Mom was there too

October 1, 2018August 8, 2019Posted in Aspen Grove Park, Big Kids, Family, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "Aspen Grove Park", "crystal freemon photography", "Franklin tn", 2018, boy, daughter, fall, family, girls, joy, mom, mother, outdoors, personal, photography, portraitsLeave a comment

Lisa said something in her questionnaire when she booked me that really struck a cord with me.

“I have almost no pictures of myself with my children that aren’t selfies since I am always the one behind the camera. That’s usually how it works though, right?”

Yes, that is how it usually works, and it sucks. I’m so glad that we were able to get Lisa on the other side of the camera with her beautiful family. It’s hard, and as moms we have SOOOO many reasons why we don’t have enough photos of ourselves, but it is so important to our children that we get in the pictures too. In the years to come, the photos we give to our children are such a gift, but they don’t just want to see photos of themselves…they want to see mom (and dad!) in the pictures too.

I just love taking photos of mothers with their babies, and this session was no exception. This group was such a joy to capture and made my job so easy.

And can we just talk about the clothing choices for a minute? I love the color tones so much. The burgundy and the blues against the backdrop of the green trees was just perfection.

So moms, what’s keeping you from getting in front of the camera?

Of all the families I photograph, mine is the hardest

September 28, 2018August 8, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Family, Portrait Sessions, Preservation ParkTagged "crystal freemon photography", "self portrait", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, boots, CRES, daughter, family, girls, joy, locations, morning, mother, outdoors, personal, photography, portraitsLeave a comment

I wish that I could say that this was a lovely, easy experience, but that would be a lie.

Last weekend, I was quite surprised when my husband suggested that we do a family photo session of our own. It seems like every year I forget to Schedule time for our photos and end up scrambling to get them done. But he is usually the last one who wants his picture talken, so I was pleasantly surprised when he reminded me. So I set off to find outfits for everyone that two tweenage girls wouldn’t whine about.

I was lucky and found things that everyone was happy with, except my husband who complained that it was still too hot for long sleeves. Oh well … you can’t please everyone.

So I was all set, and then it rained.

And rained.

And rained some more.

And finally, yesterday, the sun came out. So we all got dressed and drove out to the new park that I had never been to but wanted the check out. And as soon as we got there, my oldest started complaining that her head hurt. Because I knew that meant she’d never cooperate, we went home. Of course as soon as we got home, she felt better.

But that is how it goes. So no problem, because guess what??? There are TWO magic hours inthe day! So we got up bright and early this morning and headed out.

The bad part was that it was super wet from the dew and the kids didnt want to walk too far in it to explore the farm. And I got soaked from kneeling in it. And we got there later than I I wanted and the sun was brighter than I would have liked causing horid grass colors.

But the dew in the grass and all the spider webs were absolutely stunning. And it wasn’t hot at all. We also finished in time to go to a pancake breakfast for a friend’s gymnastics team, so score!

What the world needs is more dancing in the kitchen. Nashville Lifestyle Portrait Session.

September 26, 2018August 8, 2019Posted in Family, Home Sessions, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "home sweet home", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, boy, family, girl, home, indoors, joy, lifestyle, locations, mother, photography, portraitsLeave a comment

Brother & Sister reading book by flashlight at a home Lifestyle Portrait Session in Spring Hill, TN

I saw that phrase written in a meme recently and it spoke to me. I love a good dance in the kitchen. My husband…not so much, but he humors me. To me, it’s one of those things that reminds us to savor the mundane…those little moments at home that don’t seem very grand. Aren’t those really are the ones that matter, and that we cherish for years to come? At a lifestyle portrait session, those are the moments I want to capture.

The days are long but the years are short.

Things change so quickly as we are raising little ones, and before you know it, some things that seemed so much a part of your daily life that you didn’t even notice them, are suddenly gone. At my house, there is not a playroom anymore. There is no swing set in the back yard. My children bathe themselves and read to themselves at bedtime. I don’t remember the exact time when many of these changed, but gradually, they did change. I look back to photos of when they were smaller and am so thankful that I have those mementos of days gone by.

Seeing the possibilities.

That is one thing I love about doing these home sessions for families. I look at these photos and imagine all the possibilities they hold in bringing back the past, years from now.

10 years from now, will Renae’s family look at these photos and think about how that was the first year Coen played the violin, which he later grew to master and love? Or will they remember it as that time Coen tried the violin before he found what he really loved?

Maybe Coen and Peri will look at these photos and fondly remember the photo of mom and dad’s wedding day that was hanging over their bed for years. Will they giggle about when Peri was obsessed with Fancy Nancy and the giant caterpillar and Coen (and Mommy) was obsessed with Harry Potter?

Will Peri look around the kitchen and smile at the “Happy Fall” chalk sign? Or remember the kitchen table that the family shared so many meals on before it was traded in for something new?

These are the things that can’t be captured at a park.

The home session advantage.

One advantage to home lifestyle portrait sessions is that we don’t have to worry about weather or sunlight. My outdoor lifestyle sessions are all booked up for October & November, but I have been able to add some at-home session dates to the November calendar for weekdays where the early sunset doesn’t allow for outdoor sessions. You can book one of these spots now on my calendar. These sessions would be a perfect time to decorate the Christmas tree, make some Gingerbread Houses, and just create beautiful memories of your family together capture forever by the camera.

So what do you think? Would you be up for an at home lifestyle portrait session?

Home…where our story begins | New Home Sweet Home Portrait Sessions

September 25, 2018August 8, 2019Posted in Home Sessions, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "home sweet home", 2018, boy, brothers, family, home, indoors, joy, lifestyle, locations, mother, photography, portraitsLeave a comment

It’s no secret that my passion is family photography. I enjoy seniors, newborns & couples photography as well, but families, especially with younger children, are what inspires me.

Up until now, most of my family sessions have been outdoor, lifestyle portrait sessions. I love these for many reasons, most of which is probably the gorgeous natural light of an outdoor session, particularly at golden hour.

But for a while now, I’ve been feeling drawn to encourage clients to also consider another option for family photography. I want to offer in-home lifestyle & documentary sessions. I’ve always felt like the purpose of photography is to capture meaningful moments that a family will cherish always, and what better place to capture these moments than in a family’s home?

I find that many clients are hesitant to schedule sessions in their home because they are so used to seeing outdoor sessions and they don’t know quite what to expect from an at-home session. Here are a few things you can expect from an at-home photo session with me:

* We will be silly and play games, just like at my outdoor sessions, but those games might look a little differently. For example, we may jump on the bed (with your permission), play shadow puppets, or have tickle fights on mom and dad’s bed.

* Instead of awkwardly posing, I will ask that you do some activities together. What these activities are will vary depending on what your family likes to do together. Maybe mom and dad will have coffee on the back porch, while the kids play at their feet. Maybe you’ll make dinner or cookies. Maybe you can play board games or decorate the Christmas tree. The possibilities are endless. The point is that we will try to capture real moments for you…of things your family enjoys doing together.

* Your house doesn’t need to be fancy, or immaculate, or even clean. For real. This is real life and real moments. We are making memories…not caring about whether or not you swept the bathroom. The camera is forgiving and I promise I don’t even notice.

One advantage to home sessions, other than being able to capture memories in the place that you make the most memories, is that we don’t have to worry about weather or sunlight. My outdoor lifestyle sessions are all booked up for October & November, but I have been able to add some at-home session dates to the November calendar for weekdays where the early sunset doesn’t allow for outdoor sessions. You can book one of these spots now on my calendar. These sessions would be a perfect time to decorate the Christmas tree, make some Gingerbread Houses, and just create beautiful memories of your family together capture forever by the camera.

So what do you think? Would you be up for an at-home family session?

A Strong united pair

September 18, 2018August 9, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "new beginnings", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, boots, CRES, daughter, family, girl, joy, locations, mother, outdoors, photography, portraitsLeave a comment

When Jessica contacted me about doing this family portrait session, she told me that she was going through a divorce, and wanted a way to document a new beginning for she and her daughter, Kaila. She wanted the photos to show a strong, united pair.

I think that documenting new beginnings is a perfect reason to schedule a portrait session. I thought Jessica’s words in her survey to me were beautiful.

She said ” I want to show Kaila that we are still a family even though we’re divided now and that we will be stronger and better from everything. I want her to see how much love there is for her and how much fun we can have together.”

I love it when clients really put their thoughts and feelings in my client survey. It really helps me to have an emotional connection with them, and to understand truly what the photos mean to them. I can’t even explain why this matters. The closest I’ve come to verbalizing why it matters to me is the quote by David Alan Harvey that says “Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.”

Maybe it’s all in my imagination, but I somehow think I do a better job with the photos when I feel that connection to the clients story.

I know it felt super easy to capture a strong, united pair when I was photographing Jessica and Kaila. Photographing mothers with their babies (no matter how old!) is always one of my favorite things and I just loved watching these two interact with each other. It’s so obvious just by the look in Jessica’s eyes that there is so, so much love for this beautiful little girl.

How I fell in love with Photography

September 5, 2018August 9, 2019Posted in Family, Newborns & Babies, Pinkerton Park, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "family of 3", "Franklin tn", "Pinkerton Park", 2018, baby, family, joy, locations, outdoors, photography, portraitsLeave a comment

I first fell in love with photography when my youngest was a baby. That’s when I got my first DSLR. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to capture those precious moments with my girls when they were so little.

With my oldest, we had routinely taken her to Sears portrait studio, because that’s what I thought you were supposed to do….I didn’t know any better. Every few months, I would take her there, and they would prop her up on a table with some cheesy backdrops, maybe throw her in a fake bathtub, or lay her buck naked on a mirror with some fake flowers around her and take her picture. The photos were beautiful, because they were of my beautiful baby girl, but something was lacking.

Then, once she passed that baby stage and became a toddler, it just no longer worked at all. They would expect her to stand on an “X” on the ground and look them and say cheese. Well, I just haven’t met many toddlers who will do that.

Then when my youngest was born, a friend from work recommended a “real” photographer named Lauren Gill. I just loved the photos my friend had, so I hired her. The cost was quite a bit more than the Sears portrait studio, but as soon as I saw the results, I fell in love. The photos captured so much more than those fake posed photos we had gotten before. She captured all those little things about the girls that I wanted to remember…Kayla’s adorable giggles, or the way Megan did (and still does) twirl her hair…all those funny little expressions or gestures that you want to remember always.

I wanted to learn to do that too. So I bought a camera and slowly learned as much as I could. I took photos everywhere…at playdates, birthday parties, and every day moments at home. Those early photos are SOOOO bad, but I am so thankful for them, as they are moments in time frozen.

That was about 10 years ago, but that’s the time that I feel taken back too each time a photograph a family with a baby. I want so badly to create something special for those parents, because I know that it all goes by so quickly. I want to capture those silly expressions, that fascination with the world around them, and the pure joy at just being.

This sweet girl made that job so easy and I absolutely fell in love with her (and her sweet parents) during our shoot. How blessed am I to have a job where I can do what I love while meeting wonderful new people.

Bold Beautiful color – Spring Hill Family photographer

August 22, 2018August 9, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, Big Kids, CRES, family, joy, locations, outdoors, photography, portraits, siblings, sisters, summerLeave a comment

I’m so in love with the beautiful wardrobe choices that my friend Emily made for her family’s summer portrait session. I admittedly don’t feel like the best person to be giving advice about wardrobe choices, as fashion has never been a topic I have felt particularly comfortable with, but I absolutely know what I like for a session when I see it, and this is it.

I’m drawn to colorful photographs and prefer rich, deep colors & jewel tones. I don’t mind a good neutral color scheme either, but its colorful choices like the ones below that I really love.

Lucy’s dress is definitely the focal point, and when choosing clothing for a family photo session, that’s a great way to start…pick one person’s outfit (doesn’t really matter who) to be the focal point and then build the rest of the choices around that one piece. I’m obsessed with this deep mustard like yellow color, as I think it looks beautiful in most outdoor photos (deep purple is also a fantastic choice). But I do warn clients to be careful with yellow, because if it’s too neon, it can create a color cast on the person’s face which is really hard to correct in post processing. But Lucy’s dress is just right.

And I love how Maggie is wearing a bit more neutral of a top to balance out the bold print of Lucy’s dress, but ties in the floral pattern in her shorts. And mom’s orange pants are the perfect pop of color and look beautiful with the mustard. It all comes together looking beautifully coordinated, but not to matchy matchy.

What do you think? What are your favorite colors for photographs?

The Good Memories

August 21, 2018August 9, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, Big Kids, clouds, CRES, family, joy, locations, outdoors, photography, playground, portraitsLeave a comment

I’m really struggling with how to start off this post, so I’m going to jump right into it.

This is my beautiful friend Chelsea and her daughter Molly. Chelsea is one of the most kind hearted and loving people I’ve ever met and would literally give the shirt off of her back to anyone who needs it. And my heart is hurting for her.

I’ve been photographing Chelsea & Molly for several years now. Last year, she wanted to include her parents and her brother Chris in their session. Chelsea’s brother, Chris, had recently gotten out of jail. He had struggled with addiction for years, but at the time, was clean and doing very well and the family was full of hope for his future. We met at Harlinsdale Farms and it was a gorgeous evening full of laughter and love, and of course photographs.

On Saturday, I photographed this session for Chelsea & Molly. They are one of my favorite families to photograph always, as the love and connection between these two is truly something special to capture.

On Sunday, Chelsea’s brother Chris lost his long battle with addiction.

Chelsea and her parents received the heartbreaking phone call that he had been found unresponsive at home and it was later confirmed that he died of an accidental overdose.

They loved him so and his loss is is heartbreaking for their family.

I sat with Chelsea last night and listened to her talk about her brother & how much she loved him. It has been years of heartbreak for her family, but she wants to focus on all of the good memories she has of him. I didn’t really know Chris at all, but I do know that he looked at his sister and his niece with such admiration and love.

As they mourn the loss of his precious life, Chelsea and her family hope that Chris’s story may help someone else to seek the help they need to overcome addiction. And to seek help again, and again and again, until they beat it, if that’s what is necessary. When lost in addiction, a person might believe that their life doesn’t matter. But I promise you, it matters. Addiction impacts so many people and has reached epidemic proportions. Below are the beautiful faces of people who have been heartbroken by this disease.

Chelsea & her family are asking that anyone who would like to honor Chris’s memory do so by making a donation to the Dismas House of Nashville. The Dismas house believes that second chances saves lives, and their mission is to provide a safe haven for offenders transferring out of prison to aid them in beginning a new life.

If you need more information about addiction resources, check out Bradford Health or call 1-888-577-0012.

Photo Session Location Selection – Light & a good dose of Imagination

August 20, 2018August 9, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, Big Kids, clouds, CRES, family, joy, locations, outdoors, photography, playground, portraits, siblingsLeave a comment

Sometimes, clients already have an idea of the type of location they would like to use for their family portraits, and other times they come to me for suggestions. Sometimes, my suggestions sound a little crazy and not like a “normal” place that you would want to have photos made.

Lucky for me, if you are a client who is also my friend, then you trust me when I say “meet me by the U-Haul place off the side of the street. That’s exactly what Erin did without blinking, and I love her for it.

I happened to notice the spot when I was scouting for light before our session, and it just called out to me. I snapped the first two photos below with my cell phone, just so I could show you how ridiculous it probably looked as a location option. It’s really kind of a dirty, uninteresting stretch of road with a broken down old building, a billboard facing the interstate, and a parking lot full of U-haul trucks.

But on this particular day, the light, the clouds, the wildflowers, a little fence and the way the weeds were growing caught my eye. Now, if I go back in a few weeks, I might find the place completely uninspiring, but for Saturday, it worked. So I wanted to show it to you as an example of how it might look to you, versus how it looks through my camera.

For when scouting out locations for a portrait session, the most important factor is the light, and then a healthy dose of imagination to see what it might look like through the lens of the camera.

Summer family portrait session at harlinsdale farms

August 7, 2018August 9, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Family, Portrait Sessions, The Park at Harlinsdale FarmsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Franklin tn", "Harlinsdale Farms", 2018, Big Kids, brothers, family, joy, outdoors, photography, portraits, siblings, summerLeave a comment

What an absolutely gorgeous day it was for this family portrait session at Harlinsdale Farms in Franklin. We had the best time exploring the farm and goofing off. These boys were just too much fun and I just adore all their expressions and interactions.

Summer is almost over and I’m booking Fall sessions now! These will fill up fast, so don’t wait to book your spot!

Please note that there are currently two different options for choosing a date on my calendar. One is for August sessions and for Fall weekday session where you may choose the location for your session.

The other choice is my Fall weekend session calendar. In order to get in as many clients as I can for the busy season, I will be choosing the session locations for these dates so that I may book clients back to back at the same location. On the calendar, you will see the tentative locations for these dates. However, it is possible these may change depending on how the locations look once Fall comes.

Breathtakingly Beautiful – with BrandiLee #finnsfanforever

August 5, 2018October 22, 2020Posted in Family, Home Sessions, Little Kids, Portrait Sessions, The Gold Hope ProjectTagged "breathtakingly beautiful", "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, brothers, family, finnfanforlife, home, indoors, joy, photography, portraits, siblings, summer2 Comments

Finn Schafran and his mom Brandilee and his battle with Cancer. #Finnfanforever

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” – L.R.Knost

My new photo project:

I did a personal project about three years ago that I called “This is Motherhood” In that project, I asked mothers to allow me to take a simple portrait of them, and then I asked them to tell me about motherhood. I gave them a few prompts or thought starters, but mainly was just looking for some insight or experience they had with motherhood that might mean something to other mothers. I was blown away with what women were willing to share with me. Their stories ranged from funny to heartbreaking, and all of them were honest and inspiring.

For some months now, I’ve felt the desire to do another photo project, but I couldn’t get my mind around what exactly it would be.

I knew that like the first project, I wanted it to be about strong, beautiful women (though not necessarily just mothers.) In my line of work, I see a lot about how women are down on themselves, never feeling “enough”. I have a desire to somehow show them through my lens, that they are enough. Just the way they are.

I also knew I wanted it to be different from the first project in that I didn’t want it to be just a single portrait, but a more of a story telling photo essay for each woman. I wanted it to be set in her own environment doing her own thing. I wanted to show women doing hard things, amazing things, but also ordinary things. I wanted to photograph women living life. Embracing it even.

But I wanted some kind of quote or theme to tie them altogether and I’ve struggled with finding what that would be. For a while, I had settled on “She believed she could, so she did.” I liked that it implies some action…as I wanted to include some activity in the stories, and not just some portrait. But something was bothering me about that quote, and I finally figured out what it was….lots of times, she doesn’t believe that she could. But she does anyway. Because she has to. Many times, women don’t know their own strength. I want my project to show them their strength through the photos, so that quote just didn’t feel right.

Then, as I was browsing the internet, I came across the quote above, and it just felt like exactly what I was looking for. I want to photograph women doing heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful and ordinary things. I believe there is beauty in every moment…the hard, the wonderful and also the mundane. I want to photograph that beauty.

Breathtakingly Beautiful with BrandiLee

Ok so I didn’t take these photos for my project, but taking them helped me to decide on exactly what it was I wanted my project to be.

I first met BrandiLee last October, when I photographed a family portrait session for them. Last week, a friend of Brandi’s contacted me. She told me that Brandi had been selected by The Mom’s We Love Club as their featured mom for August. The Moms We Love Club is an Instagram account dedicated to loving on struggling moms through spreading awareness, prayer and fundraising. For the feature, they needed lifestyle images of BrandiLee at home. I was happy to have the honor of shooting for such a great cause, so we picked a time and I showed up to photograph real life. Brandilee will be featured at The Moms We Love club starting August 9, so please follow the page, and share the posts when you see them.

As far as strong women go, I’m not sure I know any stronger than BrandiLee, though I’m positive she didn’t plan for life to be that way and that she often feels that she is not strong enough to deal with what life has dealt her. I cannot even begin to do her story justice, but please, please go read about this precious family on their GoFundme page, and if you are lead, consider making a donation.

The quote struck me so when I read it, because honestly, editing these photos took my breath away.

What struck me the most was the joy.

And first let me say that I know it’s not all joy. I don’t want to minimize in any way the horrible heartbreak this family deals with on a daily basis. I cannot even imagine. I know there must be anger, and tears and so much pain.

But also, there were giggles, and hugs and helping mama make tortilla sandwiches, and licking the butter off the knife. And funny snap chat videos, and being excited when Daddy gets home. And asking for more watermelon. And snuggling with brother on the couch. And bedtime kisses.

Out of the Park – Baseball Themed Family Portrait Session

July 26, 2018August 9, 2019Posted in Family, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", "The Park at Harlinsdale Farms", 2018, baseball, brothers, family, joy, outdoors, photography, portraits, siblings, summerLeave a comment

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth

I am just so excited about this photo session. It helps that they are of some of my favorite people.

I’ve talked about Beth before in my blog, but for those of you who don’t know, she’s one of my oldest and dearest friends. We met way back in 1995 during our very first week of college and have been friends since. I’ve been photographing these boys since birth (though admittedly pretty poorly at first). Beth has always been there for me when I really needed someone, and particularly early this summer when our family was having a rough time, so I really, really wanted these photos to be special for her.

Baseball is to her family like hockey is to mine, so she had the idea to have the session at ballpark and I thought that was an absolutely perfect idea. I’m not a fan of props, but I love incorporating things, places, or activities that mean something to the family in photographs. I also love any kind of activity that kids can do to feel like they aren’t at a photo session…or really the whole family can do that becomes a lovely memory that I happened to photograph, rather than some big chore of a photo shoot.

And this was absolutely perfect. The boys did a fantastic job. I love how adorable Lincoln is in these, and Cole looks like a serious badass. And the whole family had a great time playing and having fun in a place that is like their second home. This is what speaks to me as a photographer, and I hope it comes through in the photos.

Embracing the Rain – Nashville Family Portrait Session

July 23, 2018August 9, 2019Posted in Family, Little Kids, Portrait Sessions, The Park at Harlinsdale FarmsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", "The Park at Harlinsdale Farms", 2018, brothers, family, joy, outdoors, photography, portraits, rain, siblings, summerLeave a comment

“I love the rain. I love how it softens the outlines of things. The world becomes softly blurred, and I feel like I might melt into it.” – Hanamoto Hagumi

It’s no secret that I love the sun, and obsessed with chasing light. But not everyone knows that I also love the rain. A couple years ago, I did a rain session with my friend Christy’s daughters. We planned it and then waited for the right weather to hit, and then I called her and said, “It’s go time.” We met at a park and I photographed her adorable kids playing in the rain. It was so much fun.

Last fall, one of my favorite sessions was for a couple who decided to go ahead with our planned time, even though we knew it would probably rain. To me, it was such a romantic session, and the rain just added to it.

That wasn’t exactly the situation for this family portrait session at Harlinsdale Farms. They were hoping to avoid the rain, but mother nature had other plans. We were able to get in a few photos before the rain came, but then once it did, I couldn’t help but to wrap my camera in a poncho, hand these sweet kids some umbrellas (I always keep these in my car because they still let light in), and to keep shooting.

And I have to say, I’m not really sorry it rained. These two kids are just so perfectly adorable with the colorful little umbrellas and those smiles. It’s just one more thing that I absolutely love about kids this age…they really know how to embrace the rain.

You too can survive an outdoor summer portrait session

June 26, 2018August 10, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, Big Kids, brothers, CRES, family, joy, outdoors, photography, portraits, siblings, summerLeave a comment

Yes, it’s hot. I admit it. It’s summer in Tennessee. But it is possible to have a beautiful outdoor family portrait session in Summer, and to look as gorgeous as this family does, if you just follow a few easy tips.

1. Schedule your session for magic hour (the hour before sunset).

I always prefer sessions to be booked at magic hour, because that is when you get the most beautiful light. But this is especially true in summer, because let’s face it…none of us are going to survive the mid day heat.

2. Choose a location with lots of shade.

This walking trail is one of my favorite spots for summer (and all year really) because it has gorgeous light, and plenty of shade to shelter us from the heat and scorching sun.

3. Dress for the weather

If you try to make these look like fall portraits, you are going to end up a hot sweaty mess. Shorts are wonderful, and light weight summer dresses are perfect for summer sessions. It won’t matter how pretty your clothes are if you or your children are uncomfortable during the session. And remember my style of photography, and expect your kids to be running, jumping and playing…all the more reason to make sure their clothes are comfortable.

4. Stay hydrated.

I’ve taken to carrying a few water bottles with me recently to help clients stay refreshed, but if you think to bring along a few, that’s always a good idea.

I am so glad this family chose to brave the weather for a summer session because it was such a joy to meet them and photograph them. The personality in these two boys just had me smiling throughout my time editing these. I cannot wait to work on the rest of them.

What is keeping you from booking family portraits?

June 20, 2018August 10, 2019Posted in Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, Big Kids, brothers, CRES, family, joy, outdoors, photography, portraits, siblings, summerLeave a comment

So many times, I meet families who have never had a professional family portrait session. I feel very honored to have been chosen by Andra for her family’s first photo session, and I really loved photographing her beautiful family. Owen and William were so easy to work with and we had so much fun together. These are the type of clients that I so enjoy meeting and hope to be able to see again year after year.

For those of you who have not ever booked a family portrait session, I’m curious as to what holds you back. I know that family portraits are a real investment, and it could be that it’s just not in your budget, which is a valid reason (though often it may be more about priorities than actually budget constraints). But I suspect that rather than the budget, it’s likely fear that the session will be difficult and stressful, or maybe even impossible, that holds many families back.

So maybe if I tell you a little more about how booking a session works, and what to expect at a session, it wont sound so overwhelming.

You can book a session either through my online calendar, or just email or message me to work out a date (Fall fills up fast though, and I will be releasing those dates soon, so don’t wait for those spots.) I know lots of clients stress about what will happen if it rains on their session date…no worries. I won’t make you shoot indoors or in the rain if you don’t want to (though both of those is an option!) Rescheduling if it rains is usually no big deal.

After you’ve booked, you will receive emails from me to help you through the process, such as tips on what to wear, but please don’t ever hesitate to ask if you have questions.

But I think the biggest part parents stress about, is what to expect at the session itself…and in particular, whether or not young kids will “cooperate” for a family portrait session.

So here is what I want to help you to understand:

The only thing I expect / want kids to do at a family portrait session is to be themselves.

Really. That’s it.

At a session, I generally start with trying to get a quick family portrait of everyone. This usually works pretty well to get a photo of everyone looking at the camera, as they have not yet become distracted. But what I’m not going to do is stand there for 30 minutes trying to get everyone perfectly posed. That’s just going to result in everyone becoming bored and/or frustrated. That’s not what beautiful memories are made of…and I want you and your kids to ENJOY the session. Not just to have lovely pictures when it’s over.

So we will only spend a couple minutes on any particular “pose”, and then will will take some time to play. Yes, that’s right…there is a lot of playing at a session. I don’t do a lot of posing, but I do a lot of guiding. Mostly what I’m trying to capture are interactions between your family because that’s what inspires me.

So with this lovely family below, you will see one of my first shots of the session is the more posed family shot of everyone looking at the camera.

After that, we went for a little walk down the path as I spoke to the boys and got to know them a little. I took a few individual shots of Owen to work on my lighting while baby brother just chilled. Then, since he seemed agreeable, I went for another family shot. My favorite below is one where I let mom and dad and Owen know that they didn’t need to look at me, but just asked if they could help get William to laugh. I love these kinds of shots because it shows the family interacting together, and not just with the camera…though I do occasionally ask everyone took look at me, as you can see in the third shot below.

Then we just had some play time where I worked on getting shots of Owen and William both together and individually as they played. I guided them to race, play ring around the roses, jump (playing Simon Says), and generally just explore. If there something the little one doesn’t want to do, that’s totally fine. I don’t HAVE to have a photo of them jumping, or playing ring around the roses, or whatever. I’m just working to get them having fun and acting natural. This is like the exact opposite of when you go to Sears Portraits or wherever ever and have to stand on the x. There really is no x, and very little standing still…I promise.

After we played, we walked to another spot and I wanted to try to get some seated family portraits. At this point, it’s typical for a toddler especially to become bored and tired. No problem. In this case, I offered William a sucker (with mom’s permission) and he happily sat down with his family. We have several shots of him holding the sucker, which I personally think is fine, and then at some point, I asked him if dad could hold his sucker for a minute. So now you know the secret that dad is hiding a sucker out of view in the last picture below. So we were able to get the shot and keep William happy, but even if we hadn’t, that would have been fine too because I had lots of shots earlier in the session.

After that, we headed to the playground. Lots of my favorite locations have playgrounds and I love including them at the end of a session because then the kids think they are “done” with the photos, but really sometimes I get my favorite shots there, while they are just being kids and enjoying themselves.

So really that is all there is to it…a little bit of posing, but mostly talking and laughing and playing. And suckers at the end.

So what is holding you back? Is there anything else you need to know in order to be ready to book a family photo session?

Hannah’s Senior Portrait Session in Franklin, TN

May 11, 2018August 10, 2019Posted in Portrait Sessions, Seniors & Teens, The Park at Harlinsdale FarmsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Franklin tn", 2018, graduation, harlinsdale, joy, milestones, outdoors, photography, portraits, senior, seniors, spring, TeensLeave a comment

“And suddenly you know… It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

I’m a pretty strong extrovert. This may or may not be obvious, depending on the circumstances of how you meet me, but I definitely prefer being around people and am not huge on quiet time. But for some reason, the exception to that is that I do enjoy the time before my sessions. I always show up to a location for a shoot pretty early. I’ve sometimes said that I do that to scope out the place, but that’s not completely accurate because I still show up early when it’s a location that I know like the back of my hand.

Even if I’m very familiar, I still like to walk around and look at the light..light is always changing. And since I consider light to be the most important element to my “backgrounds” it’s important to take a look. I’m a light chaser, always looking for interesting things the sun is doing. So a lot of the time on my walks around a location, I’m looking at the light.

But also, I’m thinking about my session…who am I about to photograph? What part of him or her or them do I want to capture? What is important about this time period that the client wants to remember? For my family sessions, my goal is to capture interactions and emotion between family members. With senior sessions, that’s different because there is typically only one person. So the interaction is between me and my camera, and the subject. Hannah made that so easy because she was such a joy to talk to and get to know. She’s graduating next week from Independence High School, and even though this is the first time we met, I feel so proud of her and happy for her to begin this next stage in her life. Her parents can be very proud to have raised such a lovely young woman.

So I guess that I enjoy this quiet time before the session because I don’t feel quite alone…I feel that it’s the first step in getting to know my client…imagining where they’ve been, where they are going and what these photos might mean to them. I hope that these photos mark the beginning of a wonderful adventure for Hannah, wherever she may go. Congrats to Hannah and to the entire class of 2018.

Hadley’s Cake Smash and Family Portrait Session

May 4, 2018August 10, 2019Posted in Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Little Kids, Newborns & Babies, Portrait SessionsTagged "cake smash", "crystal freemon photography", 2018, baby, cake, CRES, family, joy, milestones, one, outdoors, photography, portraits, siblings, springLeave a comment

“A baby makes love stronger, the days shorter, the nights longer, savings smaller, and a home happier.”

I cannot believe it’s been a whole year since I met this sweet girl and her lovely family at her newborn session. It is such a blessing to be able to watch families grow as the years pass. I just fell in love with this family last year when I met them and was so excited to be able to photograph them again.

The weather was absolutely perfect…the kind of day you dream about all winter long. Kelly wanted this session to be a cake smash for Hadley’s first birthday, but also to include some family and sibling photos. One thing I absolutely loved about our last session was the beautiful energy that big brother Harper brought, and he did not disappoint. It’s so obvious how much he adores his baby sister and watching him laugh and run and play just brought a smile to my face.

And such a sweet birthday girl! It’s always interesting to see how the baby reacts to her first bites of cake. Some babies seem very hesitant and not sure what to do with it, but Hadley immediately dug in. She didn’t even mind when her big brother crashed the party to help her finish up the treat.

Family Portrait Session with Teen Boys in Spring Hill TN

May 3, 2018August 22, 2019Posted in Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Seniors & TeensTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, brothers, CRES, family, joy, outdoors, photography, portraits, siblings, springLeave a comment

“The days are long, but the years are short.”

That is one of my friend Michelle’s favorite sayings and it’s so true. It comes to mind often. My girls are in those middle years of childhood now…ages 9 and 12…no longer little kids but not yet teens.

Sometimes, I joke that photographing the babies makes my ovaries hurt. Not that I want any more kids…that ship has sailed and I’m perfectly happy with my two girls. But photographing babies does bring back memories of my own girls at that age and makes me all nostalgic.

But you know what really gets me all teary eyed? This came as a surprise to me, but it’s photographing the older teens. It’s their mama’s that do it to me, because they always say something similar, just like Bonnie did. Stuff like “I want to remember…” and “might be the last one before college…”

No, no, no. I’m not ready for that. Time needs to slow down.

And it makes me so badly want to give the mamas beautiful photos of their babies, because they will forever and always be our babies, no matter where they go.

Through the eyes of a child – Childhood photography

April 30, 2018August 10, 2019Posted in Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, Big Kids, CRES, family, joy, outdoors, photography, portraits, siblings, springLeave a comment

“If we could all see the world through the eyes of a child, we would see the magic of everything.”

The wind in her hair.

The feel of the grass between her toes, and the sun on her face.

The feel and look of the dandelion her brother blows in her face.

The flowers, weeds, rocks, sticks to explore.

Feeling the bark on the tree, playing peekaboo.

Hugs.

Races.

Being taught by big brother to play airplane, ring around the roses.

Tiny hands, and feet, and eyelashes.

Bunny rabbits and puppies on the path.

Shadows.

These are things we pass by almost every single day, mostly without thought. But to view them through the eyes of a two year old suddenly turns them into magic. And we think we are teaching them.

What to do in case of rain at your family portrait session

April 23, 2018August 14, 2019Posted in Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Family of 4", 2018, Big Kids, CRES, family, joy, outdoors, photography, playground, portraits, siblings, sisters, springLeave a comment

“A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.” – Marion Garretty

This session had to be rescheduled due to rain last week, but oh my goodness, did they get a beautiful day on Saturday. There just isn’t more perfect weather than that. Too bad it didn’t hold out for Sunday…when I had to reschedule another family session. I loved playing with these sweet sisters in the gorgeous sunshine for their family photo session.

I often get the question about what happens if it rains on the day of a scheduled session, or if there is other types of bad weather.

First of all, if it’s just cold (or even snowy!), I would suggest we go ahead with the session as planned and you make sure you have warm clothes, toboggans, gloves, etc for your family. These can be lovely in photos.

If it’s raining, there are a few options we can consider:

We can reschedule to the closest available session date convenient for both your family and myself. In the fall when it’s busiest, I usually have a few dates designated as rain dates. Other times of the year, I can typically fit you in pretty close to your original date.
If it’s not raining horribly, I have been known to shoot in the rain. I have lovely clear umbrellas and this can be a fun, different take on a session.
We can change the location from an outdoor spot, to somewhere indoor. A great option is always your home, as that highlights your family’s life at this moment in time. Another option is the Factory at Franklin, though they charge a $50 permit fee that you would be responsible for paying.

So there are a few options, but most clients end up rescheduling if there is rain and that’s perfectly fine.

The only thing I ask is that we wait fairly close to the day of the photo session to make a decision. The weather around here can change so suddenly…I don’t want to reschedule a session too early just to have it turn into a beautiful day.

Too bad the weather can’t always be as perfect as it was for this session.