Life & Work with Brooke Burdett of San Tan Valley, AZ

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Burdett.

Hi Brooke, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Most all of my life I’ve been super drawn to imagery. As a 90’s kid I’d cover my walls in posters and pages from fashion, music, surf and skateboarding magazines. In the 2000’s when digital cameras and flip-phones with cameras got big, I was all over it! During my junior and seniors years of high school I went to EVIT to study photography and gained knowledge and experience in film cameras/photography, dark room photo processing, DSLR cameras/digital photography, photoshop editing, printing/mounting/displaying my work and lighting. The photo studio there was one of my happiest places to be! I played with photography here and there after graduating high school, but mostly took the following years off to party and try out life. In 2016 I got into scuba diving and wanted to share my passion and adventures with the world so started playing with my GoPro collection and underwater and travel photography. (I’m now a PADI scuba instructor so if you’re looking to learn, I know a girl!) Then along came the 2020 pandemic, yikes. Stuck at home with my husband, kids and dogs I was in this constant state of worry and uncertainty – as was the rest of the world. I needed something. One day I stumbled across Peter McKinnon’s videos on YouTube and decided I needed a project so I dug out my old DSLR from high school and began re-learning the basics of shooting manually. It was tough! However, once I got the hang of it, I was on fire with a love for photography and have been ever since! I’ve now shot images of animals, babies, families, seniors, cars, professional and amateur models, designers, fashion shows, local markets, real estate, products, weddings, parties, festivals and countless concerts. As of late, I’ve really been setting my sights on fashion and branding, but always keeping a creative and open mind. Photography has helped me meet interesting people with remarkable stories, battle depression and anxiety in myself, get creative with my kids and set good examples for them about never giving up, and get to have opportunities that I couldn’t ever have imagined for myself! I’m forever grateful for every smile tear and test this brings my way

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve had to learn how to fail the right way, with grace. I’ve had to be okay with not getting something the 1st or 400th try. I’ve had to learn to handle rejection, getting ghosted, and how to take feedback in whatever way it presents itself. It has definitely not been a smooth road lol but I still wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in event/concert photography as well as editorial-style photography, be it portraits, families, fashion or branding. Concerts might be one of the biggest ones currently. What sets me apart from other people is perhaps that I don’t see just one idea, one image or one photoshoot. I see a person, a band or a brand as someone I’d like to go further with and create a full on friendship with. I want to hear about what started their vision over coffee or cocktails. I want to sit in on practice and recordings. I want to know the founders’ family all my first name and give genuine squeezy hugs to every one of them. We might be just getting to know one another and already I’m seeing several potential projects and photoshoot concepts in my head that could show that person, place or thing off to the world over and over again. I have a thing for building relationships, connecting, and honoring the journey of each and every person.

What I’m most proud of, honestly…. umm. Gosh, maybe just the fact that I’m actually doing this, every single day. It’s my passion, lifestyle, income, everything! (:

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Unrelated but my favorite childhood memories are of playing and climbing in the orange trees in my backyard as a kid.

Pricing:

• Most of my shoots are prices pretty generously at $450/hr of shooting time right now and that includes planning, coordinating, posing/prompt direction, professional retouching and editing, all the goods. I customize anything that’s needed like adding time, faster turn around on edits, travel, studio/prop/vehicle rentals, cost for team and support when necessary, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brookeburdettphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brookeburdettphoto

Image Credits
The feature photo is one of me, and was taken by Kirstin Beazer.
The image of my playing the guitar and looking like a rock-babe was taken by Andrea Atia.
All other images taken by me.