We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandi Cooper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandi, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Photography is a big industry. We all own some sort of camera. If you are lucky enough to get a professional or semi-professional camera… you will assume that it is easy to just take pictures. Well, I am here to tell you, it is not that simple. A lot of things happen behind the scenes to gain some success in this industry and the 2 biggest things are community and quality education. Your peers become your co-workers and you need someone to talk to and grow with. Education is probably THE biggest because it takes investment. Just owning a camera and photoshop isn’t enough. You will need to learn a little bit about business, editing, shooting, and everything in between.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The thing you will notice in my business is that I am heavy on love and connection. My goal is to show up in this space and show families of color a little bit different than the norm which is typically very traditional and posed. My art represents my life as a mom. I want beautiful pictures but I want them to show me interacting and loving on my little ones. It wasn’t always easy getting clients on board with my vision until I started only accepting clients that wanted the same thing. Finding my niche was the biggest lesson I’ve learned in this industry and has helped me tremendously.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Brunch is a must in Houston My favorites are Taste Bar and Snooze For Dinner Joey Uptown, Lucille’s, Lotus, and Ra Sushi
For Fun For first-timers, I just do a drive-around tour of the city. Galveston Beach, Galveston Ghost Tour, and a Candle making class

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My go-to person and support system is another person in the photography industry. Monica Terry with Lavi Co Photography. She is my sounding board, my cheerleader, and my work BFF.

lavicophotography@gmail.com

Website: www.brandialiphotography.com

Instagram: @brandialiphotography

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brandialiphotography

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