events

mini-sessions :: provin trails

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I've tried to get away from mini-sessions, but they keep coming back by popular demand. I'd be lying if I said I didn't end up rather enjoying them in the end. ;) 

Here's the results of round one mini-sessions in September! Look at these amazing families! The cute is insane. 

I'm doing one more round of mini-sessions in the middle of October, so stay tuned for those images, also. :)

snuggle :: the sissons

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one of my recent rather impulsive ideas was indoor mini-sessions on a couch or bed in an otherwise empty room on a cold winter day. with hot chocolate and a roaring fire nearby. because is this not preferable to being outside in the frigid cold in your possibly not-very-cute winter gear?! yes, i think so. 

i needed someone to demo this idea, however, so i could show you all what i was envisioning. so i recruited these cuties to come over and test drive the concept. they rocked it. 

if you want a snuggle session for yourself, the tickets are on sale NOW.

here are the sissons, snuggled up -- complete with slippers, mugs, and blankets! 

milk time (vol VI)

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for this edition of Milk Time, we did some creative thinking so that we could get outdoor sessions for the many who had requested it. i knew we needed a space that had some scenic but private outdoor options but also an indoor location that was photograph-worthy in case not everyone wanted to be outside, or if it were to rain. that place turned out to be my house! which meant i had to send my own kids away for the afternoon to tidy and rearrange and clean both the house and the yard. it was a lot of work, so i hired nick at Rise Grand Rapids to do the bulk of the food prep. He brought over some delectable treats to spoil us all rotten. 

by the time the 2-hour event was over, 10 mamas with their babies had come and gone, many of them lingering to chat and snack and change diapers before or after their turn in front of the camera. it's the loveliest way to spend two hours, let me tell you!

also, for the first time ever, i had the privilege of welcome two mamas with bottle-fed babies. i'm happy to be able to celebrate all the many variations of how babies get fed. the connection that can be felt between a baby and his/her mama when being cuddled and fed is palpable in the air. every time. every way.

there will be one more opportunity to participate in Milk Time this summer. Friday, July 17 at Renew Mama Studio. Go HERE for event details and to purchase your ticket!

Make Me "YOUR" Photographer

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Inspiration hit the other day, probably while I was in the middle of some random mundane task. And the idea came from the history I have with several of my clients, whom I have been allowed to photograph at multiple points through the years. I love watching individuals, couples, and families grow across the years. And I love that they value coming back to be photographed over and over again, because they believe it matters to have a record of their family life. When it's ME that they choose to do this for them, it's one of the greatest honors and joys. 

Above you can see one family that I've photographed at least 4 times. This is Jordan and Lindsey.

  • Top Left: 2012 - Jude is about a year old and another baby is on the way in this mini-session.
  • Top Right: later in 2012 - Isaac has joined the family and we did an in-home Life With A Newborn session.
  • Bottom Left: 2013 - another mini-session in the park for this family of 4, now that both boys are a bit bigger.
  • Bottom Right: 2014 - we did an at-home family photojournalism session as they are anticipating the adoption of their third child fro China (they're bringing him home this weekend, in fact!)

Personally, I tend to be a curator of varied photography for my own family. Meaning that I haven't chosen and settled in on a single photographer for our family. It's because I follow and admire so many gifted photographers, and I therefore enjoy saving up to hire a different one every two years so that I can watch them work and see my little family through their lens/perspective. Therefore we have a diverse photographic family record, and each photographer is such an artist in his/her own way that I feel like I have a little art museum, except that my family is the subject of each artist's work. 

Which means that what I am about to launch feels a tiny bit ironic to me. Because it invites you to do the opposite of what I'm in fact doing. I'm going to invite you to loyalty and commitment that spans years. I'm going to invite you -- if you resonate with and really love the way that I see things and the art that I produce -- to make me officially "YOUR" photographer. 

This is a 5-year "plan" that locks you in at the current session and product prices, and gives you significant discounts off every session and digital file set you purchase over those 5 years.

If yours is a family that values fine art family photojournalism that's authentic and unscripted but also beautiful, this is for you. This saves you lots of money (!!!) AND holds you accountable to getting your family history told through family photojournalism (which is something I know you probably intend to do but it's so easy to let it slide).  Another perk: You get a consistent body of art to display throughout your home. 

Please visit THIS PAGE to see more details and to sign up.

maternity leave and birth photography

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hi all!

this blog post is basically photo-free, and serves just to update you potential clients on my availability in 2015, as we prepare to welcome a new baby into our family (EDD March 28). 

between now and March 10, i'm happily still doing family photojournalism and portrait sessions (anyone want an outdoor, playful winter wonderland session?! or a cozy, in-home storytelling session of sweet family ordinariness?!). what follows are details for March 10 - the end of the year.

for birth photography:

i will not be photographing any births with EDDs in April or May or early June. if your EDD falls during this span of time, contact me for referrals to other excellent birth photographers. 

i already have a late june, late july, and early august birth booked. i will be accepting one more july birth, but it will need to be a home birth, so that i have the option of brining my newborn along. he will be exclusively breastfed (God willing), so I plan to wear him on my back to births during the first few months, and/or lay him down to rest in a portable crib in an unused room in the house where the birth is taking place. i recognize that this may seem odd to some, and so we can talk through the what-ifs regarding that situation if you have any hesitations about it. 

august is our family's sabbatical/vacation month, and so i will not be taking any more births besides the early august one i have already booked. 

i am WIDE OPEN for births with EDDs on or after September 10, 2015 (haha, maybe because these babies are yet to be conceived!), and expect to be able to accept home and hospital births after that date. i will only take two per month.

please get in touch and arrange for your birth photography as soon as you can in your pregnancy journey, as i expect the limited number of available slots will fill quickly. 

for family photojournalism and portraits:

i will not be booking any sessions in the months of April or May. i expect that I may be able to offer limited numbers of sessions in June and onward (with the exception of most of August), but will be playing it by ear based on what sort of baby i end up with and how thoroughly he rocks our world. :) 

 

 

GIVEAWAY :: One-hour photo session

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This weekend, Brooke Collier Photography hit 1,000 "Likes" on it's Facebook business page. In some ways, there's a silliness to this landmark, because I have a feeling people "Like" things without much deep sentiment behind that action.

Still, I'm feeling weirdly giddy about it, and so I've decided to celebrate this business growth landmark with a give-away. And it isn't a wimpy one. It's a good one. Because I know there are lots of those 1,000 "Like-ers" who are sincerely interested in and excited by my work, which means so much to me, you guys. SO much. I'm so grateful.

This contest is open from Monday 11/24/2014 at 4 p.m. EST to Sunday 11/30/2014 at 11:59 p.m. EST. 

You can enter the give-away below.