As photographers, we have the incredibly special opportunity to document families, right where they are in whatever messy, beautiful stage they’re in. Families are full of different personalities and dynamics and quirks that can sometimes be challenging to capture behind the camera, but Utah and Southern CA family photographer Brooke Schultz has just about nailed how to portray “love-soaked” family photography.
Today, she’s sharing just how to capture those emotional, honest, and strikingly lovely moments with the families you photograph, in your own special way. She’s dishing on how she prepares for shoots, her thought process as she sets up a photo/pose, what she does to get out of creative ruts, and so many more juicy takeaways that you don’t want to miss!
In this episode:
[4:30] Any emotional life can be utilized for good creativity.
[5:42] Brooke narrates how she got into photography.
[7:13] No matter where you are in your journey, know that there’s always so much more ahead of you.
[8:23] Brooke explains how she teaches photographers to create images that speak to the heart through her workshops and masterminds.
[09:23] Photographers are the real visionaries behind a photoshoot.
[9:57] Family photographers move the world forward because the way a family is viewed in society begins with an image of a family.
[10:23] Imagery is more than just a language. It can convey concepts that might be difficult to understand in words alone.
[11:29] Brooke shares why she chose film photography over digital photography.
[12:10] It’s important to find your niche, but it’s also important to leave room for things to unfold.
[13:38] To be human is to have feelings of self-doubt and limiting beliefs.
[14:16] Confidence is the willingness to be uncomfortable.
[15:51] Let go of the notion that you have to be someone other than who you are and start embracing yourself for who you really are.
[17:43] Brooke shares what Love Soaked Family Photography means.
[21:13] The beauty of photography is that it allows you to create art that tells a new story than the one you were given.
[23:06] The only sustainable art is selfish. It is self-motivated and self-directed.
[26:19] Brooke says energy plays a big role in capturing the images she wants.
[27:01] Brooke recommends hiring a photographer to take a photo of you so you can better understand their experience when they hire you.
[27:54] Every experience that you have has brought you to that point with that family. Use those experiences to create a framework for that story that you are looking for.
[28:25] Having a photography style is simply telling your story in collaboration with your subjects.
[30-:01] You don’t always need lots of time to prepare. Work with what you have and make the best of the situation.
[32:34] Resilience and malleability are two valuable characteristics for photographers to have.
[33:08] As long as you hold space for everybody’s individual experience during the shoot, you’ll be able to capture the images that you want.
[35:17] Photographers have an innate ability to read the room and sense what people are feeling.
[36:53] Brooke shares how she goes about doing home sessions.
[39:13] Brooke loves to photograph families in their homes because she believes that the most intimate memories of a family are made there.
[43:42] The fastest way to create a visual connection is to have your subjects put their heads close together.
[48:43] The best way to get out of a creative rut is to not try to get yourself out of it.
[52:38] Making art that is unique requires the commitment to sit with yourself and cut out any input that’s not serving you.
[53:38] Brooke shares her 3 quick tips – Touch heads. Start with the whole family all together every single time. Pretend that you’re an improv actor.
About Brooke Schultz
Brooke is a wild-hearted family photographer and artist based in Southern California and Utah. She helps women live their most wildly creative lives in art and in business. She’ll never be able to go a day without hugging someone or singing.
Brooke’s work has been featured in Oprah and Martha Stewart, among many others. But what she really cares about is what she’s creating in the name of love. And the hard hard work of not only feeling love but choosing love within the four walls of her family every day, silently, with no one else there to witness because of those battles and wins. Those are her reasons for creating the most excruciating and gloriously joyful experiences on the planet.
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