Hi! I'm Amanda, a 24 year old wedding and portrait photographer from Folsom, California, now living in Boise, Idaho. I have been documenting the loveliest of folks for just short of a decade, but art in general has been with me since long before that. Whether it was used as a tool for remembering, making a mess of my backyard with ground-up chalk, or filling in my fingerprints with the smudges of charcoal and the like, art has been the common thread woven throughout my entire life.
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I heavily gravitated toward studio and performance arts as a kid. I loved the idea of being a part of something that had a profound message, felt bigger than myself, and allowed me to express what was on my mind boldly and unapologetically. Art came naturally to me because it tapped into those big feelings I had and made me feel like they were actually an incentive. As my love for art evolved, I became enamored by real people and the world around me, studying how the two overlapped and intertwined. My adoration for the arts and interest in the human experience became the very catalysts that led me to pick up a camera years later!
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What years of exploring this craft have taught me is that art is anything but predictable. It’s a wild concoction of the messy, raw, electric, sometimes ridiculous, and always, always rooted in something real, no matter how abstract it may seem. This is exactly why I’m so drawn to capturing it all, making sure these moments and all their essence move forward with you. My heart is filled with gratitude every. single. day. for the chance to witness the most vibrant parts of this life up close with the most incredible people.
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Amanda Ruth Photos isn’t a just my career; it truly is who I am, on paper and in pixels. It's my belief in God and awe of Creation, my infatuation with storytelling and world-building and aesthetics, my goal to keep a sense of wonder and humor alive all throughout my entire life and hopefully share that with others, meaning all others.​ With that, this work is for everyone. People of all cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, and my lgbtqia+ friends. My ultimate goal is that everyone I get to create with feels deeply treasured and cared for.
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The takeaway is: I hope to experience a curious, enriched, all-in type of life! I want to wear bright cherry red because it's my favorite color, I want to use a vocabulary garnished with words that I made up and swap polish for polish remover. And I want that all for you, too. Ultimately, when I think of the art I am so blessed to create with other humans, I'd like for it to feel true yet fantastical, allowing room for your silly and campy and lighthearted just as much as your emotional and heavy and unfiltered. This work isn't prescriptive, it's responsive. Whatever feels like you, and all of the realistic bits of pieces of you - that's what I'm most inspired by.
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AT THE CORE OF IT ALL IS A DEVOTION TO NOTICING.
When it comes to choosing your photographer, I really believe everything runs on two gears: connection and trust. You want someone you can genuinely vibe with, and someone who trusts their own intuition enough to serve you with confidence.
For me, documenting the everyday moments of my own life i.e. the textures of summer florals in my neighborhood, my folks poolside at the family BBQ, the things people may usually let pass, has completely transformed how I live my earth experience. With that, it has transformed how I see your day. It means I’m not showing up as a content farmer aiming to dominate your timeline with strait-laced portraiture. You bring the art: the ambient glow of an evening reception, the heartbeat of a lively dance floor, the laughter spanning tables and quiet glances stolen during toasts...and I’ll arrive as an observer with quiet poise, someone who understands the weight of the real moments and chooses to photograph your event as it genuinely exists, with the people you love, in the rhythm that feels true to you.
And while I lean deeply into intuition, I’m also a people-person on the job. I know when to step forward and guide the room with both ease and self-assurance, and when to step back and let the energy breathe. Nearly a decade of shooting all kinds of timelines, lighting situations, weather patterns, and dynamics has made me grounded, adaptable, and steady. I’m fully certain in approaching your photos sincerely and artfully, so that you can be certain all through the process too. I'd like to extend an invitation to deviate from strict shot lists, throw performance straight to the wind and instead adventure around what speaks to you. Creating a pressure-off space to explore together where judgement and the idea of the "right answer" are left at the doorstep is something extremely important to me - it's what I strive for every. damn. time. It is vulnerable on both sides, but equally as fun and rewarding and I am prepped to dive in right alongside you!
I have been pursuing photography with a full-attention approach for the entire ten years. It is the only job I have ever had, and the Bachelor's degree I earned in 2023 - I believe that you deserve someone fully invested in creating your gallery with care and heart. In an industry filled with talent, what sets someone apart isn’t simply a nice frame, but it's also the willingness to learn, to refine, to stay inspired over time. Once the candles have been blown out, the cake has been eaten, and the last song has been played, these memories will keep living onwards in tangible form for generations, so they deserve nothing less than the utmost attention and intention!
