Brooke Ziegler Photography

You. All of you, are my family. Merry Christmas to everyone who kept me joyful, thankful, fed, and safe this year. YOU are the reason my business is still here. The reason I have a place to sleep at night. I am so, SO grateful to each and every one of you this year

I was talking to a dear friend the other day, and he said: if they don’t believe in Santa... they can’t sit at your table What did he mean? There are certain things in this life that carry magic with them. ... For me, Christmas is one of those things. Capturing the beauty of a soul via photograph is another. There is magic in a sunset after a hard day, a genuine compliment; magic is everywhere... But those who do not believe in magic, will never find it

What was your first thought when you saw this photo? What assumptions did you instantly make about a complete stranger? We all do it. We see people, and in a flash, we create an entire life story FOR them. ... One photo. One action. It’s all it takes. This is Danielle. She is absolutely beautiful, but that’s an easy one. She is also a DOCTOR. A daughter. A wife. She lost her mom two years ago, and misses her with every breath she takes. She is loyal, and kind, and SO open minded. She texts me every week to check in on me, and to make sure I know that I always have her to lean on if I need. She’s not just a naked girl under a sheet, just like she isn’t JUST a doctor, or JUST a pretty face. As we go into the week of Christmas, let’s all practice a little extra patience. A little extra grace. Things aren’t always as they appear

After the year we have all endured, do what brings you joy. If that looks like dressing up in Christmas inspired lingerie and laughing for a full 30 min in my studio, then let’s ROLL. This sessions with @daniamato_md was such a breath of fresh air. And how freakin cute is she in these candy cane stockings!?!?

Dream big little one. You can do ANYTHING you put your mind to

I have no words

I am so freakin grateful. I am grateful for the roof over my head, the food on my table and the camera in my hands. I am grateful for clients like @sillymermaid654 who have stuck with me since the beginning, and continue to trust me to capture her family year after year. ... There is a lot to worry about right now. A lot of chaos and fear and anger. And while all of it is real, and valid, and has to be faced, taking small moments throughout the day to say thank you for what is good in your life sure does help the anxiety. Take one moment. 60 short seconds a day and focus only on gratitude. It helps me a lot. #thankyouthankyouthankyou

Let’s talk about editing. ( scroll to see my raw image!) So we all know that capturing the in between is my thing. Those magic moments where someone’s true self peeks out for just a second. But then what? What happens after capturing THE shot?? ... A lot. There is no substitute for capturing a great shot in camera, but what you do with the raw image after is where personal style comes into play. Not editing your images is like doing a full face of glam makeup, and skipping mascara and lipstick. It’s that extra pop that sets you apart and finishes off the look. A great raw photo and a great edit/ preset go hand in hand. When you combine them... Click the link in my bio to snag yourself this @hannahwiththelipstick preset pack for your mobile phone! I edited this shot with sunset kiss

I had to opportunity to go a photograph a podcast that @therealbrycesmith hosted with @gabbyreece recently, and something she said really stuck with me: Maybe you aren’t meant to get it right ... Maybe all of the struggles and road blocks we come across are meant just for us. Maybe, we wouldn’t ever find the happy and fulfilled life we crave on any other path than this one. Making pit stops at heartbreak, and failure. Divorce, and deceit. Happiness, after all is a state of mind. A perspective. How can we appreciate success without remembering all the hard work we put in to get here? How can we recognize the one without encountering countless partners who aren’t? Maybe, just maybe, we aren’t meant to get it right, and instead we are meant to get it eventually. After we have learned what that lesson is trying to teach us. And newsflash: if we don’t learn the lesson the first time, chances are something similar is on it way to rock our world. So stay aware, stay thankful, and buckle up. This life is a beautiful, wild ride. Thanks @hannahwiththelipstick for capturing pure joy while I sprinted down the beach in the dark

Change can take years, until it happens all at once - Atomic Habits by @jamesclear Ive been listening to this book (highly recommend) and this quote stopped me in my tracks. I’ve always said that I’m the methodical type of person, who carefully makes decisions... but once I’ve made the decision, IVE MADE IT. ... When I got divorced, everyone told me to do a lot of things: change gyms, move out of that condo, replace all your furniture, download bumble the list went on and on. The thing was, even though I knew all of those things needed to be done, I wasn’t READY to do them yet. And then one by one, ready would hit me like a ton of bricks and the change couldn’t happen fast enough. I couldn’t fathom moving out of that condo, until one day I couldn’t bear the thought of staying one more night. The idea of downloading bumble made me want to puke... until I was writing my profile in the kitchen while stirring some veggies in a pan because it couldn’t wait until they were done cooking. I always wanted to buy a house all by myself, and once I was told that it was a possibility for me, I started house hunting and was closing escrow less than 2 months later. (Thanks @stevensladekrealtor ) The thing is, sometimes your gut isn’t ready yet. Sometimes it’s a not right now until all of a sudden it’s a sprint towards the next chapter. Trust YOUR process. Your gut. Your soul. It’s going to be ok. I promise preset: DUSK in the @hannahwiththelipstick Preset Pack! (Link in my bio) - swipe to see the RAW photo!

Look for what’s there, not what you want to be there -Sherlock Holmes While watching Enola Holmes the other day, this quote hit me so hard.... I’ve spent most of my life ignoring red flags and refusing to see anything but the very best in people; in friendships, relationships and business. Look for what IS THERE. And then act accordingly. Stop holding onto relationships that are no longer Healthy. Just because you were friends for 15 years doesn’t mean you have to be friends for 15 more. Don’t hold on so tight for fear of being alone, rather wait for someone who sets your soul on fire, and then hold on tight because there isn’t any other way to live. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. For better or for worse. Look for what is there. You deserve to be happy, fulfilled and LOVED in all areas of your life. Don’t you dare settle for less

Pro tip: if you want to bring your fur baby with you to your shoot, I highly recommend bringing a friend along to help pup sit! That way, during the moments you don’t want them in the shot, you aren’t worried about them running off or getting into mischief. It allows you to get the most out of your shoot with me, and keeps it stress free!

Light. It really is everything. It’s the first thing I look for when taking a picture, and it’s often the thing that takes a photo from a nice shot to magic. Lighting is a funny thing. Even just spinning in a circle on the beach creates DRASTICALLY different looks. You can go from soft and golden to contrasty and bright in a millisecond. Do you have a hard time finding the right light? What do you wish you knew how to do? Where is it the hardest for you to take a good picture? Comment below!

You Mama, are magic. And don't you, even for a second, forget it

We weren’t going to do a maternity shoot, but then everyone said we should - @jess.lise This is something that is straight magic. A whole HUMAN growing from nothing right inside your body. A moment in time that some women only experience once, twice, sometimes never at all. ... Please, I beg of you, capture this moment. Capture the magic. Document the final moments before you go from husband and wife to mom and dad. I promise you won’t regret it

It has been 2.5 years since I captured @jess.lise and @mj_boudy on their wedding day. Words don’t even begin to describe how grateful I am to be able to follow my couples throughout their lives as they change and grow. Adding little minis to the mix, and capturing them as they enter the world, learn to walk, and become big brothers and sisters. Connecting with people, and capturing these movements in time bring me the greatest joy. My heart literally bursts looking at these, and reminds me just how lucky I am to be able to call this a career

Swipe to see my Instagram Vs reality ring shot from this wedding day! Instagram vs. Reality is something to be so careful of. It’s so easy to look at perfection on our feed and expect our lives to look like that ALL the time. Life is not perfect all the time. And really, we don’t want it to be! The lessons make us who we are. And who we are, flaws and all, is beautiful

Weddings sure do look different these days, but one thing that has stayed the same, is this. The moments I get to spend with the new husband and wife, all alone, and capture them. Their marriage is less than an hour old, and there is only pure joy, happiness, and glee. For just a moment, there is no timeline, no stress, no election, no pandemic, just them. Their love, and their new future.