The Hall Family

Look how adorable this family is! I absolutely had a blast photographing this family in Little Rock. Thankfully the day we met, it was not raining, and very little mud to watch out for. James was just such a great little guy this afternoon also! He was all smiles, and I don't think I had one bad image of him! Thanks again Whitey & Scott for letting me spend the afternoon photographing your adorable family!!

Photographing areas include Little Rock, Benton, & Bryant Arkansas

www.PhotoBrooke.com

501-574-1843

My Fav Family The Singletons!!!

Back in November, (and YES...I'm that FAR behind with posting images from sessions-lol) I met Paige, Eric & their children at my Little Rock locations. The got out of the car all matched and so cute I was so excited to get to work with creating their beautiful images!! These are just a taste of that they all got to see, but I think we had an absolute great time! The weather that day couldn't of been any better, and the kids just enjoyed playing in the leaves afterwards, I couldn't help but shoot and over shoot!

www.PhotoBrooke.com

Photographing: Little Rock, Benton, Bryant Arkansas

501-574-1843

Facebook!!

Hey, if you happen to be on FaceBook lets be friends! If I have taken your portraits before, I probably have them up there and its a great way to have you favorite portrait be your profile picture!!

Add me as a friend please!! facebook.com/photobrookecreations

www.PhotoBrooke.com

Photographing Little Rock, Benton, & Bryant Arkansas.

NEW PHOTOGRAPHY PROP FOR BOYS!!!

Look at this red & white fabulous couch I just got from a vendor of mine!!! I am very much in love with this couch & I see many many new photography ideas coming soon!!! I am looking for models, so anyone out there with little boys should contact me!!!

www.PhotoBrooke.com

Photographing Little Rock, Benton, & Bryant Arkansas

Delta School

WOW!! I have been at Delta School for Photography this week since Sunday taking the Advanced Adobe Photoshop class by one of the digital God's of the world Don Emmerich. He has 4 masters in photography, and is just a genius all around photoshop. His wife Nancy, their daughter Rose, and him own a studio outside of Oklahoma City, OK and cater to most high school seniors and dance studios. www.studioartphotography.com When I go to these schools, I get all excited and pumped on the way home thinking about how much I'm going to change and tweak , but when I do finally get home I tend to only do a few of those things. Well, not in this instance! Everything I have learned I know I will be using on a daily basis since as my husband calls it "your married to photoshop." Anyways, if you get a chance you should really check out their website and their blog, its just amazing, and they all are VERY inspiring to be around and learn from!!

www.PhotoBrooke.com

Photographing Little Rock, Benton, & Bryant Arkansas

501-574-1843

Our New Blog!!!

It's FINALLY here! I've had an old blog set on my website for this past year, and it was soooo NOT user friendly that I was not updating it very often. Well, I finally asked a few other fellow photographers what they used, and Blogger seemed to be their #1 or #2 choice. So here I am! I have deleted my other blog all together and started this one! I am actually really excited about this, it will give me a way of letting my clients...who are now good friends know when I am running a special in the studio, whats going on sale, how many session openings I have available..and of course everyones favorite...they get to see their own session on the blog! I used to get asked all the time "will you post my pictures up on your blog so I can show everyone please?!" Well..now, every session I do it will be shown off to everyone who reads this blog! I am going to be posting some recent sessions from 2009 that I absolutely love!! But anyways, I just wanted to say HI.. and that PhotoBrooke Creations is BACK TO BLOGGING!! :-)

www.PhotoBrooke.Com

Photographing Little Rock, Benton & Bryant Arkansas

a tidbit about Professional Photography

I have had a few uncomfortable encounters with friends talking about their photography session experience and they couldn’t believe the cost of the portraits. Of course I am always speechless because being a photographer I have never been able to come up with something that explained my prices. Well after finding this I wanted to share to just let anyone know who wants to know what all really goes into professional photography.

What is custom photography?

The photographic art you choose to place on your wall is ultimately the result of the vision of the photographer. This vision, coupled with what you wear to your session, the environment, the lighting, even the mood the subjects are in at the time of photographing creates the work that you will want to proudly display on your walls forevermore.

What custom photography ultimately is all about is choice and experience (as in THEexperience). Custom photography is about finding someone who will photograph your family, give you devoted 1:1 attention without worry of the next ‘in line’ or the feeling of a crowded portrait studio. A custom photographer will typically show you a fairly extensive gallery culled to only show the good images that meet the photographers’ creative sensibilities. Often the images are fully edited images-color corrected with blemishes and undereye circles removed. Custom photographers are also known as boutique studios, offering a range of products and unparalleled service. Think Lexus vs. Hyundai, think Nordstrom vs. WalMart.
Custom photography should have you, the client and your experience in mind.

Why does custom photography cost more?
Digital technology is brilliant. The digital revolution has brought amazing flexibility and amazing amounts of control for the photographer, the hobbyist, the professional, the amateur. With flexibility comes a price though. Camera equipment is still considerably more expensive when you factor in its’ lifespan, the need for additional resources for processing those images, the time it takes to get a usable image and the effort that goes into all of this.
Even though you pay $1.99 for a print at your local drugstore and paying for film is pretty much a thing of the past (although you still pay for memory) you may be wondering why you may pay upwards of $40, 50, 70, 90 for a custom photography print. Some photographers hear this statement every once in awhile:
“How in the world can you charge $60 for an 8×10 if it costs me less than $2 to print at the local drug store?”

The answer is multifaceted and has a lot to do with the time, aforementioned equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer, expertise and the usual costs of running a business.

TIME of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:
Approaching it from a time standpoint, for instance let’s imagine if you will that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love and that is traveling an hour to your on location session. Time break down:
session prep time (30 mins – 1 hour, includes equipment and back up equipment checks + vehicle checks)
one hour travel time TO session
15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home
90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject
one hour travel time FROM session
30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer
30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images
2-5 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images
1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering
1 hour sorting through and checking order
30 minutes-1 hour prep time for delivery
30 minutes-1 hour getting order shipped
any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues
As you can see, average client time for a session ranges from just under 12 hours to 17 hours dependent on the photographer’s level of service. This is time dedicated only to your session. When the photographer charges $100-$200 for the photo shoot you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-17 hours complete time for your session.

REPUTATION/EXPERTISE of the PHOTOGRAPHER:
Being in demand, being well known for quality work, having a good reputation often costs time on the photographer’s part. Their expertise comes at a cost, their time learning their craft and learning the intricacies of lighting and the commitment put forth on their end to create a persona about their business that oozes professionalism. A great number of photographers go a very long time from the time that they purchase their first good camera to making money at the business of photography. Many photographers, when first starting out, rush in thinking that the business will be easily profitable in no time, how expensive could it be to get a camera and use it to create their dream? They often neglect to factor in the cost of business, the cost of equipment, software, back ups, etc..
Being of sound reputation, a better professional photographer knows that they must always reinvest in their business to create the reputation of being top notch. To create good work good equipment, reliable equipment, back up equipment is a necessity. The photographer who desires to be known as better/best/unparalelled reputation-wise knows that the most important thing they can do for their business is reliability and customer service.

I hope this (lengthy) article helps shed some light on WHY a custom photographer is a better choice for your family’s memories. The photographs that are produced as a result of the professionalism and dedication that your photographer has will be cherished for a lifetime (or more) and great thought and consideration should be placed into hiring who is right for your family’s most precious investment.