Today we’d like to introduce you to Brookelyn Akers.
Hi Brookelyn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Brookelyn Akers, owner, and face behind the lenses of Grace & Glory Photography. I began my photography journey when I was 19 years old. I am a central Ohio traveling engagement, elopement, & wedding photographer.
I started out by taking outdoor motocross photos for my friends and also family portraits for the holidays. I made my name known in 2020 as Brookelyn Gibson Photography, which is known today as Grace & Glory Photography.
I LOVE spending time with my husband Seth and our two dogs, Meeky & Summer. I’m an outdoorsy woman, so I spend most of my free time riding my dirt bike, motorcycle, horse, and riding my snowmobile in the winter months with my husband and our friends. I’m also a welder, brick mason, lash artist, and a phlebotomist. I worked in construction as a welder previously and left my day job to pursue in photography eventually as full-time. I told myself, “Why am I helping to build someone else’s business when I can just build my own?” and that’s what I did.
I am 23 years old and I am married to the love of my life. You will often meet him at our sessions and weddings as he second shoots with me!
I chose photography as my career because I love what I do with a passion. When I was 5, I lost two very important people in my life, and all that remains of them are photographs through the short years they were here with me that I will forever cherish and hold so closely to my heart.
That’s what I want for my clients is their remembrance of how beautiful and special the moments were that I captured for them as they will become beautiful memories in the future.
Today, I wouldn’t be striving without the love & support of my clients who continue to support me. My clients make my photography business what it is today, and I thank them for being supportive throughout the years I have been in business!
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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. My friends & family haven’t been the most supportive with my decision going full-time, but with a strong heart, I kept pushing through the last few years to become full-time until I made my dreams happen. Going though a divorce put my dreams on hold as I had to completely start over in life, and the first step was to change my previous name which was the name linked to my photography business name. I wasn’t in the state of mind to pick back up where I left off with photography at the time, but I had to remind myself that I’ve come this far, you have got to keep going, you won’t get bookings by not doing anything with photography. At the time, I was working as a full-time construction worker; I was working 12-hour days even a few hours away from home some days, I couldn’t make time to build my business. Along the way, I met my recent husband, and he has pushed me and supported me and has even helped me gain work and has involved himself to help me in any way he can to make sure we accomplish my dreams together. Doing something together as a team is something I wasn’t use to. My husband ensures me every day that I am not alone running my business. That is the love & support I truly needed all along.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As of right now, I am strongly focused on wedding photography. I do wedding photography on the weekends I am booked. I consider my work “Fine Art” because all photography requires an artist behind the lenses to create beautiful images.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I have learned to have patiences. COVID-19 really seemed to have put life on hold for more than a year. I slowly received bookings, but they weren’t for weddings. COVID-19 pushed back a lot of weddings that were happening in 2020. Most brides had to reschedule for the following year to come and some even had to cancel due to the hardship that was happening in the world. COVID took a toll on the wedding industry, and it is slowly recovering from those dates that had to be pushed back.
Pricing:
- Elopement Packaging starting at $950
- Up To 6 Hours $1,500
- Up To 8 Hours $2,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gracegloryphotography.passgallery.com/client
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graceandgloryphotographyohio
