moments I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. I married my high school sweetheart in 2024, and that opened up a whole new perspective. It deepened my understanding of just how much of a privilege and gift it is to do what I do as a photographer.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not! Imposter syndrome is very real, and it’s something I’ve struggled with a lot.
I’m a bit of a perfectionist, which means I don’t feel like I’m “allowed” to be loud and proud about my work until I’ve decided it’s good enough, which takes awhile. On one hand, I think that mindset matters. This is someone’s wedding day, and they deserve care and intention. But on the business and marketing side, it can be frustrating to watch others jump in headfirst, with less hesitation and attention to detail, and still thrive.
A lot of my struggles have been internal. Of course, there are the external challenges too, like slow booking seasons or low cash flow, but learning to move forward before everything feels perfect has been one of the hardest parts for me. I acctually didn’t even call myself a photographer until 2021 or 2022. I remember accidentally saying it out loud and being surprised that I said it so confidently.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a wedding and portrait photographer (aka senior photos). Couples and seniors are in very different seasons of life, so those experiences look a little different, but at the core, my goal is the same. I document people as they are, so they have images that bring them right back to this time in their lives.
Most of my work lately has been wedding focused, so I’ll mostly focus on that.
I like to say I’m a “little bit of everything.” That might sound like a negative, but I truly think it’s my superpower on a wedding day. I take the time to really get to know my couples and understand how I can support them best. By listening to what they hope for, I’m able to give extra care and attention to the moments that matter most to them. This also helps facilitate trust, which is everything. I believe the moment matters more than perfection, and that trust is what allows my couples to actually relax and enjoy their day.
One of my favorite compliments came from a review left by a past couple:
“The pictures were creative and beautifully done but y’all… the little details… the ones I didn’t even know she was catching. Those are the ones that blew me away.”
That’s exactly what I care about.
Many couples come in with a Pinterest board full of inspiration, and while those images matter, what they don’t always realize is that I’m also preserving how they’ll remember their day wedding day in the future. It’s the quiet, in-between moments they might not even notice in the moment like parents holding hands during speeches, friends tearing up during the vows, or the team needed to bustle the dress that will make them relive their day and cherish so much more.
I care about giving my couples a way to fully relive their wedding day and to keep discovering new moments to love in their photos as the years go on. This is done through trust, communication, prep, and my ability to do “a little bit of everything.”
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
During Christmas, my family would visit my grandparents in Manvel. My mom was a single mom, so long school breaks often meant staying at their house, which my sister and I loved. Every year, my grandma and I would make pecan sandies for my grandfather. They were a labor of love. They had to be baked, cooled, and then rolled in powdered sugar. She only made them at Christmas, so we’d always do a big batch. My sister and I would always sneak some cookies too, but hopefully never enough for it to be noticeable.
Pricing:
- All day coverage starts at $3,500
- Hourly/Elopements start at $400
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pictureswithariel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pictureswithariel.weddings
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pictureswithariel
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/pictureswithariel
