Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Mathis.
Brooke, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started photography back in 2008. I started like a lot of moms do, photographing my kids during sports. That quickly moved to families and children. I never started out thinking that it would be what it is today. In fact, my Grandfather had a photography business as his entire career. It never even occurred to me to get interested while he was alive.
I worked full-time while trying to learn and grow a business and be a mom. Once I got started, I truly fell in love with it. The idea that I could see things in my mind, and make them in a camera was something that was intriguing to me. However, I didn’t go to school for it, I just taught myself along the way with a LOT of research and practice.
As life happens, in 2012, I had to set my business aside. I went through several changes and events in my personal life and unfortunately wasn’t able to give my business the attention it needed. It was during this time, that I hit my rock bottom and stayed down there a while to wallow in it. I lost everything… Literally, everything. It took a strong group of friends and a lot of faith from those that were around me to pull myself back up and figure out how to get back on track. I slowly started taking clients again, made sure I could be a good business owner. Before I knew it, I was engaged to be married to my wife and I was quitting my full-time job and jumping in with both feet.
While my business started off with families and children, I knew that I wanted my business to be focused on women. Women of all ages, all stages of life and helping them celebrate their journeys and their stories. So today, I focus the core piece of my business on boudoir and women empowerment. I still shoot families, high school seniors, Headshots and weddings… But empower women is where my heart lies.
I am blessed to be able to say that in just a few months we will finally open up a new Beautiful Evolutions Photography studio with a boutique salon connected to it, The Bombshell at Beautiful Evolutions. This will give us the opportunity to cross network and provide services to our clients that will be beneficial for everyone. The photography studio side will also serve as a resource to the photography community. There are not a lot of options for photographers to shoot indoors in this area. We will host workshops and help grow the community and foster education.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, it has been an extremely bumpy ride. I’ve gone from being so busy and undercharging that I couldn’t keep up with orders and editing to struggling to figure out how to find clients. I have failed at so much, you would be surprised I can say that I am successful today.
I learned several years ago, that I had to find a balance to keep up with the workload. I still struggle with this today. I also learned to be open and honest with my clients. I am human. I make mistakes. Certain times of the year – I am running so fast and furious that I am not sure which direction I am supposed to walk.
I am so fortunate now, that I have been given the grace to stumble and pick myself back up. I have a wonderful village that surrounds me and can help when I am not too stubborn to ask for it.
Running a business is not for the prideful or for the faint of heart. It truly takes a team of people. That team may only be myself and my wife some days, however, most days… I have a great team of people that I can call on for help with details that I struggle with due to time constraints.
Please tell us about Beautiful Evolutions Photography.
My business is Beautiful Evolutions Photography. I specialize in photographing women in various stages of their life. When I rebranded my business I wanted it to mean something. In my mind – we are all at different places in our journey – we are constantly evolving. Because of this evolution, it makes our stories different, sometimes good and sometimes bad, but in the end – it’s all beautiful. It sounds completely corny and I am perfectly fine with that.
What am I most proud of as a company? I am so proud that I get to show women every single day their beauty. I get to show them how incredible they are through someone else’s eyes. As women, we tend to focus on others and give so much to those around us that we forget to do for ourselves. I provide a service to each of my clients that allows them to sit and be pampered while having hair and makeup done then experience a photo shoot and finally, see themselves in a way that maybe they have forgotten how to. Whether it is a headshot, a boudoir session, or a family session… Women need to remember that they are worthy of being in front of a camera and it is ok to do something for themselves.
I think that what sets me apart from others is that I genuinely want to hear someone’s story. I want to understand where they are, what their story is and how can I show them a version of themselves they may not see. I photograph women of ALL ages. Perhaps it’s a senior in high school – I want to know what makes her remarkable, I want to know where she sees her life heading and what dreams she has for herself. Perhaps it’s a woman getting engaged or the matriarch of her family – I want to show her that she is more than JUST (insert her word here). Each woman I meet has a story – I truly want to know it. I want each woman I meet to see her worth and celebrate how her story has led her to this moment and this version of herself.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My very favorite memory from childhood is spending summers with my best friend. She lived in a neighboring state and every summer I would travel to stay with her. We would hang out during the day watching MTV, cooking dinners for her mom, aggravating her little brother, trying things that no child should try. We tried making a pool in the garage, tried to see how far we get shoes to fly off the ceiling fan, the list really goes on and on. We grew up together from afar and every summer, we reconnected just as though no time had passed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.beautifulevolutions.com
- Phone: 817-564-3068
- Email: brooke@beautifulevolutions.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/beautifulevolutions
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/beautifulevolutionsphotography
- Twitter: Www.twitter.com/bebrookedfw
Image Credit:
Spanki Mills Photography, Beautiful Evolutions Photography
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