We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rebecka Pitre a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Rebecka, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Finding your purpose isn’t always easy. For a long time, I thought I had, back when I lived in Sweden and worked in human rights. But I spent my days behind a desk, feeling a quiet ache I couldn’t quite name. The work mattered, but I felt a deeper calling — a pull toward creativity, connection, and something more alive. That urge to become a full-time photographer had always been there, quietly waiting.
My love for photography runs deep in my family. My dad was always fascinated by cameras, and my grandfather on my mom’s side had his own darkroom where he processed film. His photos are treasures — effortless glimpses of everyday life that somehow feel timeless. My favorite is one of him standing on the deck of an old boat with my grandmother framed perfectly in the cabin window below — it was their way of documenting love, and save the memory. He was always thinking about light, balance, and storytelling.
Those photographs taught me that images can hold a lifetime. They keep people alive in memory, long after they’re gone. And that truth followed me when I moved to the United States, far from everything familiar.
Leaving Sweden was exciting, but it was also disorienting. I had to rebuild my life from the ground up. There were moments I felt completely lost, a new place, no family nearby, trying to find my footing and my voice again. Photography became my way home. Through my camera, I began rediscovering who I was, not just as an artist, but as a person. It helped me see beauty in the unfamiliar and capture belonging, even when I didn’t always feel it myself.
The more I photographed, the more everything started to make sense. That deep fulfillment I’d been missing finally appeared — in the moments I captured for others. When I photograph weddings now, I think about the generations that will one day hold these images, the way I’ve held onto my grandfather’s photos. These pictures become modern heirlooms, carrying the same weight of memory and love that shaped my own life.
Today, I get to do what I love most, I get to see the world through my camera, meet incredible people, and tell stories that outlive us. The places I’ve seen and the people I’ve crossed paths with have been nothing short of a wild, beautiful ride. And even in the busiest or most overwhelming moments, I still feel it, that quiet, certain knowing: this is my purpose.
Finding your purpose isn’t one big moment, it’s a series of small, brave choices to follow what feels true, even when the path is uncertain. For me, that choice led to a life I love filled with traveling, connecting, and telling stories through my lens that will live long after we’re gone.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a wedding photographer based in Austin, Texas, originally from Sweden, and my work is all about storytelling and capturing moments that feel real and timeless. I love blending an editorial, cinematic style with the genuine, effortless energy of the people I photograph.
What I love most is meeting couples and getting to tell their story in a way that feels authentic to them. Every wedding has its own rhythm, and my goal is to capture the emotion, connection, and little in-between moments that people will look back on for years, the ones that feel like they’ve always belonged in their story.
A big part of why I do this comes from my own family’s photos. My grandfather’s images, the ones I grew up with, showed me how a single picture can hold a lifetime of memory and love. That idea, of creating modern heirlooms that preserve meaningful moments truly guides everything I do today.
Right now, I’m focused on growing my work in both Texas and destination weddings, especially with couples who value artistry and storytelling. I’m also exploring more editorials and creative projects that let me experiment and collaborate with other artists.
At its core, photography isn’t just my job — it’s how I connect with people, preserve memory, and celebrate life. Every shoot reminds me why I fell in love with this craft in the first place: the chance to witness and capture the moments that really matter.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three things have shaped my journey: resilience, storytelling, and purpose-driven focus.
Resilience came from leaving Sweden and starting over in the U.S., building a life and career from scratch. It wasn’t always easy, but stepping into the unknown taught me to trust myself and keep going, even when it felt overwhelming.
Storytelling and observation come from my grandfather. I grew up with his photographs — simple, intimate moments that somehow felt eternal. Watching how he captured everyday life taught me to notice the small gestures and details that make a story feel real. That’s what I carry into every wedding I photograph.
Purpose-driven focus keeps me grounded. I realized I wanted my work to preserve memory and connection, just like the photos that shaped my own childhood. That clarity has guided every decision in my career.
For anyone starting out: be brave in the unknown, pay attention to the world around you, and let purpose guide your choices. These qualities grow over time, and they’ll carry you through both the challenges and the moments that make the journey unforgettable.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
When I think about who has been most helpful in shaping me, it’s my mom. I grew up with a single mom after my dad passed away unexpectedly, and I watched her work incredibly hard to create a good life for us. She carried a quiet strength, balancing work, supporting anyone in need through her job at the Swedish church, working with the homeless, and offering help wherever she could. She wasn’t perfect, but she showed me how determination, compassion, and hard work can overcome nearly any challenge. Seeing her fight for what she believed in made me realize that if she could do it, there’s no challenge I can’t figure out how to overcome. Seeing her perseverance taught me how to stay grounded, work hard, and figure things out even when the path isn’t clear, skills that have shaped how I run my business and show up for my clients today.
The couples I work with care deeply about the experience just as much as the photos. They want someone they can trust, someone who understands their vision and makes the process feel easy and personal from start to finish. They appreciate meaningful details, good communication, and feeling taken care of. Most of all, they want their photos to feel like them, genuine, timeless, and full of emotion. My clients often tell me that working together felt effortless, like having a friend with a camera who saw their day the way they felt it. That’s what I strive for every time, to create an experience that’s both professional and deeply personal, and photographs that will matter just as much years from now as they do today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rebeckapitre.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeckapitre
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