there’s a difference between pretty-ness and beauty.
 
you probably already know that, but let me explain.
 
beauty isn’t just a bigger grander version of pretty. It’s full of depth and knowing, like the way your mother is gorgeous to you because she’s lived, even though her body isn’t as “pretty” as it was when she was 18 and her face has lines now. when you look at her eyes you can see she’s known sorrow, big rivers of it–but that she’s strong and isn’t afraid to rip her heart open to huge joy too.
 
beauty is the thing that gets me. the stuff that has a few raw edges from experience, the poems that take an unexpected turn, the photographs that say more than what the person looks like.
 
on this day i felt like we were doing more than documentation of what this family looks like. because let’s just call out the elephant in the room, they are one hundred percent pretty as pretty can be and their house is like whoa, but also, they are so, so beautiful–and that. that’s what i wanted to show you.

well hello, if you’re still here you just might be interested in a family session that feels like this–kicking cheese-saying to the curb and full of, you guessed it, feelings. your best people and most treasured relationships bottled in a way that’s more than “documentation.” here’s what Aubrey had to say: “The pictures are everything I was hoping for with a little somethin’ somethin’ extra that only you could make happen! I didn’t just want to have a keepsake of our faces, I wanted to preserve the nuances that are specifically us–the relationships that are each unique and dynamic–and you certainly brought that to the table. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving us this experience.”
 
Let’s chat about your family session–cause there’s only 1 count it o-n-e family session left this fall in time for Christmas cards and I’d love you to have it.

i could tell you how adorable becky kimball (yes, that becky kimball) and her family are, about their fab house, and glowy light, and blah, blah.
 
but that’s not what I want to tell you about, as much as I want to tell you about heartache being the other side of this crazy joy we know as family. they are forever interlaced, two sides of the same coin, because to know one you have to be gutturally familiar with the other. you have to go to sleep with the ache of knowing that your mistakes will affect your children. you have to wake up with the punch of realizing that your choices matter so much and that you can’t control or save from hurt or force to love or even live.
 
but when you know all those things, there is only more. we are meant for all of it. you know that on your insides, don’t you?
 
and sometimes–not every time, but sometimes: it is all necessary, even the most painful parts.
 
(obviously) now we’re getting more into my heart’s journey to make peace with being a mother and less about this family, though they’ve known plenty of pain themselves–but this duality is what I want to show you when I photograph you. don’t worry, it’s not too hard or scary. it’s simple, like the fact that you pull your little one into your arms after she bonks on the floor, and just hold.
 
so this fact, that from knowing sorrow we know greater heights of joy–that’s what I want to give.

hello, if you are still reading, you might be interested in a family session. I still have openings this fall for families who want non-cheesy photographs of their favorite people in their favorite places. let’s talk about your family session.

it’s true. “bum,” or “bottom,” she always corrected.
 
now i’m doing the same–unconsciously–with my kids, i realized the other day. (while i edited this session i kept whispering ‘baby buns!!’ to myself. cause oh em gee you will die of adorableness when you see lulu’s cute lil self.)
 
those things you do with your babies that they think are dumb and then end up getting passed down. it’s funny, isn’t it?
 
have you noticed? every single podcast or radio guest talks about their family upbringing interwoven with their expertise in writing, or insects, or marketing. and specifically, their mom. how she told him to carry a notebook, how she let her explore, how she taught him to be open minded and sent him off to summer camp and took him around the world and read him poetry until he fell asleep.
 
i’ve squirmed about this power before.
 
but i think–i think–i’m finally wrapping myself around the beautiful magnitude of it. the world might never remember my name, but my babies–they will always have me in them. (whether or not they choose to say the word ‘butt’, haaaha.)

and yes if you’re interested in family photos for this year’s walls and books and Christmas cards that are heartfelt and not cheesy i’d love to be your lady. let’s chat about your photo session.

hey friends.
 
you asked for minis, i give you minis! 20-30 min, 10+ images ready to print, yours for $350.
 
location will be outdoors in salt lake county, to be determined, but hey–it’s gonna include gorgeous green outside stuff and yummy summer light, i’ll tell you that.
 
fine print: these aren’t for extended families, but come on down families + couples! book your time slot below and i’ll be in touch with more details + a questionnaire to get to know your crew a bit before we meet.

 
Buy a mini session 6:00pm

Buy a mini session 6:30pm

Buy a mini session 7:00pm

Buy a mini session 7:30pm

Buy a mini session 8:00pm

thanks times a zillion for your support, mypeople. you are incredible.
and hey! if this round of minis isn’t gonna work for you but you’d like to be notified of future mini session dates + special offers, drop your email here. (no spam ever, pinky promise.)

Helloo and welcome to another installment of the “But Brooke…” series, in which we address what’s realllly on your mind when you’re thinkin about hiring a photographer.
 
Your kids. What they’re going to do, or not do, during a session. Let me guess, your kids don’t love sitting still and listening to adults boss them around? Hm. What’s that? They don’t smile on command, or do anything on command for that matter?
 
But let’s take it one step further–do your kids pee, vomit, cry, and/or scream at photo sessions? Guess what, friend.
 
ALL of these things have occurred at my photo sessions–and even in the SAME session.
 
You want to see those photos, right?
You’re looking at ’em. (Full session here.)
 
I’ll tell you a few secrets.
 

1- I thrive on the chaos.

 
I actually get a little nervous when kids listen to me too well. I’m counting on kids to give me their personality, their spontaneity and their spirited selves–it inspires me. So even if it includes tantrums or blank stares, I adore playing off the natural fun kids bring and I don’t try to stifle it.
 

2- Getting a fabulous photo takes literally less than a second.

 
I know that kids only have to listen to me or look at me or look like they’re having a great time for a fraction of a second while I press the shutter. Now, is setting everything up so those moments happen at the right second a skill? If you’ve ever tried your hand at capturing blissful loving moments on camera you’re prolly nodding furiously right now. Yes, it only takes a split second–but finessing that split second into existence and capturing it properly with light, motion, emotion, and technical stuuuff all aligned? That’s why dey call me a professional, m’friend.

 

3- Your job is NOT to make your kids listen to me. (woop!)

 
That’s right, you’re completely off the hook! You might even have fun at this session huggin and kissin your significant other and your babies. My job is to make sure kids do what I need–and I’ll always tell you if it’s not happening, but really, your job is to show up ready to love and be loved. My job is to get those loving, oozing-with-happiness photos every time, and I do it whether your kids are “angelic” or bouncing off the walls. Pretty sweet deal, right?
 
WARNING: this only works if you hire a photographer you completely trust, whose work you love, love, love. This means you’ll have to have looked at the photographer’s work more than a session or two. This also means you need to be willing to go along with every crazy idea your photographer presents, for best results. For more about what your photographer wishes you knew before your photo session, snag my free guide via email here.

Alright, let’s finish it off with the other secret weapon:

Having your session at home.

Home means your kids are more comfy. They get all sorts of excited to show me their space, their toys, their world. But through the most cynical lens, home is also an enclosed space, wink. So even if your kids are bouncing off the walls, we can still make lovely photos mid-bounce because there’s less chasing-around-the-open-field happening.
 
So, here’s the part where I wrap it up with a sales pitch because I absolutely want to shoot your clan of favorite humans no matter how crazy, wild, or weird–in fact, the weirder, the better. 🙂 If you’re interested in a family shoot, let’s chat about your family photo session. 

Well hi and welcome to the first installment of the “But Brooke…” series, where we dive in to all the reasons why you’re NOT hiring a photographer right this second.
 
Cause we all know that preserving memories is what it’s all about and I could tell you a hundred lovely sob stories about what documenting your family means over the long haul–think about your grandchildren! timeless priceless family heirlooms! daily love reminders to keep goin in the crazy world of family life!, but I feel like we’re kinda past that. Real things get in the way. We’re gonna talk about em.
 

First I will admit that I am kiiiind of vain.

 
As in, every photo in which I do not look amazing never sees the light of day, regardless of how freaking adorable my children look. Every time I look through photos, I look at myself very first and only notice what my babies are doing if I look hawt. Aggghh, cue monkey-hands-over-eyes-emoji! But I’m admitting this to the internet cause I got a sneaking suspicion that you’re the same, mama. You need to look powerful, loving, and incredible in these family photos. And you’re not sure if I can do that, cause other photographers haven’t done it for you in the past.
 
So let me say: yes, I can make you look good. But not only that–I WILL make you look good, cause we share that monkey-hands-over-eyes secret that this piece of the puzzle is a big piece. I get you. I’m here to take care of you.
 
Because I’ve been on the other side, too, getting photos back of my family that made me want to hide in a corner, not because the photographer didn’t capture my family’s love or connection or my kids’ cute cuteness–but because I didn’t look great.

I’ve photographed hundreds and hundreds of women, of all shapes and sizes with “good sides” and “chubby arms” and “ugly knees” and insecurities and hearts of gold. I know how to make you look your most beautiful from a purely scientific posing standpoint thing–like we could get super technical and talk about the way I’ll position you so you don’t get a double chin, how I’ll make sure your arms are always in the best looking place.
 
But the core of it is, I know the nuts-and-bolts stuff of flattering women in a photograph. And beyond capturing moments, before art, beyond connection, I care about you treasuring these photos because they look like the very best version of you.

Here’s what Jennifer had to say:

“Oh my gosh, Brooke, HOW did you make me look so beautiful? It’s funny because my entire life I’ve dreaded having pictures taken because I always hate the way they turn out. You have serious talent and I’m so glad we got a chance to see ourselves through your photos.”

 

But WAIT, Brooke, does this mean you’ll just photoshop me into “looking good”?

liquify whatever to drop the 10 lbs?
Confession: I don’t even KNOW how to do that. This is regular real flattering stuff all done before the shutter button is pressed. Not photoshop fakery. I don’t believe in it, and in your heart you don’t really want it either.
 
If you need a photographer who can make you look good in photos, I’d love to be your lady. Brooke Schultz is a family and wedding photographer based in Salt Lake City, Utah and she knows how to make ladies look good, it’s true. Let’s chat about your photo session.

they found their forever home and it is almost as graceful as they are.

 

And if you’re interested in family photos that are full of heart and anything but cheesy, let’s make some. Check out all the details for family photo sessions here, and let’s chat about your session here.

i’ve been trying to transcend the mundane for 25+ years now.

 

i got an early taste of the moondance that is inspiration, swimming around in deep waters, experiencing and making art. first it was music, then words, now photographs. and at every turn i’ve covered my eyes at taxes and mail and applications and logistics of all colors–but what they don’t tell you about being a mom full time is that you are a logistics manager extraordinaire–schedules and appointments and keeping track of important crap, plus all the important crap only multiplies with the consequences ballooning up too when you have a child with special needs.

 

so squirming under that pin and trying to keep your head to the sky and your heart to the stars while cleaning up a constant trail of bodily fluids and library books–this, i finally realized, is my struggle: trying to stay big in a world piled up with the urgent small.

 

here’s your reminder, mamas and papas, that the quiet work you do is outside the realm of the measurable tinies.

 

keep your head full of sky and your heart blooming with stars, cause even if it doesn’t clean your house it will be the breath of a real life, one littered with love and full to the top.

If you live in southern California and you really want photos of your family that tell the whole story–the love and the bliss and the sacrifice too–I’d love to photograph your family.

sicker than sick with baby #2 and rain beating down the windows but every phase of life and mothering calls to me. it’s not fair to show only rainbows when there’s heartbreak too, for all of us. it’s all there, all the time–the bliss moments and the tear drop moments, dancing together, taking turns being in the background or the front.

 

navigating that dance makes me sigh–it’s complicated and i do it so messily, so badly lots of times. the older i get the more i give myself and everybody else more generous points for the trying.

and if you want to have photos of the whole story of your family, I’d love to photograph you with your best people in their favorite places. Let’s chat about your family session.