Brooke Schultz is a wild-hearted Utah wedding photographer based in Salt Lake City. Her work has been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Style Me Pretty, Ruffled, Wedding Chicks, and a variety of other local and national publications.
I see [the gospel] influencing my work in the way I see people—really believing that every person is a child of God makes a difference in how I interact with them and photograph them. Also, the knowledge that families can be together forever makes photographing families a near-sacred experience for me. I recently photographed a family who had a baby die of SIDS, and their connection to each other and to him was beautiful and such an honor to document. In a culture that is valuing family less and less, I am driven by my gospel beliefs and values to keep standing up for family as the most wonderful thing on earth, and photographs are my way of putting that out into the world. Whatever is light is of God. With so much ugliness in the world, I see much value in adding things that are virtuous, lovely, and of good report to my sphere of influence. Also, in portraying the moments of love within families is a huge tool in people saying, “I want that in my life.” I hope that clients look at their photos and see the best in themselves, and that the photos serve as reminders of how much they love their family and inspire them to live closer to their ideals. Beyond the photographs themselves as a tool to build the kingdom, there are times when my interactions with people while photographing them border on sacred. We connect in the most beautiful way, and through photos I feel like I really see them. In turn, I also have to be vulnerable and let them see me, and in that process I hope they see the way God and the gospel penetrate my life.