We first met Rachel Gulotta in 2015 when she received a Bucket List Initiative travel grant that we co-sponsored with Passion Passport. Since then, Rachel and her husband Daniel launched what has rapidly become one of the most popular YouTube photography channels, Mango Street—"photography tutorials that don't waste your time." As part of our series on creative duos, we learned how they met, what they shoot with, and what work they are most proud of today. Full Q&A below.
Names: Rachel Gulotta & Daniel Inskeep.
Hometowns: Rachel - Hebron, IN | Daniel - Indianapolis, IN.
Go-to gear: For photography: Canon 5D Mark IV w/ 35mm f/1.4 II. For videos: Canon 1DX II or Canon C200 w/ 16-35mm f/2.8 III. And the Leather Bowery in Antique Cognac and the Leather Presidio Camera Strap.
Rachel and Daniel carry The Leather Bowery in Antique Cognac
On the day we met... Rachel saw Daniel's band play a show in Indianapolis. She liked his boots. He liked her everything.
How long have you worked together creatively? We can't remember not working together, but it's probably something like 5 years.
How do you divide creative responsibilities? Rachel handles more of the ideas, Daniel handles more of the execution of those ideas.
Do you share a similar aesthetic or have different styles? We both have very similar styles. We often leave the house wearing the same outfit.
Advice for other creative duos? Find your Enneagram numbers and learn how to effectively work and communicate with one another.
Favorite place to photograph: Anywhere with moody, even light. Fog is also always a bonus.
Bucket List destination: Japan.
Biggest creative influences: Movies and music - anything that makes us feel inspired. Recently, we've been inspired by the movie A Ghost Story and the album Sleepwalkers by Brian Fallon.
Biggest challenge: Balancing what our audience wants to see with what we want to create has been a challenge for us this year.
What different creative roles do you juggle and how do you find balance? We often both direct shoots, so making sure we are both on the same page throughout the process is super important.
One thing most people wouldn’t expect about you? We are not big fans of YouTube.
Mistake you’ve learned from: We're constantly learning from our mistakes. We believe recognizing your short-comings is the key to growing, and we don't want to stop growing.
Work you are most proud of: This year, we really loved our Fire and Ice shoot we did at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. It was the first time we were able to slow down, focus, and really take the photos we wanted to take without feeling incredibly rushed.
Most recent “a-ha” moment: Jamming to the song "Take on Me" after reading this question.
Dream project: Creating a music video for Brian Fallon or working on a docu-series would be dream for us both.
Goals for this year: 1. Launching two big projects this fall. 2. Not missing a Monday upload. 3. Creating more short films.
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