life with a newborn :: jonah grace

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Sweet Jonah Grace, the girl with the wild, untamable hair and the loving attention of her godly mom and dad. She's the first grandchild, the beloved of her many aunties and uncles, plus her pup-sibling.

This session was such a joy, from sink bath to couch cuddles, play time on the floor, diaper changes, and coffee-sipping in between it all. I even got to watch Jonah doze off to sleep in her mama's arms in the rocking chair toward the end.

 Afterwards, when I sent over a handful of previews to her, Jonah's mama Audrey wrote, "Its amazing to see the shots you captured, when it hardly felt like you were taking pictures. It just felt like having a friend over for coffee." YES! It surely did. That's precisely how I want it to feel. We can be friendly and relaxed, and magic will be captured without it feeling like you even had to work for it. 

Thanks again for having me over for coffee, Audrey and Xavier. Your girl is truly something special. 

By the way, there's a Black Friday Shop up and in effect today until 11 pm EST, presuming not everything is sold out already. Hop on over here and take a look!

family photojournalism :: the hughes family

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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

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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. :)

milk time at Simply Born Birth House

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I'm considering changing the name of Milk Time to Oxytocin Feast because SERIOUSLY: It's like gathering a group of women and babies together to all get simultaneously high on that amazing hormone. 

This Milk Time, which was hosted in the most perfectly appropriate and beautiful venue ever -- Simply Born Birth House -- included 16 mamas, 16 babies, a handful of toddlers, and even one daddy. We also had La Leche League leader Raquel Knack present to do on-the-spot consultations, which proved to be invaluable!

Whether each mama's baby latched on for 2 seconds or 10 minutes or not at all during their session, whatever way(s) she fed her baby, however many babies/toddlers she feeds at once, whether her baby was cheerful or fussy today, and whatever the story behind how her baby came to her, or how she came to accomplish a beautiful breast-feeding relationship... These women are beautiful in their diversity! And these babies are all SO CLEARLY LOVED. 

Enjoy the oxytocin hit. ;)

life with a newborn :: ezra grant

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Marrying into a big family means I also get to have lots of nieces and nephews and sibling-friends. My husband's brother, Dan and his wife Jess, along with their boys are so dear to my heart, such easy friends. So after Ezra was born, Tim let me travel alone to Milwaukee to spend a couple of days with them, being helpful as much as I could be while Jess continued her postpartum rest period, basking in their company, and of course cuddling my newest nephew, Ezra! Newborn cuddles on one's own very pregnant belly are a special kind of awesome. 

Ezra is boy #5. He and his family live in a beautiful old farm house on a wee bit of land surrounded by trees changing colors with the autumn winds. Dan works from his home office during the days and Jess fits sewing for her blog into her life as much as she can manage in between homeschooling and managing the household. The boys -- every single one of them-- are OBSESSED with Star Wars, and also love art, reading, and playing outside. 

Though Jess never wants me to "work" while I'm visiting them, I insisted in bringing along my cameras, which I picked up and used periodically across the 24 hours I spent in their home. The result is a collection of photos that's like a stretched-out and incredibly candid Life With A Newborn session. I know other documentary photographers who routinely offer these 24-hour in-home sessions, and though I know they shoot more continuously during such a session than I did during this very informal one, it was a fun taste of what's possible when you really move in with a family and become a natural part of the landscape instead of a stranger-guest who pops in for a couple of hours.

I'm pretty in love with the results, just as I'm in love with this family.