Sumrall, MS Photographer | AM Photography by Valerie

Who is AM Photography by Valerie?

Well, that would be me! Hey there! My name is Valerie Broom, owner of AM Photography by Valerie. I was born in Canada, raised in Hattiesburg, MS, and now forever resident of Sumrall, MS. My love for taking pictures goes back to my mid-teens, when my family and I would take trips to Canada to visit. Back then all I had was a point and shoot camera, but it helped get me started on what is now my business and passion! 

When my oldest was born in 2013, I was like many moms and thought I can could get a “nice” camera and do it myself. I consider myself to be a pretty crafty person so I truly thought there was nothing to it! I got a Canon Rebel T3 for Christmas 2013. So I turned that bad boy on and started snapping pictures of my precious baby, but to my disappointment the pictures weren’t coming out as I had hoped and put the camera down for several years.

Fast forward to February 2018, my 2nd child was born. By this point, I had grown accustomed to just paying someone else for their photography services, which I still do to this day. I got to sit sat back and watch someone else do it. Towards the end of that year I thought to myself “alright, Val. Its time to learn more about this nice camera that’s been collecting dust.” So, that’s what I did. After learning to be a mama of 2 and the hustle of having a newborn started getting easier I started to watch tons of videos on YouTube to learn about the manual settings on my Canon. I practiced what I learned and jumped right into growing my new hobby! With this newfound knowledge of my equipment, it didn’t take me long to get a little confidence! Much to my surprise, my dream to become a stay-at-home mom became a reality in May 2019. One month later, I turned my “hobby” into a legal business!

So why AM Photography by Valerie? Well, when I first started my business it was called Addi&Madi Photography. When I got a mentor in early 2020, she gave me some good marketing advice which resulted in changing the name to AM Photography by Valerie. A=Addison M=Madilyn. They are the motivation behind everything I do in my life. My “why”.

This past year, I have been published and featured in 2 different magazines, joined 3 mentorships, 1 virtual workshop, 1 1:1 workshop, studied countless educational videos by Kelly Brown, Ana Brandt, and Sue Bryce, and even got a 306 sq ft permanent studio area in a building shared with 2 other venders. 

I look forward to what 2021 has in store for my business! Let’s talk about the moments you want to capture!