Smarty Mom: Brooke Brown

Brooke Brown has talent. Raw talent. Unbelievably raw talent. I had the privilege of meeting Brooke through preschool and then was introduced several times over from six degrees of separation from any mom in Charlotte. That’s just how we Charlotteans roll! We asked Brooke to take on the GYNORMOUS task of photographing the entire Smarty team and all of our chicken littles. Now that is no small feat, any rookie photographer would get eaten for breakfast! But not Brooke, she took charge of this project immediately and put her fresh, creative ideas to action. Brooke didn’t just photograph us – she created us, I could even go so far as to say that she reinvented us, she’s just that good. The only guidance we provided was the location – that super cool Charlotte directional sign at The Green uptown. Brooke took this and ran with it. She showed up with an assistant, this was an incredible touch, especially when we saw that it was Smarty Mom, Anne Willette, who has written for us many times! Brooke’s personality is mesmerizing and engaging, each child was immediately smitten, which is 99% of the battle with any children’s photo session. This genius team had every trick in their bags, including pink & green Smarty pinwheels for the children to make a long session seem light and whimsical.

Smarties, I’m honored to introduce the ever so talented Brooke Brown, Photography Diva, Super Mom of 3 and the hottest ticket in town on the photography circuit. You’ll see why when you check out the colorful memories splattered all over our site.

Let’s get to know Brooke!

Smarty Mom Quick Facts
Married to: Mike (11 years in September)
Mom of: Miles (8), Noah (6), Griffin (4)
Occupation: stay-at-home mom & photographer, Brooke Brown Photography
What you did in your previous live sans kids?  Healthcare Consultant at Lash Group (loved it)
Hood: SouthPark
Years in Charlotte: 17
Hometown: Hmmm….Vero Beach, FL; Syracuse, NY; Killingly, Ct; South Portland, ME — pick one! 🙂
College Alma Mater: Roanoke College

How did you decide to take the jump into mompreneurism and land as a photographer?

My journey has been a long one (and at the same time I feel like it has only just begun).  I’ve always loved taking pictures.  Once my boys were born, I was always frustrated that I was ‘missing the shot’ with my tiny point-and-shoot — so I hijacked my husband’s digital SLR camera.  I loved that I was ‘getting the shot’ but I hated most of the pictures.  Some were cute, but I wanted many of them to be better.  Much better.  I eventually took a class and learned how to use the camera’s manual settings.  That class changed everything.  I had control over the camera.  I could take a photo, see how it turned out, and then adjust my settings to make it better.  I practiced — and practiced — and practiced.  Over several months I took thousands of photos of my kids.  And don’t get me started on the countless videos I watched and tutorials I read.  I was determined to take better photos.

On a parallel path, my kids were spending more time at school/preschool and I started feeling like I had extra time to give.  I have this stamp on my heart ‘to give love and serve others’ and I was trying to figure out the best way to do that.  The thought occurred to me to give with my photography — but the more I researched, the more I realized that to be trusted to give, I first had to establish myself as a professional.  That thought was scary: me, with a photography business?!  I let it float around in my mind for awhile (a long while).  During that time, my swim coach and power hour instructor asked me to photograph her YMCA class and her rehearsal dinner.  I was nervous — and I ended up loving it.

Soon after a good friend asked if I would take Christmas card photos for her family and some of her friends’ families.  Within weeks, Suzanne had organized my first 20 professional shoots and my business has not stopped since.  Talk about a jumpstart!

Overall, this business has been such a blessing to me.  I have so much fun helping families capture their lives.  And I love having a platform to impact others, like my “Capturing Love, Sharing Love” mini-sessions this weekend.   (I’m so excited about them!)

What is your best piece of advice on photo day?
The hard part is done!
– Your family carved out time for the session.
– Everyone got haircuts, maybe even some highlights.
– You all showered (a feat in itself).
– Cute outfits were selected, pressed and are now on.
– You laid out all the expectations (and maybe some big-deal bribes) in the car ride over to the session (yes, everyone does it).

Once you step foot onto your session location, ENJOY it!  Play with your kids.  Wink at your hub.  Be silly!  Get yourself in that mode where you can flash that “totally you” smile with your head thrown back/to the side, your eyes squinty and all your teeth showing.  That’s the smile that comes out when you’re the happiest. That’s the smile that you want captured.

P.S. Take yourself off the hook if your kids aren’t as excited to be there as you are.  Its totally normal.  No need to be embarrassed.  No need to scold your kids.  Just give the photographer some time to get them there.  They will!

What is your biggest challenge in balancing it “all”?
The fact that sleep is necessary!  A couple of weeks ago I tried to make it on 4-5 hours of sleep a night for 5+ nights in a row.  Its official: that method doesn’t work.  I ended up ridiculously sick – which completely cut into family/work/friends/school.  🙂  I’m currently trying to figure out the right amount of busy to be (how many sessions to book each week/each month).  Once I have this figured out, I should be closer to balancing at least a few things.

What piece of advice can you share with other moms considering starting their own business?
If you have a passion and are toying with launching a business, do it!  Its ok to start small — and its ok to practice on your friends, neighbors, anyone that you can grab.  Its a win-win for both of you!

Biggest celeb crush?
Mark Wahlberg {sigh}

Favorite TV show?
I love to curl up on the couch with my hub while he flips through the DVR.  I usually just listen to shows while I edit photos — except for Modern Family & Parenthood.  For those two, I grab my hot tea, sit back and laugh/cry.

Favorite place to score kids clothes and shoes?
We usually keep it simple & head to the Gap and Old Navy.  My guys live in character t-shirts and jersey shorts.  I tried to fight it years ago, but the reality is, comfort rules in our house.  We head to Nordstrom twice a year for shoes: one pair of sneaks, one pair of crocs.  Works for school, church and everything in between.  High style in the Brown house.

Favorite place to take the whole fam to dinner?
Big Daddy’s.  Corn hole outside while you wait and great beer selection/yummy food (LOVE their black bean burger on a salad) when you get inside, makes it the perfect family spot for us.

Best book you’ve read lately?
Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  I was hooked in the Preface, “I believe He wants us to love others so much that we go to extremes to help them.  I believe He wants us to be known for giving – of our time, our money, and our abilities…”

Favorite movie?
Meet the Parents.  I love movies but pretty much forget them as soon as I’m done watching.  Somehow with Meet the Parents, even thinking about it makes me laugh.

Funniest thing your kids have ever said to you?
– I told my son if he ‘finished his milk, he could join the Batman Club!’  He responded confidently with, “that’s ok. I’ll just take one sip and join the Spiderman Club, instead. (mr. independent)
– When my son started school, I put tissues in his bag.  His response: “No thanks. If I need to wipe my nose I’ll use my arm. OR, I could pick out my boogie and then roll it between my hands into a ball and then throw it.” (gross)
– To get my son to stop crying once, I pretended that I was crying too.  He responded by saying, “Mommy, you can’t cry! You can’t cry because you don’t LOVE to cry the way I LOVE to cry.” (true)
– When one of my guys was 3, he pulled his pants down, pushed his privates backwards behind his legs and said, “look Mom! I have a tail, just like Bodie.” (our dog/huh)

Best birthday party you’ve attended/hosted?
Anything in my or someone else’s backyard.  Whether its tricked-out Martha-style or just juice boxes and goldfish, there is something magical to me about celebrating with a child (or adult!) and their favorite friends in their own space.  I love it.

Favorite date night spot?
Every once in awhile I vote Barrington’s.  Every other time I vote for chilling out at Dean & Deluca (and maybe catching a movie).  Its close — so I can be eating awesome food within moments of leaving my house (total plus).  Its low key (based on the mood I can go for super-cute or super-casual).  I literally unwind the second I walk in.  Really, really love it there.

Minivan or SUV?
I LOVE my minivan!  I can jump in without a ladder (I’m super short).  I can stash my stuff in the under-the-floor compartment (perfect at the Y or anywhere I don’t want to lug it).  I can slide the doors open (my guys would be dinging cars around town if we had regular doors).  I can look like a total rock star (ok, not really….but I can pretend my wheels are that cool).

Favorite phone app?
I seriously come up short here.  I have no apps except for Angry Birds for my boys.  I also have an empty ipod from last Mother’s Day.  I’d much prefer everything to come pre-loaded!  🙂

Favorite CSP blog?
I love so many but two from Krista stand out: The Power of Cream of Mushroom Soup (I sobbed) & And Then There Were Four (I laughed out loud).

I could not live without my…
Faith, first and foremost.  Close second: my amazing husband/family, girlfriends, iphone (just keeping it real :))