Meet Brookney, the Photographer Behind Hux and Mae
I've spent close to twenty years in advertising and marketing. Somewhere in there, I found myself leading an agency in Knoxville, working alongside genuinely talented art directors and commercial photographers who shaped how I see a frame long before I ever picked up a camera myself.
I was always the one directing the shot, never the one behind the lens. I think I was a little shy of it, honestly. It's one thing to have an eye for composition. It's another to trust yourself enough to capture it.
That changed after my children were born.
I'd always taken photos on my phone. A good eye for composition doesn't need fancy equipment to notice a beautiful moment. But once Huxley and Maevyn came along, something in me wanted more than a phone camera could give. I wanted to learn. So I did, and I haven't looked back since.
Hux and Mae Photo is named after my own two kids. They're the reason I finally chased this outside of my full time career, and they're still the reason I love doing it. Being an East Tennessee photographer lets me help families and individuals across greater Knoxville and the Tri-Cities tell their own stories in a way that feels true to them, the same way I hope to preserve ours.
What I Do Outside of Hux and Mae
By day, I help lead a marketing agency in Knoxville. It's work I love, but leading a company means I rarely get to create hands-on the way I used to. Hux and Mae became my outlet. A place to tap back into the creative work that drew me to this industry in the first place, this time through my own lens instead of someone else's.
Outside of both of those worlds, I'm a mom to two toddlers and wife to a husband who's chasing his own dreams right alongside me. Between the two of us, we're building a full life, and most days that looks a lot like organized chaos in the best way.
When I'm not working or chasing toddlers, you'll usually find me outside in my rose garden with a camera in hand anyway. There's something about slowing down to really look at a bloom that isn't so different from slowing down to really see a family in front of me.
How I Work
I like to move light. Unless a session calls for more gear, like additional lighting for a styled shoot, I keep my kit simple so I can move around quickly and stay out of the way while a moment unfolds naturally. I shoot on a Sony camera with a bag of lenses I trust, and my go-to favorites are my 50mm, 85mm, and 105mm primes. They're what give my images that soft, atmospheric feel I'm always chasing, the kind that makes a photo feel like a beautiful memory instead of a snapshot.
I started Hux and Mae to help families and individuals feel a little more at ease in front of a camera, and to give them something they'll want to hold onto for years to come. Twenty years of watching brands come to life gave me the eye. My own family gave me the reason.
Want to work together? Book a session and let's start telling your story.
