Member Spotlight: BEE BROOK PHOTOGRAPHY
MEET HEATHER BENNETT
We’re excited to introduce you to Heather, a skilled photographer and featured member of The Collective. We recently connected with her and have shared our conversation below.
Can you tell us about the service(s) you offer and how you got your start?
I specialize in wedding photography that ditches the cookie-cutter vibes and leans fully into authenticity. My style is a blend of documentary and editorial which offers some polish for the real moments, and I love editing true to color with a moody edge.
I started Bee Brook Photography after planning my own wedding in 2016 and realizing how hard it was to find vendors who shared my values. Everyone seemed so stuffy and formal, and that was just not my vibe. My husband surprised me with my first mirrorless camera for my 30th birthday, so I started shooting and never looked back.
What makes you + your business unique?
Bee Brook Photography is made for people who want to do things differently—couples who are building weddings around meaning instead of tradition. I work with a lot of multicultural, offbeat, and queer couples who are throwing the rulebook out the window and need a photographer who not only supports that, but thrives in it. My focus is always to provide my couples with a relaxed wedding day that they can actually enjoy, instead of feeling like they have to check boxes off a list all day.
Can you share a bit about why you choose to do what you do?
Most people don’t grow up being told it’s okay to take up space exactly as they are. Weddings have a way of dragging out a million expectations—family, culture, social media, etc.—and I want my couples to feel like they’re allowed to reclaim the day for themselves. A wedding isn't a performance, it should be a celebration of the couple for exactly who they are.
How would your clients describe working with you?
Like having a chill but competent friend who somehow knows how to pose you without it feeling awkward, reminds you to eat, pivots easily when unexpected problems pop up, and magically keeps things on schedule without barking orders (except for family photo time--that's when I put my bossy pants on so we can get to the party faster).
Tell us about a big lesson that you've learned while in your industry.
Just because other people are doing things one way, that doesn't mean that's how it has to be done. That applies to both weddings and business. When I finally stopped trying to match the standard "wedding photographer" mold and leaned fully into my weird, heartfelt, hands-on approach, the right people started showing up.
We all have favorite wedding moments. Can you share with us some of your favorites?
1. When the bride & groom started reciting the exact same badass Celtic vows as my husband and I did. This has only happened once in my 100+ wedding career.
2. Once we were running 30 minutes ahead of schedule, so my 2nd shooter, assistant, and I decided to take a paddle boat onto the lake at the venue. It didn't steer right, but we still made it back okay, and got some laughs out of it!
3. Any moment with grandparents busting a move on the dance floor.
Who was your most memorable wedding/couple and why?
I got sick and lost my voice on a Monday, and had a wedding coming up that Saturday. Thankfully, I was able to regain enough of my voice by then and I ended up in total flow state while I was shooting.
It was December and raining, but the couple still did their ceremony outside and it was absolutely beautiful. They incorporated some really unconventional things into their day (like their family's pet monkey, a cigar bar, and a "first drink") and we got some of the best photos that day!
If you could give advice to your past self or someone starting new, what would you say?
Incorporate as much of your personality into your brand as you can, and niche down early when you figure out what you want to do. My career really started taking off when I stopped caring about the people who would hate my true self and started showing who I was unapologetically.
What is something that you really excel at when it comes to your business? Can you share a tip?
Client communication and setting expectations. I’ve built a full system of check-ins, questionnaires, and guides that walk my couples through everything from timeline planning to picking photo locations—so when the wedding day comes, everyone’s calm, prepped, and on the same page.
What is an achievement you're most proud of?
Growing my business from the ground up while raising three kids and building a homestead with my husband. I'm literally living my dream and it's kind of unreal when I step back to think about it.
Hit us with a fun fact about yourself!
If I hear Sugar We're Going Down, I will immediately drop what I'm doing so I can scream-sing it at the top of my lungs like it’s 2005 and my eyeliner is too dark to be trusted.
We loved learning more about Bee Brook Photography and are thrilled to have her in The Collective. Be sure to give them a follow!
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