My newest studio light comes courtesy of the alien bee collection from paul c. buff. It is so nice and efficient to be able to have a powerful light for head shots and I’m planning on adding this to my wedding lineup as well.

The beauty dish is wonderful for simple standard portrait shots and with as many head shots as I do for businesses, I know it will get plenty of use.

I’m turning to pocketwizard for my off camera lighting control. After various attempts with other options, I think I’ve finally landed on a system that will give me the flexibility and dependability that I need. If photography depends on the light you are able to harness, the pocketwizards will be my new best assistants.

I have a few things that I’m hoping to knock out in the next couple of months, starting with a simple one today:

• Replace all the images in the slideshow at the top of my blog – CHECK
• Order some new gallery wraps for my house. Maybe a collage of the diving extravaganza or some big one of my kids.
• Hopefully hire someone to come along side and handle all of the portrait sales.
• Design and order a couple more albums to show off my work to potential wedding clients.
• Get my camera cleaned and upgrade some of my lighting gear (my husband loves to shop for me!)
• Narrow in and refocus our style a bit more before the spring photo season arrives.

So, those are some of my long range plans. I’m really hoping that this slower season will be a refreshing one for me. In the mean time, I hope to keep you inspired, or at least entertained!

-Jessa

we received an email from Hallie the other day, who, if there was a device to measure sweetness, would measure 100%. here is what she had to say:

I just wanted to tell you how much we LOVE our pictures. seriously. I look at them all of the time. you did such an amazing job! It was so cool to look back at all of the pictures because it really brought back memories for both of us! (because the night went by so fast…it was hard to remember some of it!)

You are such an amazing photographer! You were able to capture so many different moments that I may have forgotten about if we didn’t have these incredible pictures! Seth and I were talking and we would love to have you and Finley over for dinner sometime soon. We will keep in touch! We miss you guys! and THANKS AGAIN! there are just no words!

-Hallie

they called and asked if i would be the press photographer for the couple days that he was in town. he gave a speech at the embassy suites in rogers and it was extremely educational. the majority of the people in the audience were young men and women from Rwanda who were studying at the U of A. their goal is to come to the United States, receive an education and then one day head back to Rwanda and be government and business leaders.

the next day i got to follow the President around Wal-Mart headquarters. let me tell you i felt like a spy. i texted my husband and told him that i felt like Sydney Bristow (i loved watching Alias when it was on!) it was so incredible to see all these influential men working together to try and help one another and share ideas. rwanda_01 rwanda_02 rwanda_03 rwanda_04 rwanda_05 rwanda_06 rwanda_07 rwanda_08 rwanda_09 rwanda_10 rwanda_11 rwanda_12 rwanda_13 rwanda_14 rwanda_15 rwanda_16 rwanda_17 rwanda_18 rwanda_19 rwanda_20

we have all heard it before…”its bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.” mom’s in particular are sticklers on this one. depending on your family and its love of tradition you may or may not believe in this old superstition. i didn’t see my husband before the wedding, but it was probably because i would have cried all my makeup off before i even walked down the isle!

i’m not sure how new this trend is, but more and more brides and grooms are seeing each other prior to the grand entrance. as a photographer, i love it! let me explain why.

1.) TIME – TIME – TIME … by seeing each other before the ceremony you are guaranteed a few minutes together. this always results in some fabulously awesome portraits.

2.) my personal opinion is that the ‘first sighting’ moment is just as special as it would be at the altar. plus you get to talk and laugh and just breathe without all your wedding guests staring at you.

3.) stealing time away after the ceremony is always harder than you imagine. most couples feel the need to make the rounds to greet everyone, cut the cake, dance, see the parents, etc. its all so hurried, that you can miss some fun picture moments.

4.) the earlier in the day, the more light you have. most ceremonies end in the evening and its more difficult to find balanced locations to help the process.

5.) if your going to cry when you see your groom or have your knees buckle with you witness your stunning bride, don’t you think you’d like a few minutes to recover?

we generally encourage our couples to see each other on their wedding day before the ceremony. we still have tons of weddings where this isn’t the case, but for the most part, the day runs smoother and the pictures turn out better when there is that special ‘first sighting’ moment.

i love the emotions below: anticipation, relief, awe, giddy, wonder, and star struck.

this couple actually didn’t “see” each other with their eyes. they stayed on either side of the door, held hands and talked for a few moments. they were trying to get the best of both worlds!

Kym got her start in Kansas City in the late 90s. While working at a clothing boutique in Kansas City a customer came in and started a conversation with Kym about her mother’s photography studio called Antisdels and an opening that they may have for kym to come and do sales at the studio.  A couple of days later Kym went and visited the studio and immediately fell in love with everything she saw.

For the first couple of weeks she was doing sales but it was not too long before she found her way behind the camera. Sana and her daugther Kia trained kym in the art of photography. shortly thereafter, kym began taking pictures on her own and quickly built a strong clientele in Kansas City. about this time, i entered the photography picture. at first it was just to be kym’s portrait subject, but like all little sisters do, i soon followed her behind the camera. our growth together in our skills technically, photoshop, and artistic portrait placement was a bond that was extremely beneficial to both of us.

kym eventually moved to colorado and began the process of building a new business. in the meantime, i was doing the same in nw arkansas. a few senior pictures quickly turned into inquiries for family portraits. weddings seemed too impossible. a job that was left for only those with years of training. while the technical skills were being learned, the people and posing pieces where already intact. after all, being a sorority girl myself, oohing and aahing is what makes the wedding memorable! so i jumped in. as i look back, i’m sad at how little i knew, but i knew that i loved making brides feel beautiful.

so, back to today. kym moved back to nw arkansas (we did both cheer for the hogs at one point). she is currently living in eureka springs and doing a wonderful job at providing a unique senior experience there. we are also working together on most all of my weddings. kym generally grabs the guys, poses of killer group shots, and helps man either the front or the back of the ceremony. that totally frees me up to hang close to the bride and bridesmaids, work with the families, and capture all the emotion from the day.

so that’s the brooke robinson wedding crew. we always bring two photographers and what sister wouldn’t love to have her big sis right by her side photographing all the joy and memories of a wedding day!

thanks so much to our friends Jason and Kori Hudson for grabbing this picture of us. You guys are the best!