Hey there! I'm Bre.
Here are some things you may not have known about me...
My husband and I rock a super cool and crazy busy blended family with five spectacular kids, one beautiful golden retriever, and a cat that no one likes except for me. We live in Norwalk, Iowa!
Before I became a full-time photographer (aka my dream job!), I worked in special education, both as a teacher and an instructional coach. I once planned on becoming a school principal - and I have the master's degree and certification to prove it! However, life changed, teaching changed, and subsequently my passions and what I envisioned for my life changed. So here we are! And I now absolutely, 1000% love what I get to do.
I have a limited understanding and appreciation for the world of sports - something that definitely makes me stand out in my incredibly active and athletically gifted family. But boy, I could sure talk your ear off about the world of music, theater, and my personal favorite - musical theater.
I love love LOVE summer and being outdoors in the warm sunshine. If every day could be filled with boating on the lake, yard games, grilling brat burgers, and eating Superman ice cream, I'd be one happy lady.
I'm a Dutch girl at heart. And genetically. 100% genetically, actually. And like most Dutch people, I'm very proud to be 100% Dutch! I grew up celebrating Sinterklaas, having multiple Dutch costumes and my own pair of wooden shoes, and eating all the poffertjes and stroopwafels at Tulip Time.
I'm very introverted in most social interactions, but I like to think I "get into character" when I have a camera in my hands, so (hopefully!) you'd never know it.
A Few of My Favorite Things...
- I love all things musical theater. Some of my favorite shows are Pippin, Once, Hamilton, Newsies, and Les Mis.
- I love traveling and exploring new places. My favorite experiences were visiting Amsterdam, Germany, Oahu, Los Angeles, & Australia.
- On the rare occasion I get to watch some grown-up TV, it's probably going to be Friends, New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office, or Schitt's Creek.
- I lose all self-control when it comes to pizza, cookies, iced coffee, and any and all breakfast treats. Pancakes? French Toast? Muffins? Cinnamon rolls? DONUTS??? I mean, come on.
How it all began...
People often ask me how I got started in photography, especially those who knew me in my past life as a teacher. And my answer has always been pretty straightforward - motherhood. When my husband and I got married, we started instantly as a blended family of five. So I knew right away that I didn't want the only pictures of our kids to be of cell-phone quality. I wanted to be able to document them growing up and the things they're involved in. Our first Christmas together, my husband gave me a "nice" camera, which proved a lot more difficult to work than I thought! I invested in some courses to learn all the ins and outs, and from there this passion just grew. I loved documenting our growing family and being able to capture the moments I never wanted to forget. This grew into me taking pictures of my friends and their kids, to somehow convincing strangers on Facebook to let me take pictures of them with THEIR kids - and for money?? WHAT?? Annnnd that's how this little business of mine came to be. Now I love love LOVE photographing weddings and being able to take part in a couple's day filled with so much joy and happiness, but I'll always have a sweet spot for the moms. Because mom-ing is hard. But those little moments - like having your newborn grab your finger with their whole fist, or buttoning up your daughter's wedding dress as she prepares to walk down the aisle... Those moments make it all worth it. And being able to document those moments for other moms so that they'll never forget them is truly the greatest honor and privilege and the biggest reason I love my job. So yeah. Why photography, you ask? For the moms.
Breanna Maxwell Photography was officially established in 2020 and transitioned to a full-time career in 2022.
