May182012
Friday May 18th 2012, AT 5:50AM Leave a comment
Seeing lots of skin on cute little boys is a bit dangerous. It makes me want to eat him up with kisses.
We played the “Where is the little boy in the mirror?” game for about five minutes straight.
How wonderful it would be if we were all such good friends with the person in the mirror 
Find out more about The Family Life Project 52 HERE.
Go see Rhonda’s interpretation HERE.
Brooke Snow is a Lifestyle photographer in Cache Valley, Utah. She is slightly obsessive with de-junking her house and gets an emotional high off of weekly trips to donate to Good Will. And she likes green bananas.
Brooke teaches inspiring online photography classes that bring you confidence in your skills and creativity.
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May112012
Friday May 11th 2012, AT 6:06AM 8 Comments;
Ben Graduated!
Tradition states that to become a “True Aggie” you must kiss while sitting atop the famous “A”. There is some sort of minor detail about it also needing to be at midnight with a full moon, but hey… works for me!
Ben officially graduated with his Masters Degree this past week! We’re so proud of him and thrilled that school is OVER. I remember the stress of my life 2.5 years ago when he started and I suddenly became the breadwinner for the family. I lived with mild panic and stress induced ulcers for about 9 months until my life changed taking my local classes to an online world wide format. The journey to get here has been hard. And it’s still hard. We’ve been job hunting for months with every prayer possible to stay living in the amazing rural paradise that we now call home. Jobs here are scarce, but I’m so deeply grateful to everyone who supports my business so we can continue to search for Ben without urgent desperation. I have faith that the right opportunity will come at the right time.
So, I’m obviously interrupting the flow of the weekly themes of the Family Life Project 52 to make a space for our BIG EVENTS!
In happy addition:
We celebrated 5 years of marriage! Go us!
I’m so blessed to have Ben in my life. He’s the best person in the world for me and I Sooooooo don’t deserve him. I definitely got the better end of the deal and hope he never figures that out Here’s to hoping for a weekend getaway with no 39 inch tall talking tagalong
You can go and see what the real theme was supposed to be this week on Rhonda’s blog!
Brooke Snow is a Lifestyle photographer in Cache Valley, Utah. She thrives living in a rural community with wide open spaces and mountains of majesty. So funny that as a litte girl all she wanted was to run away to the city for a more exciting life and now all she wants to do is stay put in absolute solitude. Nothing makes her happier than being unplugged, present, and outside in the grand Utah mountains. So glad that we can grow up and into our real selves.
Brooke teaches inspiring online photography classes that bring you confidence in your skills and creativity.
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May072012
Monday May 7th 2012, AT 9:27PM 16 Comments;
My face was plastered all over the television today! But it was all for a good cause! I was so excited to be a contributor again for KSL’s Studio 5 show and talk all about the importance of self portraiture and exactly “HOW” to get in your own pictures!
This is an aspect of photography that I have grown more and more passionate about this year as I have embarked on my Family Life Project 52. The challenge of being able to get a stellar picture that maintains authenticity AND includes me in the image as well, has pushed me dramatically. Its made me a better photographer, but most importantly, I’ve been able to visually be a part of my own family’s photo history.
In today’s segment, I share my ideas on why self portraiture can make you a better photographer and the helpful tools to make the experience not only possible, but ENJOYABLE at the same time!
Don’t see the video? If you’re viewing in your inbox or RSS you need to click HERE. (But it’s worth it!)
GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS MENTIONED:
- Tri-pod. I used to have a basic cheapo tri-pod. It really tempted me to take up the habit of cussing. I told myself I didn’t need a nice tri-pod because I was a lifestyle photographer who moved around too much to be tied to a tri-pod. Then I bought a nice professional one and my life changed. I now believe in tri-pods in a major way! I use mine All. The. Time. I use this Manfrotto Tripod
($150) plus this Manfrotto Ball Head 
($80) attachment. (You need both.) It makes me happy and keeps my language clean and pure
- Timer. Most camera’s have some type of timer function, but let me tell you about the Nikon D7000
timer function. Its AMAZING! I love this super tiny awesome feature, because it lets me set the timer to take not just one, but up to 9 shots each time it is set to go! This means that we can play and have fun, interact, all while shots are being fired and not have to administrate each shot one at a time. This is a feature becoming more and more common on DSLR’s, but this camera happens to be my favorite!
- Remote. I purchased the AmazonBasics Wireless Remote Control for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
for $10. It’s amazing. My son loves to get the privilege of triggering the camera from the remote and it helps to make the photo time special and fun.
Brooke Snow is a Lifestyle photographer in Cache Valley, Utah. She thrives in efficiency and the pursuit of an authentic life. Much of her creative energy is spent entertaining the adventures of her 2 year old son who teaches her to see the world for its wonder.
Brooke teaches inspiring online photography classes that bring you confidence in your skills and creativity.
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May042012
Friday May 4th 2012, AT 9:56AM 10 Comments;
A visiting family member recently commented on how “bare” Buzzy’s room was.
Why yes. It is bare.
It has a bed and a basket of stuffed animals. Thats it.
There are some important reasons behind this.
In fact, they are the same reasons why our master bedroom is bare as well. We have a bed, a painting, and a chair. Thats all.
When someone can tear a place a part in 30 seconds flat, you have to employ some strategy.
Learn more about the Family Life Project HERE.
Check out Rhonda’s interpretation HERE.
Brooke Snow is a Lifestyle photographer in Cache Valley, Utah. She has recently discovered the most wonderful solution for having a constantly tidy house…get rid of most everything you own! It’s fabulous and works like a charm!
Brooke teaches inspiring online photography classes that bring you confidence in your skills and creativity.
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May012012
Tuesday May 1st 2012, AT 10:54AM 2 Comments;
Do you ever feel like you are chasing this illusive dream of the perfectly balanced life that may or may not be possible?
It’s easy to fill our lives with exciting things.
The more people you have in your home the more exciting things get added, until sometimes you might just be a little crazy from all the excitement!
I’ve journaled every morning now for the past two years in the habit of stream of conscious thought of whatever is on my mind. If there is one thing that shows up over and over again it’s the quest for balance.
I finally decided that I was annoying myself! I am great at admitting the problem, drawing up possible solutions, but it seemed I was still trying to keep my head above water!
Until I finally had the revelation:
“What does balance actually mean?…”
It wasn’t just about fitting everything in, the way I had thought before.
Have you ever heard a happy couple declare “We balance each other out! His strengths are my weaknesses. And my weaknesses are his strengths!” ?
There is this beautiful equilibrium that occurs in that healthy relationship where the strengths and weaknesses are supported by the other.
Have you ever considered searching for life balance with this same approach?
Here’s some great questions to ask yourself:
What are the strengths of my family?
What are the weaknesses of my family?
What are the strengths of my marriage/children?
What are the weaknesses of my marriage/children?
What are my personal strengths?
What are my personal weaknesses?
What are the strengths of my work?
What are the weaknesses of my work?
And here is where the REAL balance comes in:
How does my family weaken my work?
How can my family strengthen my work?
How does my work weaken my family?
How can my work strengthen my family?
and so forth, through any of the relationships and responsibilities in our life.
These questions bring much more insightful and promising solutions than anything I have ever tried before.
Some changes will likely be necessary, but they’re exciting and energizing changes because they promote growth!
Remember, it’s not just about fitting everything in, it’s about promoting the synergy of contribution as much as possible in all parts of our life.
How do you find balance? I’d love to hear from you!
Brooke Snow is a Lifestyle photographer in Cache Valley, Utah. She delights in being outdoors in wide open spaces, finding simplicity, and solitude. She loves it when she forgets her cell phone at home. It makes her feel old fashioned and she pays attention to the world better. Now if she could only forget it at home when she’s in the home, life would be nearly perfect.
Brooke teaches inspiring online photography classes that bring you confidence in your skills and creativity.
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