family photojournalism :: the focos

Life with BOYS! One of my longest-standing friends, Kristin, has this beautiful family she's building with her husband Jeremy. And it's composed of 2 little boys and one more due to arrive this winter. They've very recently moved into their first HOUSE, a new construction that they commissioned and helped design. Though Kristin says it isn't as unpacked or decorated yet as she would like, it already feels like home. Behind their house is a huge expanse of meadow, undeveloped and wild, and they're positioned in a quiet neighborhood that's definitely the sort of place one would want to imagine raising a family. In this short story (yes, only an hour!) there was time for pumpkin bowling, bike riding, wrestling and dancing, blowing bubbles, making popcorn and general shenanigans. Never a dull moment with small and high-energy kiddos, am I right?!

family photojournalism :: the hughes family

I spent an evening with this sweet family on an ordinary day. Their boy-girl twins are 5.5 and just so full of fun. There were pancakes for dinner (yes!) made by Erin and her mom while Will and his dad worked in the garage replacing a tired on his bike. They spent a bit of time outside riding bikes and tending to the fairy gardens, then headed back in for a craft, play with barbies and trucks, reading, and then a bit of movie watching on their in-home theatre in the basement before getting tucked into bed for the night. 

Enjoy this glimpse of life at the Hughes home!

Also, just a heads up: I have a black friday and small business saturday deal or two in the works. One will be a special deal just for previous clients, while the other will have possibilities for anyone. Keep an eye on my facebook page and IG (@brookecollierphoto) so that you don't miss it!

family photojournalism :: the frazee family

It was just over a year ago that I witnessed Campbell's entrance into the world through the remarkable vessel of her mama. It was a moving and amazing birth for an amazing little girl. Now that she's one, her parents called me in to their home for an extended family photojournalism session, with the goal of bottling up all the goodness of this stage. Campbell is poised between babyhood and toddler, and that's such a sweet liminal space.

In the extended time frame we had to work with, we were able to capture so many facets of their daily life together, and I'm so happy with the collection of images that resulted. From morning snuggles in bed with daddy, to snacks at the kitchen island while daddy made chicken stock, playtime and a walk to the bridge over the water where her mama and daddy wished her intro existence, to lunch outside on the deck, bath time, book-reading, and being nursed down for a nap... all the good stuff. 

This family is so centered and present, choosing a life that is filled with what they love and find life in. Even though I was technically working, I left my time with them feeling peaceful and rested. What a gift. 

PS: the Joseph Campbell quote over their mantel below is significant in large part because it is from that admired mythologist that their daughter got her name. :)

family photojournalism :: the schmid family

It's a rainy Sunday morning and this family is spending it cozy indoors with no agenda except for making and eating a dutch pancake with pears and bacon for breakfast, some play and some reading and some cuddles in bed.

This is the good stuff, isn't it? These are the morning we think back to in moments when we desire comfort and simplicity, the sorts of days we want to go back to and re-create over and over again. <3

family photojournalism :: the merck family

On Friday afternoon I met Brigette and Michael at their home, just minutes before their son Max was due to arrive home from school. They were waiting for him with cinnamon rolls and milk, espresso for themselves. They debriefed one another on their day -- in German -- while they ate. Next there was piano practice, reading, scouring the internet for lego pieces Max is desirous of, and kicking the ball around. This, they explained, is a typical Friday afternoon, an entry-way into the weekend that lies ahead. They explained how such rhythms of connection and pause over food are deeply ingrained in them from their home-country culture, leaving me feeling inspired to build this more seriously value into my own family life as well. 

A short story is short, and yet it can still encompass quite a lot of the flavor of family. :)

family photojournalism :: the shingledecker family (again!)

The first time I met this family, their eldest daughter Emma was a tiny baby. And because they are part of my Make Me Your Photographer group, I get to see them periodically and watch them grow. Last time I saw them was when their littlest daughter Lily was a newborn, so it was such fun to see them again, and what a difference a year can make in a child's personality and development. 

We started our two-hour session together by waking up Lily from her nap, then lunch and play-doh before heading out to the backyard to play on the playset, followed by a walk around the neighborhood before looping back home to play in the living room a while. I appreciate so much how present and intentional Jason and Andrea are with their girls and, in fact, with their entire life. These are good, good people whom I'm grateful to know.