Conversations with Brooke Thompson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Thompson.

Hi Brooke, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always loved capturing beautiful places, people, and things. As long as I can remember I have enjoyed taking a moment to capture a photo. Usually it is captured on my phone, but I love being able to look back on fond memories and beautiful places. I really did not start pursing photography until after my wedding in November of 2022 and my husband got me my first real camera in December of 2022. My husband and I had a wonderful wedding photographer, Mary Beth Wood, and after our wedding I reached out to her to see if she would mentor me and teach me more about photography. I also reached out to my older sister, Hannah Hartman, who is a photographer as well. Both of those wonderful ladies poured into me and have taught me so much, I have learned a tremendous amount working alongside them and I am so grateful. I have done a lot of learning through classes, youtube videos, and trial and error as well. My wonderful husband has been my biggest supporter and I would not have even started to pursue this career without him encouraging me and supporting me in every step of the journey. The Lord has really had His hand in all of this and continues to bring me such wonderful clients and opportunities. I am just so grateful and thankful to be able to capture other people’s stories, journey’s and lives through this career. I got my Bachelor’s in Exercise Science, and have always enjoyed being active and helping people. I had always planned on having a career in a field related to my degree, but the Lord had other plans. While I am a very active individual, I have always loved being creative and exploring activities that allow me to think outside of the box. My photography just started as a way to be creative and capture the world around me, but it has blossomed into getting to be a part of so many people’s lives and capture their special moments.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, but also the Lord continues to provide. Anytime I am worried about the calendar not having enough sessions, the Lord sends someone and it all works out. There is also a lot more to photography than I ever realized until I started. It’s not just snapping a photo and being done, there is so much work that goes into it that’s behind the scenes. There’s also a lot of administrative work that goes into it, which has been a big learning curve for me. Between the editing, scheduling, planning, and actual shooting, it is a lot more than I ever realized and has made me have an even greater respect an appreciation for all photographers, creatives, and small business owners everywhere!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am constantly learning and trying to become a better photographer. There are always going to be things that can be improved upon so I try and just take it one step at a time. I am primarily a family photographer, but I have also done and still do small weddings, maternity and newborn, and headshots. Last year I got to work with Little Guide Macon to capture businesses in the Macon area. That was a new and fun experience for me and challenged me to continue to learn and grow, which I appreciated. I always try my best to make the sessions fun and enjoyable. So I would have to say I am most proud of building connections and relationships that make people feel comfortable while they’re behind my camera. What sets me apart would have to be that I really try and keep Christ first and I am always looking for ways to use this business as a ministry. I will always be willing to work with people and meet them where they’re at.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I come from a big family and we always were going and doing something. I am right smack dab in the middle. We were homeschooled and played just about every sport we could. I also danced from age 4 to age 18. My parents always found things to keep us active and engaged. Growing up I was definitely more introverted. I would usually just follow my older sisters around and do what they did. I never enjoyed public speaking, still don’t, but I had to come out of my shell more and especially once I went to college. I worked summer camps all through highschool and my first two summers of college. Working those camps was a great way for me to become more comfortable with building relationships with people I had never met before. Then during college I started to play ultimate frisbee and during my time there I also captained the team which forced me to step up and lead. I have definitely become more comfortable with talking to new people and building connections, but when I was younger that was a big hurdle for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brookethompson.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: brooke.thompson.photography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571413659688