New Website

HUUUGE UPDATE!!

I FINALLY got a new website worked out for my photography featuring all my latest work. I have included a bio on this website and also a behind-the-scenes section that includes photos from photoshoots and the works :) I hope to let that particular section grow not only with pictures, but video as well!

I've kept the same domain name www.brooketownsendphotography.com

Also, here are a couple unedited samples from a simple photoshoot I set up for my sister, who is working on building a modeling portfolio. She did awesome <3





Feedback is always appreciated <3
Brooke

Fork in the Road

Everyone has a time in their life that tests their strengths & weaknesses to a point that can completely change the way you always had seen life before in ways that might be unrepairable. Sometimes, you get to the point in your life where you've grown far beyond the things that you are stuck around and you're shackled into a life that you didn't really want to create. The things you originally wanted, change, and you have the ability now to shed your old skin to grow anew or never completely come out of it and never grow in a higher level of awareness, intelligence, or even self-respect. And sometimes you get to a point in your life where you have to let go of certain people that are holding you back, leeching onto you trying to make you something you're not. After all, when you try to make yourself be something you're not, your forcing yourself into a lower system in which you lose yourself. A system that controls you more than you control yourself.

I've come to a fork in the road of my life. A road in which the future doesn't look as promising as my past and where I spend more time looking in the rear view mirror than jumping in the car and going on an unplanned road trip. I've been so worried about what people think, what people feel, to a point where I forget what I want and what I need as a person. I've come to realize that most people wait for happiness to arrive after some huge life changing moment but the moment is now. Take the time to do things that make you happy. Take the time to do things that scare you, thrill you, or fill your curiosity. Take the time to look at the world around you and appreciate all that life offers. Be nice to the people you encounter. Offer help to those in need. Make a difference. The time to start making a difference is now by accepting who you are as a person. All things good and bad. Show it off to the world with pride and be all you can be. Don't measure success by anything more than your own satisfaction. Success isn't the job that you work at, the house you live in, the car you drive... no. It's being happy with who you are inside and out and feeling happy with life to the point no one can bring it down from you. That, to me, is real success.

We do not have destinies to fill. We make our own. We do not have fate to control what happens in our life. What we make of life is by our own doing and how we all shape our future is in our own hands. Laugh a little more and cry a little less. Turn a light on in the dark and turn the lights off to admire the constellations in the night sky. Don't be afraid of anything and always remember that the only true boundary we all face is the one we place in front of ourselves.

Randomness for the Day

So despite this having NO relavance to photography really at all, I feel the need to indulge myself in some randomness after being on the computer now for over half the day working on my website and coming across this random quiz ♥

1. I have come to realize.. that what you feel is more important than what you think
2. I am listening... to my cats fighting through a closed door
3. I talk about...OOGA BOOGA TROOGA WOOGA!
4. My best friend...is very distant right now
5. My first real kiss...was too fast and way awkward
6. I love...my camera ::::)
7. I lost...the keys to my secret UFO *shh!*
8. I hate it when people...stop talking when you enter the room and just stare
9. Love is...like strapping a dog into a roller coaster and trying to get it to enjoy the ride while it fears for its life
10. Marriage is...hmm?
11. Somewhere, someone is thinking...that ghosts eat marshmellows more than campfire critters
12. I'll always know... that I am loved
13. I have a secret crush on...neptune.. my sweet.. sweet planet
14. The last time I cried was...today
15. My cell phone...NEW MESSAGE
16. The moment I wake up...WTH WAS THAT DREAM FOR?!?!
17. Before I go to sleep...i organize my thoughts with reading/writing/drawing
18. Right now I am thinking about...how cold this basement is right now
19. Babies are... cute to be around... *it pukes* oh.. you can have it back...
20. Today, I...worked on my website.... allllll day
21. Tonight, I... am going to watch Avatar!
22. Tomorrow I...am going to work and doing a photoshoot
23. I really want to have...a long night walk on the beach and swim
24. I am...ready for warmth


now I peel myself away from computer and enjoy life in the real world! time for some Avatar :)

Abandoned Schoolhouse

This place has more of a story to tell than I have words to describe about it. I can't seem to find too much information on the internet about this mysterious building other than the fact it was built in the earlier part of the 20th century in 1914. It was probably left to ruin after upgrading to a bigger school for the district but it looks to me like its been left there for a LONG time.












I didn't really get good pictures of the outside, but check out this person's on flickr!

Ms. Shantell

I finally got the pictures done from my latest shoot with Shantell from Dayton! It was quite the day and experience and she got a few fantastic pictures that I was proud to add to my portfolio :) I'm really excited about the warmer weather too. I feel so much more alive and ready to accept anything that comes my way. So look out world! Your about to be shot by a curious photographer 29035729038520985 times..!







Also the day of the shoot while I was location scouting, my sister and I found ourselves in the industrial side of downtown Cincinnati right by the river. Right next to this old abandoned building was a kitten that I couldn't bare to leave there. Most of the time I just leave stray animals about their business but this one actually CAME up to me in my car. Someone had to of abandoned her because she is so loveable and not even skiddish towards people... which I find strange. She was faaaaar from any residentual homes so I knew she was left there. My sister suggested taking her to the shelter but by the time we were finished with the photoshoot with Shantell, all of them were closed and when I took her home for the night, I fell in love with her and couldn't bare to let go of her. So she is the newest addition to my little clan and I named her Aayla after the jedi Aayla Secura. Star wars nerd FTW!

Know Your Style

My most recent shoot with a paid client I came to realize the full description of my style. I'm very outside the box and when you work with me I expect that you are pretty much willing to do anything to get the shot right (although, I would never ask for anything dealing with nudes, making the subject completely uncomfortable, or just make things awkward)... but if you're wanting to model, and you're working with a photographer that mainly focuses on location shoots like myself, you should be willing to do some of the craziest things to get the perfect shots. Standing on high platforms, climbing on logs/trees, getting dirty a little bit... none of it should ever come to surprise you. If you don't like that line of work, then stick with studio work. In my opinion though, no matter what side of the industry you are in, you will never get anywhere if you aren't willing to scrape the barrel and roll with it sometimes.

So to describe my style in photography, I WILL do practically anything to get the perfect shot and I always try to expand my portfolio with something completely new that I didn't have before. I use a lot of natural lighting and try to capture the true beauty of the photograph no matter what the subject may be by tying in the environment around it. I try to use photoshop at a minimum because I believe in capturing the truth of the world around us (of course, sometimes conceptual images are just as captivating). Black and white photography has always been one of my deepest favorites just because of the beautiful expression in the contrasting shades of light and dark almost tell a story of their own. All photographers have their own way of doing things, and seeing things, and when your choosing who to work with you should get to know each other and know their style. Know what your looking for and don't be afraid to step out of the box otherwise, you'll always find yourself in the same place you started.

Brooke::.