Join us in congratulating Brooke Holliday on becoming one of our newest Unraveled Expert Artists! You are certain to feel so much love and laughter while perusing through her beautiful lifestyle sessions below!

Brooke is a lifestyle Photographer for families, mothers to be, newborns, seniors and also provides modern school portraits. Brooke is based out of Tacoma, WA and photographs families in their homes and around the Puget Sound. Her intent is to capture the connection and love within each family, and genuine personality of every person that steps in front of her lens. Her work is film inspired, and has a laidback and easy quality, focusing on capturing the joy and nostalgia of life.

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Here is Brooke, Unraveled…

What inspires your art?

My inspiration has always been my childhood, family history and motherhood journey. I have had a long photography journey. I started in high school on film/darkroom, went to college for Commercial Photography and burnt out in the 2 year program. I didn't touch my camera for basically 9 years, until I had my first daughter. She inspired me to pick up my camera again and changed everything for me. I pull inspiration for my work from my own experience as a mother and my past experience with my parents and how I grew up. I take the parts of my experiences with family and choose the pieces that are important to me to share with the world and show others how beautifully complicated we are. Family isn't perfect but its full of so so so much love and connection. That is what inspires me most.

What do you shoot with? Camera body and favorite lens?

I have been shooting most recently with two Canon EOS R bodies and my RF 35 1.8 Macro and an RF 50 1.8. I also through an EF 85 with an adapter at outdoor sessions sometimes. But the 35 and 50 are my favorites. In my bag I keep a lens baby trio on hand when I feel like getting a creative lens in the mix if I feel called to do so.
However I am dipping my toes back into Film and it's very exciting and bringing me back to my roots in photography. I am dabbling and playing with the idea of shooting film exclusively in the future. Fingers crossed!

What other ways do you express your creativity?

After becoming a mom I have felt so far away from my creativity and have really been trying to make it a point to start letting that creativity flow through me again. I would say that I express myself and creativity through my clothing and jewelry for sure. That is the easiest one I can do consistently while juggling being a mom with a business. I think that baking is one creative outlet for me. I love to bake and see the people I love enjoy my creations. I love to create with my hands so I am also a ceramist. It's been a while since I have thrown clay but I am working on getting back into that as well. I will give anything a try so I have tried painting, drawing, jewelry making, sewing, poetry, short stories, scrapbooking etc.

How do you de-stress at the end of the day?

I am an introvert and my alone time is so precious to me. It is rare that I am not in the company of my 2 kids so every chance I get to be alone is magical for me. I stay awake late after everyone is in bed a few nights a week and get some me time in. Which can mostly be work time but I love what I do so it feels fulfilling and wonderful. Typical Enneagram 3 energy, always working.

What kind of music do you listen to while editing?

I actually don't listen to music while I edit. I am a podcast junkie, and its funny because I use to think my dad was the strangest person for only listening to talk radio. Podcasts are the new talk radio so I find myself doing the same thing he did I guess. If I did listen to music thought I would probably listen to EDM, it's my music staple.

What is your favorite book?

One of my favorite books, that I have read the most times, is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Who doesn't love a crazy trip full of debauchery in Vegas? Just me?

Name one movie that inspires you.

One movie that inspired me as a teen was Crazy/Beautiful. I loved the love story but I especially loved that the female lead, Kirsten Dunst (she was everything back then) was a photographer and I loved how creative she was. The face that she shot on film and worked in the darkroom really inspired me at that age to do the same thing.

How do you handle self-doubt or creative slumps?

To be honest when I have self-doubt I can spiral for days or a week but I have the ability to never give up. I just keep going and eventually I have a session or a win that pulls me out of that self-doubt. I have always just had the ability and deep seated drive to succeed and I think what would be worse then doubting myself from time to time would be actually giving up and quitting on myself and my dreams. I don't think that I could live with that.

What has been the most difficult part of your creative journey?

Trusting myself and allowing myself to create from my POV. I am a human design 1/3 and am always seeking to know all the things and I purse photography education to a fault sometimes because I don't feel like I am an expert. I am a habitual self improver and that has actually stunted my creativity and growth. I am at a place now that I have to stop trying to be something more and just allow myself to do what I do and lean deeper into my style and just allow that to flow.

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Peppers not like bell peppers but spicy peppers like jalapeño, banana peppers or cherry peppers. Our family was gifted a bread maker last year that can make pizza dough and we make our own pizza and I love mine spicy!

What is your most favorite kind of light and why?

My favorite light is window light on a cloudy PNW day. It's contrasty and diffused. It's yummy and moody. I love the softness but also the drastic fall off. It gives rainy day, with almost a little sadness but soothing at the same time. I love to place my subjects right up next to the window and let all the feels come out.

Who is one of your favorite photographers?

One of my favorite photographers is Elena S Blair. Before I found her I didn't know that photography could have such a deeper meaning. She showed me, that what made for great family photos wasn't the technical side of the craft, but that it was capturing the connection and humanity of people and families. She opened my mind to what could be and I am grateful to have found her.

What is your favorite course or lesson at Unraveled?

One of my fave classes that helped me early on was Bringing Magic to Motherhood. Maternity was kinda one of those genres that I had difficulty getting inspiration and ideas for posing and this course really gave me a great jumping off point.