about me

Rachel Philipson began her career as a freelance photographer in the Boston area after graduating from Montserrat College of Art with a B.F.A. in Photography. While generating creative photographic and design products for her clients, she has continued to expand her portfolio as an artistic photographer.

A native of Ithaca, Rachel and her husband share their home with 2 beagles and 3 cats.

kind words

alexis bledel

In Rachel’s images you will find a crisp, energetic take on minimalism. Her subjects include both elements of domestic life and members of the natural world, observed from a curious, quiet perspective that draws you in to look a bit closer.

mary catt

Rachel Philipson’s journalism experience, technical skills and emotional intelligence make every shoot a success, no matter how challenging. She understands what clients need and turns work around quickly, often in a matter of hours. Circumstances can be demanding, but Rachel is grace under pressure. Rachel’s high level professionalism, technical skill and artistic talent result in excellent photos that can be used in a number of formats. She consistently exceeds expectations for quality and delivery. Rachel never misses a deadline; she is one of the most dependable professionals with whom I have ever worked with. I highly recommend Rachel Philipson’s work and feel most fortunate to have worked with her.

billy kepner

Rachel continually exceeds all levels of expectations! I've worked with her on many projects and she always creates pieces that are simply amazing. From annual reports to rack cards, to post cards, to logos -- whatever it is that you may need she can do it! In my role as Director of Marketing and Communications at PRI I worked with her on almost every thing I did. Her rates are very competitive and always came in under other vendors, and the quality of work exceeded that of her counterparts. It's with great enthusiasm that I recommend Rachel Philipson Photography and Design!

rob montana

Rachel is the best photographer I have worked with during my newspaper career. During both my time at the Ithaca Times and in previous experiences, I have managed several photographers and Rachel is hands down the most conscientious, detail oriented, timely and artistic person I have had the pleasure of working with. I enthusiastically recommend her talents.

natasha pickowicz

In my tenure as the Arts Editor at the Ithaca Times, I found Rachel Philipson to be the most professional, talented and passionate photographer I had ever encountered. She was always brimming with the most creative and lovely ideas, and truly brought a level of depth and imagination to every story she worked on. Rachel has a sweetness and quiet thoughtfulness to her that I really appreciated, and it was always a pleasure to collaborate with her on a story. Her eye for detail, beauty, and composition was definitely a journalistic and personal inspiration.

eliza vancort

I can’t say enough about Rachel’s photography. I run the Actor’s Workshop of Ithaca Studio and Theater Company and one of the challenges many theater companies face is getting photographs that really capture the dynamic nature of acting. Luckily, I found Rachel whose pictures are beautifully artistic while being incredibly informative: a great marketing tool! I’m so lucky to have a go-to photographer who can capture any theatrical scenario I throw at her!

tzvetana wentworth

You have a magical ability to capture incredible images, that truly express our love for each other! Against all odds, with a hyper 3 year old, and a teething four month old, you managed to get all four of us to smile, laugh, stand still, and be ourselves! We salute you! And we are in awe of your extraordinary gift, to capture precious family moments, and we look forward to visiting your studio every year.

joseph m. zappala

Rachel has done great design and photo work for the ILR School. She consistently brings creative, fresh designs to the table. I’ve worked with many designers and vendors over the years, and in comparison, she does an amazing job turning around projects quickly, and being flexible and responsive when direction and deadlines change. The staff here would tell you, Rachel is just like another member of the team.

kim and alex

We are very thankful to Rachel for her wonderful wedding photography skills! She was like a ninja moving discreetly around to capture the different aspects of the day! She was go with the flow, creative, and highly intuitive about our needs on the Big Day. We love her professional yet candid style! Our package of photos is a true memory of our very magical day! Rachel clearly brought a lot of experience to our wedding photography and moreover brought a sense of relaxation to her work and anytime we interacted with her (before, after, and on our wedding day). Rachel is very prompt with communication and remarkably fast with her high-quality work turn around. We received our photos within 1 week of the wedding! THANK YOU RACHEL! 

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