Rising Stars: Meet Brooke Mayo

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

Hi Brooke, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I went to college at Appalachian State University and lived in Corolla, NC during the summers. The summer before my junior year, I declared I wasn’t going back to school, “I had no idea what I wanted to do!!” I kept changing my majors: Interior design, political science, visual arts, staying at the beach year-round seemed like a great option to me!

My dad insisted I go back. Thankfully, he was right. I found photography next semester via my visual arts class. We were drawing nudes and all I could form was a stick figure, so I tried photographing nudes instead. That began my career. I woke up each day inspired to photograph something new. All the money I made waiting tables went to film and processing. The next summer, I discovered a college in Sydney, Australia that I could attend as a semester abroad.

I moved to Australia and studied photography, traveled, and made some of the best friends that I still have today. Our kids are now friends with their children. After I got home from Australia, I graduated and moved to NYC to intern with Joyce Tenneson, and Lois Greenfield where we photographed portraits, and dancers. When I had enough of the snow, I moved to the Outer Banks, fell back in love with my high school boyfriend, and began my business of documenting weddings, and families frolicking on the beach.

We are now married, and I still photograph nudes, and boudoir in addition to weddings, families, and pets and he began a vineyard/winery, Sanctuary Vineyards, on the mainland of Currituck. We love shooting on the farm and photographing couples who book their weddings at Sanctuary Vineyards! In 2010, Candace Owens began working with Brooke Mayo Photographers. She photographs weddings, families, and boudoirs.

She is incredibly creative, is always learning, a problem solver, funny, easy to get along with, and always an hour early. Candace and I are excited to begin traveling again and capturing larger weddings as life begins to normalize.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Business is seasonal on the Outer Banks. We are really busy in the summer and the winter is really slow.

Learning how to make money in a few months and save for the rest of the year has been a challenge. However, it is a blessing in disguise, the winter lets us recharge, regroup and learn new techniques to put into practice the following season.

By the time wedding season comes around, we are energized and excited to work and play with all the wonderful couples and families!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are known for capturing real moments with gorgeous light. While documenting families, or weddings, we get everyone to loosen up and be themselves. We photograph their relationships, and not just what they look like on that given day.

We do photograph posed portraits, but we really love to get everyone playing in the sand, running in the ocean, and enjoying each other. We show the unscripted moments of everyday life.

At weddings, we are constantly shooting, looking for all the craziness, the sincere smiles, and tears. It’s the nanoseconds of minutes that make up the day which the couples love to relive after their wedding day!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Erika and Lanny Mann (www.twomannu.com) have really helped me, and my associate photographer, Candace Owens, learn more creative lighting to help highlight moments.

Contact Info:

• Email: brooke@brookemayo.com
• Website: www.brookemayo.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/brookemayo
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/brookemayophotographers

Image Credits
Brooke Mayo and Candace Owens for Brooke Mayo Photographers, Inc.