Monthly Archives: July 2013

This is such a special and personal post (and session) for me!

I’ve known Colleen for about 25 years now or something like that… doesn’t that just sound crazy?!

When you’ve known someone that long the counting becomes a bit fuzzy.  It’s just easier to say that I’ve known her almost my whole life.

We’ve been through ups and down and seen each other at our best and at our worst.  We’ve been through all of life’s big moments and growth spurts together and honestly there isn’t anything we haven’t shared or been a part of together!

Over the years our relationship developed from friends to more like sisters.  A relationship that is so close and so comfortable that it doesn’t know anything other than love and acceptance.

So when we found out she was pregnant, I was probably more excited for her than even she was!

When you met Colleen, you are just immediately at ease!  She is fun and bubbly and comfortable (like you’ve known her as long as I have!)

Kimo has an infectious personality!  He is a riot… sometimes without even meaning to be!  And the two of them together is just a mix of magic, love and crazy!

They  both have such a nurturing and loving nature about them.  They always put friends and family first going to extreme lengths sometimes in order to take care of those they love!

They are both going to be such incredible parents and I can’t wait to see them with baby Jackson in October.

We set out for a quiet little photo shoot on a pretty hot night!  I was so worried about the mugginess and the heat that I even brought a battery powered fan for Colleen!  Luckily we didn’t need it at all because the weather was beyond gorgeous.  We had a slightly cool breeze that came off the water and surprisingly our location was left almost all to ourselves!

Here are some of my favorites from the evening:

Hello beautiful! This is my favorite picture of the night, hands down!

You know how someone women are just meant to be pregnant?!  Colleen is just gorgeous!  She is just the perfect picture of all the glow and love you feel!

Baby Jackson is one extremely lucky boy to have two amazing individuals as parents!  He is already so loved and so nurtured and so protected!

We can’t wait to meet you Baby Jackson and I can’t wait to see how you change and grow and make an impact on everyone who loves you so much already!

 

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  • July 15, 2013 - 1:00 pm

    Colleen Grose - Brooke, words cannot describe how I feel. To have such a close friend capture this special time in our lives is beyond amazing. To have a you capture these moments is emotional, to say the least, because of our past. You are truly like a sister to me and with that comfort comes a unique expression of your creativity and Kimo’s and my love for each other and Jackson. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for these beautiful and heart felt words. We are so thankful for these beautiful images that will last a lifetime. Love you!ReplyCancel

Sunday our little man turned the big O-N-E!  I still can’t even believe it!

The first few months felt like forever but then once 6 months hit I’m not quite sure where the time has gone.  It’s just been so incredibly fast!

We had a blast shooting his cake smash- at least A and I did… Linc not so much!  He’s a funny little man but I think we got a few good ones in there!

Enjoy… (we all did… I may or may not have licked what was left of the cake off the backdrop!)

 Our amazing cake was made by Make Life Sweet!  and it was incredible!

*wink also enjoyed the smashing and walked away with some in his hair… Linc’s idea of saving some cake for a midnight snack!

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I woke up at 5 am, got in the shower and then grabbed a monster coffee (yes I know, so horrible for you) and headed out the door to drive towards Richmond!

On the entire way up I kept repeating to myself…. this will be good, this will be great because I was just so nervous to sit down with her and hear what she had to say.  Nervous in a good way though but still, I kept repeating all the excuses I tell myself why I haven’t really gone after this as a full time (hard core) business yet.  And I just knew Katelyn James would call me on it!

I was the first coaching session of the day so we sat in her fabulous office and just chatting about life and photography and how to balance the two.  We talked about how to successfully run a business and letting the business work for you.  Most importantly though, we talked about finding a new perspective on pursuing this… a perspective without guilt and without the hesitation that comes along with fear!

The time just flew by with her one on one but it was truly amazing and incredibly helpful.  We met up with Terri and sat down to lunch with Katelyn’s husband  Michael (who is also fantastic!) And then Terri, Katelyn and I went out shooting!

I learned that location isn’t all about the pretty scenery!  You don’t have to have an amazing spot in order to get beautiful, amazing pictures.  Sometimes you can just shoot in a parking garage and they look phenomenal!  (Which was kind of impressive considering it was like THE hottest day of the year!)

I drove home feeling inspired, overwhelmed and excited.  As I drove back, I reflected on something that Katelyn said that not only overwhelmed me but also motivated me!  She told me that some photographers spend the money on these coaching sessions because they truly do want  her advice and want to hear what she has to say, but then they go home and nothing changes.

I did not want to be one of those photographers!  So A and I have been working so hard over here to really get my business in shape and do it in a way that honors the advice Katelyn gave me AND also works for our family right now!

I’ve rolled on the new blog (obviously since you’re reading it!) and I’m working on a more professional website as we speak!

I’m taking 1 session a week and sticking to it this time!  I’m also totally set up and scheduled for consistent blog posts!

I am learning that I can do this and spend the time with Linc and A that I want to!  I can still share all the special moments of my clients AND have plenty of time for the special moments I share with my family!

It IS balance… but it’s an achievable balance!

The wonderful Katelyn James! If you haven’t met her on her blog… go there NOW!

Meet Terri! Katelyn’s other photographer to coach that day! She is a wedding photographer that travels pretty much ALL over VA!

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