it’s better to be ridiculous than to be boring, i preached to them. just look at this shirt i’m wearing and remember that. and that shirt? it shed all over the floor like a freakin dog (an emerald green fringy dog with questionable fashion sense) which was absolutely ridiculous, so, mission accomplished.
 
i’ve been my share of ridiculous. i’m much more proud of those moments than the times i’ve been pitifully boring, wanting to fade into the background and melt into the floor and have no one notice me. i still find myself wanting to hide, find some normal status quo groove and kick back to ride for a few years. stop getting fired up about things. stop ughing back and forth between this need to be vulnerable, open, honest, real, and the desire to shell over.
 
which brings me to photo native. i joked about the nervous pee (hashtag pregnant) but standing up and laying my whole process and deep caring out there for you all to see and feel too was sky high flying and like walking on whipped air. it was a positively glorious experience to share and connect and be with so many wonderful like minded creators and my only regret is not having enough time to really talk, really see and hear on a deep level so many of you who were so kind to me.
 
we got to dive deeper in the shoot i led, with 13 of you wondering why in the world you signed up to listen to this dog-shirt-clad totally uncool person tell you about shootin a family. but you know–in the course of our shoot, magic happened. and before you roll your eyes cause i will confess i totes overuse the word magic–let me explain. a hundred different times these real, gorgeous moments would happen in front of us without me doing anything. it was pure family love unfolding all by itself the way it does when a dozen cameras aren’t on it. i kept pointing and whisper-screaming “this!!” and then with a chorus of head nods, we all sank in to that knowing: there’s something about family that transcends everything else, and all we gotta do is show up and pay attention to it.
 
ps–huuuuuge huge thank you to The FINDlab for so kindly sponsoring this shoot!
 
pps–want in on the cool things i make for photographers? drop your email here and you’ll get the juicy goods (and it’s freee, too. wiink.)

if you’re in orange county California or kinda near there and you’d love to have images of your family doing their lovey thing I make those kind of pictures so let’s chat about your photo session.

Here’s your permission.
 
To love something more than you should. More than is “professional.”
 
Here’s your pass to let inspiration fill you up with a zillion more ideas and projects than you can ever create in real life, to feel deeper than you’re allowed to, to laugh loud and obnoxious and dance like a lunatic in your kitchen even though your kids are not old enough to care. Here’s your permission to try ridiculous things that maybe and probably actually will not work even a little bit, to give that thing your whole best even if it’s not that bigga deal to everyone else, to buy impractical curtains and things that don’t make sense but just move you.
 
here’s your permission to live a life flying high walking that tightrope line between insanity and genius.
 
I had the incredible opportunity to teach at Photo Native this weekend, and we talked family photography. I shared my tips, the tricks and the how-tos, but more than that I shared that impractical piece of me that feels so deep, loves so hard and cares so. freaking. much about showing family after family their highlight reel–those moments that will give them strength to be patient through one more tantrum and wake up just one more day thinking, I still choose this. Even in the awkward dance of not knowing what this human who’s still dependent on you needs, exactly. Even in the heart ripping choice minutes–tough love and the spaces you finally realize how little is in your control, but simultaneously how huge your ripply impact is. To keep choosing family life when almost every outside voice is screaming ‘choose it as few times as possible’–that gets me way down under the surface.
 
if you really want to see bravery, courage, true love–look here. look inside families.

and hi hey hello if you’re still reading there’s a good chance you’re interested in a family session. see more family sessions here, or let’s chat about your session. (ps–if you’re in southern california, these were taken in–yes–january. so no need to wait for the fall, let’s get your family photographed n-o-w.)

Let me shoot your family this year?

Yes, in the first part of it, when you’re not really thinking about it yet–because that’s when I’ll be in your city, and also life doesn’t just happen in the fall.

And, for the first time, I’m offering something new. I’m calling ’em Home + Away Sessions. Cause fancy name, right! I’ve been shooting families exclusively in their homes and it is thrilling for so many reasons–your kids are comfortable there. it’s where your memories are made. it’s got so much meaning packed into every pixel because it’s all familiar, instead of some pretty park you’ve never been to.
But sometimes being photographed solely in your home is just toooo much. And you just can’t manage the making-it-picture-perfect part, no matter how many times I try to preach about love being the beauty and all that. Sometimes you just spin yourself into making excuses about how you’ll book a session at home once you’ve decorated a little more or after the remodel or or. And I get it.

So we’re going to slice off the best of both worlds and make a freaking delicious hybrid pie.

Here’s how it’ll go down.

I’ll arrive at your home and that’s where we’ll start. We’ll do snuggling and giggling. And we very well may stay there the whole time. But, if there’s another place nearby that’s meaningful to your family, we’ll head over there for the last bit of our session.

Cause if you’ve ever thought, gahh, my house is just.not.pretty.enough for an at-home session, here’s our chance. To use that one gorgeous corner with heavenly light and the front porch or the backyard with the bright red slide your two year old worships and then, to walk to Your Park or jaunt to The Beach or the one picturesque spot your living room wall kinda can’t live without.

Your Q’s are brewin. Here are the A’s.

So, what does our session include?

-Up to 2 hours of shooting in up to two locations–your home and, (only if ya want) somewhere meaningful to your crew. the closer the better (within a 20 min drive) so your kids aren’t completely DONE by the time we get to spot 2.

-50+ completely edited, hi-res digital files ready to print print print. Bye bare walls and frustration that there’s no proof you ever were there, living this wild and wonderful life with your kids.

But Brooke, my husband is like the opposite of into this. What do I saaayyy to that cute guy?

I happen to have one of those husbands, who shows up for family photos solely because he knows it’s important to me. If you’ve got one of these, I’d advise sticking with a full at-home session so we’re making glory as quickly as possible and not dragging into 2 locations. I promise to be quick, and since I photograph a guy who doesn’t love being photographed kinda all the time, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. And hey, those tricks work–listen to this, from Jen right after our shoot: “Thank you so much for today. My husband said he enjoyed having our pictures done and that’s a first for him!” heh. proof.

But Brooke, how much does this cost? Christmas was like yesterday you know…

Two payments of $425. First payment is due to secure your spot. Final payment is due 2 weeks before our session.

How do I book?

Buttons comin at the end of this post!

What happens after I book?

I’ll send you a contract + questionnaire so I can get to know your family before our session. Once I have the contract, I’ll send along a welcome packet with more info about what to expect and how to prepare for our session. From there, we’ll talk location (if we need) and I’ll be available to answer questions + talk any more details between the time you lay down your dollars and the time we actually get to shoot.

What if we don’t have a home where you’re comin but we live near Portland/Utah/San Francisco + we want to come there?

Yes. Let’s do it. Destination family sessions work the same way–up to 2 hours of shooting with 50+ files, but I suggest one location so your kids are as happy as possible without trekking them all over the tourist sites. San Francisco friends, I’ll be in San Jose and Oakland, so if your home is near either of those spots/within an hour of San Fran, let’s do your home.

But Brooke, are you like, cool? I need a cool photographer for my family. Do people even like what you do?

Def not cool, can’t rock a beanie to save my life. but here’s the thing. I’d really, really love to shoot your family because it gives me all kinds of thrills, because I think it’s the most sacred, incredible, heart-wrenching, sweet work in the world to be part of a family and I get my kicks off seeing the love that radiates in that holy space–but. I know. The photography experience is way more than a wash of warm fuzzy. So I’ll let the peeeople tell you what they think.

“You perfectly captured my goofy little girl. You also managed to take a shot of me that I absolutely love which is super hard considering how hard us women are on how we look. There are so many treasures that you captured and I cannot wait to put these all over my walls!” -Jennifer

“Oh Brooke, 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.” -Aubrey

“You made a day in our lives look beautiful while keeping it real. These are just so much better than I even imagined. Thank you. Just thank you.” -Claire

“Seriously, I can’t say this enough but thank you for the photos you did of us. It may sound cliche but it does not mean it’s not true when I say they are priceless to me. The session was chaos and magic all at once. AKA our real life.” -Jonathan Canlas

So here’s the part where you commit to showing up in your life, your memories, and all the things that are slipping through our “theygrowuptoofast!” fingers.

Buy a session for UTAH Feb 10 afternoon

SOLD OUT, thank you so much!

Buy a session for UTAH Feb 11 morning

Buy a session for UTAH Feb 11 afternoon

Buy a session for PORTLAND March 10 morning

Buy a session for SAN FRANCISCO April 8 morning

Buy a session for SAN FRANCISCO April 8 afternoon

Buy a session for SAN FRANCISCO April 9 morning

SOLD OUT, thank you so much!

Buy a session for SAN FRANCISCO April 9 afternoon

SOLD OUT, thank you so much!

and hey, thanks for realz for reading. couldn’t do it without you fabulous folks.

it’s hard to sit with blankness.
we try so very hard to fill empty space with something, anything. we’re so uncomfortable with silence, uncertainty, not-knowing, awkwardness.
 
and then there are people who don’t feel that. who have some “deeper meaning” thing about life completely DOWN, and always seem comfortable in their own skin with plenty of that to share, and you can’t help but hope it rubs off on you.
 
sam is one of those people.
 
a march-to-the-beat-of-your-own-wildly-fabulous-drum woman. she exudes confidence, but not in a yucky way that makes you feel lesser. a way that makes you feel included.
and she’s probably snorting reading this right now, because probably those people who have that kind of air have no idea they’ve got it.
something else: she’s an ALL IN person. That kind of present-ness, in love with life and ready to jump from the cliffs her heart takes her off but not in a careless way, just a way that inspires you to say more YES to the life you’ve got.
 
i can say all these things about sam, and they’ll tell you things about hero and goldie too. because as much as our little ones are their very own, there’s no denying that all the things we are rub off on them lightning quick. i’ll be real–i get scared about this a lot. i get bogged down under that weighty responsibility of being The Person my babies take their cues from. it’s something nobody ever told me about motherhood: you’ll feel how important it is to get it right while seeing how royally you’re getting it wrong.
 
but people like sam teach me: we do the best, the very best we can. we give ourselves grace. we sink into the knowledge that we are the mothers our children need and no one else.
 
no one else.

Brooke Schultz is a Southern California (Laguna, OC to be exact) based family + wedding photographer who adores the ocean, writing, being non-sensically soulful and chocolate chip cookies that are just a liiitle underbaked. And hi hey hellllooo if you are a rad loving family in need of non-cheesy family photos she’d love to photograph you with your favorite peeps. See more family session details here, or contact me and let’s make it happen.

“i’m terrified to have a girl!” christa confessed to me.
 
and i told her that i wouldn’t know what to do with a boy.
 
we decided that raising boys takes more energy, and raising girls takes more patience. i’ve thought about that a lot. because i’ve got the patience but not the run-around force. and if there ever was a beacon of combustible beautiful contagious energy, it’s christa.
 
but also we’re meant to stretch. and that’s what mothering is. a constant, uncomfortable stretch that’s good for you but also you can’t overdo it and you gotta know your limits and stretch just a little at a time…until life throws you those curveballs that make ‘stretch’ seem like a tame word and mostly make you want to curl up in a corner. and yep, i’m talking about me now–though we all have those duck-and-cover moments.
 
so before they welcome their first little lady to the crew in just a few short months, we got some lovin documentation of mama and her boyfriends–and ohh, what a love affair it is.

and hi. if you’re in southern California and you want photos of you and the ones you love best in the places your memories get made, i’d love to to be your lady. learn more about family sessions here (and if you like things that are beautiful but not too fancy, feely but not too cheesy, I think you’re gonna like it) or email me about shooting your family. i won’t lie, i’d be thrilled.

I’ve (pretty much almost) accepted that I’m never going to be one of those moms who is content at home.
If I’m being honest, I used to look down my nose at those moms, before I had kids–ohh, they have no ambition, i’d scoff.
 
now I just envy them.
 
I admire how present they are with their families; their vision for their life as one of nurturing, sacrifice, and joy of course–but also one of mostly unglamorous details of managing and shaping lives other than their own. The life of thanklessness, the life of very little acknowledgement and hardly any praise and no big awards. I hate to admit that those outside pats-on-the-back still matter to me. I still want proof that my existence is making an imprint, while I make food that we just eat with no proof it was ever there and clean spaces five times over that weren’t dirty when we woke up. the end of the day the evidence would suggest we’re all worse for the wear, that i sat around in pajamas and did the bare minimum.
 
but i am here. my two girls know i’m here. they see me. and then, they don’t–there’s also that feeling of “otherness” that no one really explained to me before i had kids. people told me i wouldn’t want to do anything but snuggle and dote on my newborn, that i’d be “over” photography and running a business and pursuits outside four cozy walls. it just wasn’t true, for me. there are aches inside that remind me every day that no matter how much of my heart is given to these littles outside me, i am my own.
 
that’s part of what i’m trying to show when i photograph moms with their children, and families. this sense that family IS everything, we are all so connected and will be forever and it’s arguably the most beautiful thing in the world–but also, that it hurts sometimes. that it’s hard a lot of times. that there still lives an endless soul inside who needs to be seen, heard, cherished and fed.
 
so all that feels like wayyy too much to assign to one family, hahaha.
 
I just want to keep trying to show all the ways choosing family, choosing to be a mother and a father–is the boldest, most admirable thing I can think of.

And hey! I’m Brooke Schultz, an OC-based family photographer who has this thing, this ability to truly SEE the people I photograph in an inside-out kind of way. If you’d love someone to Really Get You and empathize with what it means to keep raising your hand to participate in this crazy love that is family, while making some beautiful photos of the ones you love–I just might be your girl. Contact me to chat about your family session. (And also, that’s completely real–you can actually email me with your questions, blocks, uncertainties, and just to say hello. I’d superlove it.)

Family travel sessions.
So many of you wonderful, beautiful families overflowin with love have contacted me about shooting your crew in your home–only your home is not anywhere near Southern California.
 
And lemme tell you. My heart skips more than one beat at the thought of prancing all around the world getting to meet YOU. you dedicated mamas with your big hearts and your kids with their adorable quirks and your husmans with their supportive playful dad ways and the little details that make your house a home. I’ve swirled around for weeks trying to figure how I can do all the world-prancing my insides want and, care for my own two little souls plus me and a husband of my own. And it’s comin down to a thing called compromise.
 
All this to say, please know how I wish I could come to you everywhere all the time.
And, that the very real “I can’t” is coming from a place of choosing my family, choosing to say yes to this unglamorous undocumented life of wiping tears and bums and all the same tiny things I yearn to prove to you are worth your every energy through photographs.
 
K. So here’s the deal with travel outside Southern California for family sessions.
 
I’ll be making one trip per year to one destination (or possibly a couple very nearby locations). This announcement is for 2016’s trip.
 
To make this thing happen, I’ll need at least four families in a location to come.
 
Sessions will include all the bells and whistles:
 
-up to 2 hours of shooting in your home + fave places
 
-travel costs (no hidden extra anything)
 
-files for you to get cah-razy printing the ish out of the beauty we make together
 
Sessions will be $1400 each.
 
If you’re interested in having me come to your area, please pretty please send me an email. All you gotta say is that you’re interested for a particular location. This is not a commitment, cause I kinda cringe at those too. It will help me mega to decide where to go if I know how much real alive interest there is in a particular place.
 
Annnd, if you really want your city to be The city I choose, of course you’ve got to tell all your friends and force them to email me an oozy love note saying they’d book a session, too. just kidding–but really, the more peeps who speak up for a particular place, the more likely it is that place gets choosed!
 
Utah friends–I will be back to your neck of the woods and available for family sessions Nov 30-Dec 5.  Email me for special just-for-my-home-state-people pricing and to choose a date for your pics.
 
(Also, are these announcements sometimes kinda annoying cause it’s just like look how fancy i am people wanna hire me everywhere!? i need to tell you. for real. how freaking ecstatic I am to even be writing this post + even having this wonderful problem of more families wanting to be photographed by me than I can reach. It is an incredible gift, and not one i unwrap on Christmas morning and forget about by noon. thank you, thank you, for every kindness and support m’friends.)

heaven knows I freak out with joy at things that go against the grain in meaningful ways. everything about this family is that. they parent with heart, giving everything that doesn’t fit with who they are the cold shoulder. it’s a delicious model, and so much more carefree than being crushed under the weight of parenting “shoulds.” plus, any parent who encourages their kids to paint each other is absolutely winning in my book.

in a world that stifles creativity outta kids the second they walk into school + touts blind obedience with gold stars over humans thinking for themselves, i’m just heartened by the fact that there are families like this out there. families who embrace exploration, dance parties mixed with yoga, and a healthy dose of sass.

If you’re in need of non-cheesy photos of your family and you live in Southern California I’d love to be your girl. Let’s chat about your family session.

Nowhere near Southern California but you’re interested in a family session? I’ll be sharing all the deets about travel sessions this week. #ohthesuspense

The huge upside of having a child who is developmentally behind is that everything lasts longer.
 

That frantic feeling of time slipping through your fingers, ahh it was just yesterday she was born–it doesn’t grab me so often. But with starting to plan Gemma’s first birthday party, I’m starting to squeeze her more and more and offer more squealy “i just looove you!”s (some might call it smothering, we’ll just go with affectionate, riight) knowing that Year One is closing down.
 

I know what it’s like to have a child who’s different. And to have that slice of different consume your whole world, so you forget everything but remember it all, too. So you can’t see ten days in front of you let alone ten years. Seeing Jen with her family, with her Hannah, gave me so much hope. That we, me and my people, can all grow together in a beautiful way, an intertwined flowering vine like them. because they held the hardness of dealing with different–but they have so obviously let it soften them and squish them together.
 
I work so hard to stay soft. It really fails miserably a lot of times. But the times I let myself be leaky, gushy, malleable–I get filled.
 

If you friggin love photos that aren’t cheesy and you’re cool with ocean splashing and giggling like crazy let’s make some photos of your family.

I remember showing Jared Braedon’s photos before I shot film and trying to explain that THIS was what I wanted my work to look like. He’s hugely talented, and a nice guy to boot. He identifies himself as a husband and dad, and when I asked him what some of his favorite things were about his family, he said the sweetest things about each child–wild adventurous Rhys, sweetheart Declan, adorable mama’s girl Neela.

 

Lindsay is the genius behind Jack and June, and one of those light-up-a-room-with-goodness people.

 

It just makes sense that their kids would follow this trajectory of incredible. But these two aren’t the “you will be great or else” type–it never ceases to move me, seeing all the ways love shows up in a family. Theirs feels a beautiful kind of natural–the kind you want to buy at trader joes. the kind we label some people born with. the kind you can’t always put your finger on but it’s all over the swings and in this salty laid back California blue sky I’m getting used to living under.

 

Simple kindness, sunny hearts and house full of organic all natural no preservatives added love.

 

If you need non-cheesy photos of your family this year, I’ve got 2 sessions left for September and 3 for October. Email me and I’ll send you available dates, pricing, and all the goods about what to wear.