Form submitted successfully, thank you.

Error submitting form, please try again.

Bobbi Jo Brooks Photography bio picture

About Me!

Hi, I'm Bobbi Jo!  Welcome to my blog.  Writing is one of my least favorite things in the world and I speak through photographs, but here are a few things about me:

  1. I am passionate about photography.  Actually, I even say that photography is my love language.  Yes, silly, I know, but it is true! With a camera in my hand, I love to explore the world, capturing life and beauty as they unfold before my lens, which is an extension of my eyes.  Then I greatly enjoy sharing images I capture with others.  
  2. I love to travel, exploring each unique place and culture I visit.  I often do not stay put for too long. So, please, if you have an interest in hiring me for your wedding or portrait session and you do not live in Atlanta, do not let that hinder you from considering me.  My travel agent is on speed dial! Check out how I spend my summers in New York City - www.mtwandoe.blogspot.com
  3. With my love for travel, I also enjoy international foods.  I even love to prepare international food for large groups.  Chicken curry is my favorite dish to share with others.  A few weeks ago, I made it for sixty people and it was yummy! If you like international food as well, perhaps we should plan your wedding or portrait session over your favorite international dish!
  4. I am down to earth and approachable.  I also love details and want to make each wedding and portrait session unique, reflecting back your personality, interests, and special moments of life.  I look forward to getting to know each of my clients.  Oftentimes clients become friends, which is a treat!
  5. Photo of me taken by my dear friend Jana Barker!  

New Product Offered: Name Collage

Here is a sample of a new print I am offering, Name Collage. These make perfect wall hangings in a baby or child’s room, can be printed on canvas or as photography!

Below is a sample of a grand child with her grandmother, whom she was named after!

Let me know what you think!

What was it? Congratulations to Jenn B

I so love reading everyones comments on yesterday’s blog post. Do you like this little contest? Do you find it interesting? Would love your feedback.

So what it was a reflection of trees in a spoon! I took this while having dinner with a family from my church, only I take a camer and photograph interesting reflections in my silverware :-)

Congratulations goes out to Jenn B who was randomly selected as the winner and she had a great answer “my interpretation, probably super far off, but it looks like the reflection in a car window when you’re driving. i see a sideways tree.” You were very close!

Thanks everyone for playing and following my blog!

My first wedding in South Georgia! Part 1

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of attending Stephanie and Jeremy’s wedding in Valdosta, GA. I was actually not the photographer but a guest, but I did ask permission to bring my camera for after all it would be the first wedding I ever went to in South Georgia and also on a farm. So i got super snap happy and took way to many pictures but I could not help myself for everything was just lovely, unique and so Jeremy and Stephanie. I especially loved Stephanie riding up to the wedding on the back of her daddy’s tractor! I posted these on my facebook photography page not to long ago, but also wanted to post them here to share with everyone who is not on facebook!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Hughes!



More to come!

What is it Wednesday?

Greetings everyone, I apologize that I missed last weeks posting of “What is it Wednesday?”, last week was so crazy that I admit I forgot to post, but I did not forget this week!

Want to win a pack of my photography greeting cards? They are great for writing hand written notes to your family and friends! Or even to give as a gift to someone. One person will be selected to win the pack of greeting cards, to get your name in on the drawing, please leave a comment on this post on your interpration of what this image.

Winner will be announced Thursday morning! Be sure to check back to see if you won!

September 1, 2010 - 12:36 am Ruth Ebbs - A wedding dress "swooshing!"

September 1, 2010 - 12:45 am Jasmine - I'm guessing it's a reflection in the side of a car. . .

September 1, 2010 - 9:50 am Heather - It looks like the train of a wedding dress.

September 1, 2010 - 10:15 am Minette Lugo - It almost looks like trees reflected in the hood of an old Ford truck or car. I like it.

September 1, 2010 - 7:36 pm Jenn B. - my interpretation, probably super far off, but it looks like the reflection in a car window when you're driving. i see a sideways tree.

September 1, 2010 - 10:11 pm Vanessa Henry - Reflection in the hood of a car?

September 1, 2010 - 10:37 pm cHarley & sharon - it looks like a cover on a table with shadows of trees on it!

September 1, 2010 - 10:45 pm jen miller - trees reflected on the hood of a silver car :)

September 1, 2010 - 11:26 pm Becca - I'm gonna say... a painted window.

September 1, 2010 - 11:36 pm carmenlydia - YOU WERE GETTING YOUR CAR WASHED!!!!!YESSS! AND WHILE IN THE CAR YOU TOOK THE PICTURE!

Multi Family Portrait Session: Lawrenceville, GA

Below you will find images from a recent multi family portrait session, it was tons of fun gathering everyone together for big family shots as well as smaller groups. Below are a few of my favorite images for this session!


September 1, 2010 - 8:51 am Heather - The family on the far right lives down the street from my parents! small world Bobbi Jo!

Thank you and Congratulations to Susie F

Thank you to each person who commented on my last post regarding school portraits, all these comments are so good for me to read, think over and apply as I move forward to the school portrait shoot!

Congratulations to Susie as she is the winner of the $25 Gift Certificate!

What is it Wednesday?

What is up with so many people hating their child’s school portrait?  Why do many people I talk to make faces like the children above when I bring up the subject of school portraits?  Everywhere I read online parents have strong dislikes for their child’s school portrait or the way photographers do things for one reason or another, some I am sure are very true.  This all makes me really as a photographer, one being that even though it is often a lot of children we need to strive for excellence in every job we do no matter the size, two what a great business opportunity school portraits can be, at least at least it seems like a great opportunity to me.  The Lord has gifted me as a photographer and I am grateful for the gifts he has given me to be able to capture images for people that capture their personalities.  I love being able to share images of my clients children with them and seeing them treasured and hung on their wall.  Why can’t school portraits be that?

Well, I have stepped up to the plate to give this challenge a try and I am ecstatic about it!  Some of my fellow wedding & portrait photographer friends must think I am crazy but I am so looking forward to this opportunity to serve at least one school in my area.   Last week, I booked my first school portrait session for this coming October!  I did not set out to become a school portrait photographer but the opportunity presented itself and I knocked on the door and one door has open.  I have a meeting with another school in a few days and we shall see if this  opportunity develops or not, either way I love the opportunity to grow as a business, a photographer and met new people in my community.  For the past two years, I have done portraits for the members of the Westminster Ballet company and I have loved the opportunity to capture great images of each of their girls and I look forward to doing the same for the school this October.

This weeks “What is it Wednesday” question is not what you think an image is or is not, but what is one thing you think a photographer can do differently to better serve a school, parents and the child in regards to school portraits.  Leave a comment below answering the above question and you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate to Bobbi Jo Brooks Photography to be used towards a portrait session, prints, photo holiday cards or other great products I have to offer. Comments will be accepted until Thursday night at 10 pm, so spread the word to your friends to come by and comment as well!

Thank you so much for coming by my blog and enduring my not so great writing skills :-)

August 18, 2010 - 10:44 pm Elizabeth - It's the fake poses, the quick shots without caring if the child looks horrible, the awful backdrops, etc that make school portraits bad. So what can you do to improve it? Make the kids laugh and look natural and no streaks of gray and purple in the backdrop :)

August 18, 2010 - 10:49 pm Christy - I think making the kids feel comfortable and good about themselves and what they look like is important. Let them have fun. Oh, and choose a cool background!! (you always do a great job though Bobbi Jo and I'm so excited for you about this opportunity!)

August 19, 2010 - 5:03 am John and Sue Burch - Since it is a 'school' photo - pick a beautiful place at the school for the background. One that they will be able to say that is my school where this photo was taken. And let them bring something that is special to them. If you continue year to year - it is interesting what that special thing is also. Hey - we missionary types need a new prayer card photo - can you help us out in the next week or so?

August 19, 2010 - 7:42 am ashley grove - Its not the equipment or the amount of training a photographer has. I think it comes down to passion. Passion makes all the effort worthwhile. Your passion definately shines through your work. We can see that passion in your clients and through your creative shoots. With your passion and awesome attitude I am sure that you will take great school photos. I can't wait to see them! Good Luck!

August 19, 2010 - 8:33 am tina - Cheesy backgrounds!! But I also get frustrated when the photos come home and there's one glaring detail the photographer was in too big a hurry to notice. It would just take them a second or two to button the button that's come undone, or smooth the loose strand of hair. Better not to be in that huge of a rush if you want lots of orders :)

August 19, 2010 - 5:28 pm carmenlydia - I THINK THE FACES ARE CUTE! ;)

August 19, 2010 - 5:33 pm carmenlydia - But if you give it a bobbijo touch to it it will make it interestring unique! And that's what I would personally love in my sons picture! Not the boring pose with the boring background! We can make it more fun for kids! Maybe a career they would choose. For example a cop! Then there's a pic with them dressed as a cop! And hey u never know, 20 yrs later u c them showing their kids their picture, and how he knew that he wanted to be a cop from a very early age! Lol! My humble opinion! Love u bbj!

August 19, 2010 - 6:05 pm McKenzie - have a couple of school locations for their backdrop and let them pick which one they'd like. Schedule their apts based on the location so you don't have to run around all day.

August 19, 2010 - 8:19 pm Susie - I love the school pictures of my kids outdoors... they seem so much more natural. I think photographers have just done "school portraits" for so long, they don't think about it like you have, questioning: why does it have to be this way? As long as the school buys in, why do they have to be so staid? I guess they want them to all look somewhat consistent in a yearbook, but I think people would enjoy seeing the kids' personalities come through!

August 19, 2010 - 8:27 pm Minette - School portraits was always a stressful time for the students. You get one shot and often times the photographer clicked before you were ready and on to the next person. Make the kids feel like their turn is as important as the next. That you actually care that they look good and want to make them look good. You will do great!!

August 19, 2010 - 8:35 pm Kim V. - Details that are overlooked--sometimes big, sometimes small. Hair that looks way out of place or a terrible expression, etc. We get the photos back sight-unseen and I wonder what on earth made the photographer think this was a good picture.

August 19, 2010 - 9:45 pm Elizabeth - Speaking as a teacher who's there when the photos get taken, kids generally HATE it when the photographer says, "Who's your girlfriend/boyfriend?" to try to get a smile out of them. Nobody likes being told where to put their chin or shoulders, either. Saying something genuinely funny or personal would probably elicit more natural grins and poses. But I'm sympathetic to school photographers, too. They have to get shy and rambunctious and surly children to smile at a complete stranger. They have to keep things moving quickly so kids don't get antsy while they wait in line and teachers don't fret about lost instructional time. Making good portraits is probably going to take longer. Parents will definitely appreciate your extra effort! In talking with administrators, though, I'd encourage you to 1) be realistic about how long you'll need with each class; 2) cast a vision of photo day as a celebration of their beautiful students, not just an interruption in their routine; 3)suggest specific ways that increased parent satisfaction would benefit the school. Your passion for capturing people well is contagious, and I think that once administrators and teachers saw you in action, they'd find that devoting extra time to photos was well worthwhile!

Brady & Jenna Married Preview – Atlanta Wedding Photographer

Today, Brady and Jenna were married in Carrollton, Georgia at King’s Chapel Presbyterian Church.  Below are a few quick previews from the wedding today, more to come!

Brady and Jenna’s time together during their First Look praying together.  May we continue to pray for them and their marriage to be strong!  It was such a privilege to be able to sit back and watch Brady see his bride for the first time, then to see Jenna see her groom, they both glowed with excitement and can see their love for one another.  I had to fight back the tears as Brady just gazed at his bride, the joy in his face was priceless!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this image, I love the warm earth tones and Brady’s sweet tender kiss upon his bride’s forehead.  I think this would be an AWESOME canvas print!

Is Jenna not stunning?

August 16, 2010 - 12:49 pm Cheryl Nelson - What a joy to have a wonderful photographer capture the celebration of Brady and Jenna's wedding in such a beautiful way--thank you Bobbi Jo!

August 16, 2010 - 8:03 pm Bobbi Jo - Thank you Mrs. Nelson!

Such sweet little girls: Atlanta Children’s Portraits

It is always fun watching my clients children grow up in front of my lens!  It always amazes me how much children can grow over a few months to a year!  This weeks portrait session was fun to watch two sisters interact and see their similarities but yet differences.   Both girls have such sweet smiles and unique personalities that were so sweet to capture during their portrait session.  Thank you Vanessa and Sean for inviting me back to photograph your family and the dinner that followed!  Enjoy the preview of portraits below!

Greydon

A few months ago, I went to my friends\clients home for a yummy dinner and took random snap shots of their kids playing and I guess I neglected to ever pull the images out of Lightroom and what was I thinking?  Greydon is so darn cute playing under his mother’s planter on the back patio.  Greydon loves to explore or at least he did the night I was visiting.  I found the images this afternoon as I was going through some fiels and just had to post them to share with you.  Rebecca and Marshall thank you so much for letting me visit and also capture your family in front of my lens over the past few years, I look forward to dinner with you guys tonight and catching up!

Congratulations to Megan

Congratulations to Megan for being selected as this weeks winner of “what is it Wednesday”.  This was a picture of me with several of the students I got to know over the summer while “living” in NYC!  It is already hard to believe summer in NYC is already over!

What is it Wednesday?

This weeks edition of “what is it wednesday?” is up for all you to leave your comments below as to what you think the image is of and why is it important to me!

Anyone who leaves a comment (right or wrong doesn’t matter) will be entered into a drawing for a lovely Bobbi Jo Brooks Photography prints from my travels!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

August 11, 2010 - 11:32 am sally - nyc

August 11, 2010 - 12:31 pm Megan - It's from this past week when you were in NYC with the mission teams. I think it is special because it was your last team / last week there from the summer...?

August 11, 2010 - 6:18 pm cHarley & sharon - you and some of the kids from up in new york. this summer that you got to work with. they must have like you too. being there for them to take on trips with.you all and teaching them different things .

August 13, 2010 - 11:21 pm Melanie Kohli - It was your last day at Exodus in NYC for the summer. These are the kids that you were the closest too.

Congratulations to Andrea

Congratulations to Andrea who was selected as this weeks winner of “what is it Wednesday?”.

Yes, it is a picture the hostel where I have been living at for the past five weeks! Jazz on the Park is one of the hostels that Jazz owns, located near Central Park West!

Andrea – I will get you a print of the NYC skyline when I return to Atlanta.

What is it Wednesday?

This weeks edition of “what is it wednesday?” is up for all you to leave your comments below as to what you think the image is of. Anyone who leaves a comment (right or wrong doesn’t matter) will be entered into a drawing for one of my NYC skyline prints!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

August 4, 2010 - 5:38 pm Rebekah Burch - I like that awning. It looks like a place with awesome music. Great pic of a typical NYC building.

August 4, 2010 - 5:38 pm Andrea - Its the hostel in NY where the Exodus teams stay! I think I should win.

August 4, 2010 - 7:18 pm cHarley & sharon - a babby car seat on the steps of a apartment bilding that may have a jazz club or bar..

August 4, 2010 - 10:11 pm MartyD - Your hostel???

August 4, 2010 - 10:32 pm Courtney - The entrance to a Jazz on the Park Hostel in NYC . . . near Central Park on the upper west side! :)

August 4, 2010 - 11:22 pm deidrick - ummmmmm...its bubble tea!

August 5, 2010 - 12:12 am Rachael Luther - the hostel!!! :)

August 5, 2010 - 8:32 am Harper Reed - I just passed by this the other day. I work for a temporary housing company that rents furnished short term stay apartments. The prices are good if you ever need a place for someone. It's called Temporary Housing. But who can beat Jazz?

New York City Portrait Session: Best Friends Ruth & Arelis

Tonight, I got together with my friend Ruthie and her best friend Arelis, who recently just returned from Spain. Due to bus and subway schedules our session was delayed and therefore we lost a lot of available light in Central Park. However, we did not let that ruin their evening portrait session. I have known Ruthie for either four or five years now through the organization I work with while I am here in New York City. She is a delight, has great care and concern for the students we work with and such a sweet spirit! We had a blast taking pictures tonight (minus dodging the rats in the park) and ending the evening with Pizza at my favorite New York Pizza place – Mama’s on W106 and Amsterdam!


August 5, 2010 - 8:33 am Harper Reed - love it! such beauties