Today we’d like to introduce you to Miranda Rico.
Miranda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I fell in love with photography at a young age when I received my first point and shoot camera for my 10th birthday. Ever since then, my cameras and I have been inseparable. I have since spent the past ten years growing my photography business from the ground up and more recently, I have come to feel at home in my passion for wedding photography. Over the past two years, I have travelled the world and taken photos along the way.
Meeting people from different walks of life and experiencing their different cultures has become the lifeblood from which my photography is influenced. I decided to take my wedding photography and my traveling to the next level, and thus, Southwest Sonder was born. “Sonder” is a word which has no direct English single word translation and means, “The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own,” and that has become my mantra that influences the way I do business and photograph my couples. Being able to capture true love and play a large role in one of the most important days of a couple’s journey together is one of the biggest privileges I have yet to encounter.
Has it been a smooth road?
Owning your own business comes with many challenges, often relentlessly. The biggest I have yet to encounter is walking the line that separates the duality of identifying as an entrepreneur, while also maintaining integrity as an artist. I fell in love with photography as an art form before it became a business opportunity, and I feel that it is extremely important to my happiness as well as my success to continue to chase the artistic aspect of photography and not allow my vision to become clouded through the lens that comes with being a business owner.
We’d love to hear more about Southwest Sonder Photography.
Southwest Sonder Photography is a destination and adventure wedding photography company. “Sonder,” is the realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own, and that is the bread and butter of what I maintain in my approach to photographing these precious love stories. No two people are alike, let alone couples. Every single love story is worth telling, and I want to capture my couples’ individual stories in a way that narrates their unique adventure on this walk of life through the world, whether that be from the top of a mountain or from the comfort of their own home.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Arizona, and specifically Phoenix, is an area on the up and up. It’s rapid growth and recent influx of the younger generations create the perfect atmosphere for entrepreneurs and business owners. Phoenix has been at the center of the market in recent years and has personally provided me with ample opportunities for business growth. Plus, how lucky are we to have the Arizona desert landscape right in our backyard?
Pricing:
- Elopements: Starting at $1800
- Weddings: Starting at $3200
- Sweetheart Sessions: Starting at $400
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mirandaricophotography.com/southwest-sonder
- Phone: 2074002486
- Email: southwestsonder@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/southwestsonder
- Facebook: Facebook.com/southwestsonderphotography

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