Capturing the Magic and Wonder of Childhood
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
Photographing toddlers and preschoolers will always be my favorite. I am always excited when I know I am about to photograph a family session with 1.5 to four-year-olds. I love photographing families of all ages, but this age group will always be the one that brings me the most joy.
A lot of parents put off scheduling family portrait sessions because they don’t think their little ones will cooperate. I want to put that myth to rest because I promise you, the kids will do just fine. In fact, most of your fears are the exact reasons why I love photographing toddlers and preschoolers so much.
The only thing I expect from little ones at a family portrait session is that they be themselves. That’s easy for the under-five crowd because they don’t know how else to be. (It gets harder actually as they get older because then they try to pose for the camera and start to not be themselves). Little ones are nothing if not authentic and that’s the reason I love them.
Here are some fears parents have about how their little ones will behave at a portrait session and why these are not a concern to me:
Reality: Yeah, probably not. But I don’t really need them to be still. I take lots and lots of photos. In many of them, maybe your toddler is looking away or running in the opposite direction. But enough of the photos will be of her doing what I want. As far as posing goes, we move quickly and try different things. It’s more gentle guiding than posing really. There are lots of family hugs, tickle fights, etc. This isn’t the Sears portrait studio. No one has to stand on a dot. I adore how this age group is in awe of the world around them. Letting them explore makes for great photos.
Reality: That’s fine. I’ve shot entire sessions where the little one was in mom’s arms the entire time, including some close-up individual shots of the child. My youngest was a velcro baby and now that she’s 14, I miss that, so I got a velcro puppy.
Reality: Kids are great at extremes, aren’t they? This is a little more difficult than the child who wants to be held, but it’s not unusual and we can make it work. Individual portraits are easy enough to capture. We just have to get creative about group shots. Sometimes letting the toddler “fly” back and forth from one parent to another allow for quick moments of the family all together. Tickle fights, and “hand mommy a flower”, etc are all things I try to do to get everyone in the frame.
Reality: First of all, they might surprise you. I try to keep sessions moving. If a child starts to get bored or lose interest, we walk to a different place and do something different. If they are tired of the more guided family shots, I’ll let them run around and play chase while I get candids.
But if they do throw a tantrum, that’s not a big deal at all. I raised two babies into teens myself and I can tell you that one of them was the queen of epic tantrums. Eventually, those fierce little girls turn into fierce young women who make you very proud with their strength and willingness to speak their truth. I have no concerns about waiting out a tantrum. Or photographing it. Just know I’ve been there.
Reality: I would never expect a child in this age group to consistently do what I ask. That’s why I’m flexible and try different things. The best thing for parents to do is just to relax and have fun. I might ask a child to hold their sister’s hand or sit down next to her. If that doesn’t happen, it is completely fine. I’ll try something else. Whatever happens, we will have fun and capture some beautiful memories.
So really, please let go of your fears about booking a family photo session for very young children. There are really only two things you need to do to have a great session.
First, let go of any very specific expectations. Maybe we won’t get a photo of everyone perfectly posed and looking directly at the camera. We usually do, but honestly, those aren’t my favorites anyway. I adore the connection in photos of families interacting with each other, and we always get plenty of those.
Second, and most importantly, just relax and have fun. The best sessions are ones like this one where mom and dad have let go of their fears and are having fun interacting with their little ones.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
Last week I got to go visit my brother and his family in Boone for an early Thanksgiving. My nieces are 5 years old and 3 months old and they are just perfect in every way.
They live a mere minutes away from the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we took a brief excursion to get a few pictures. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have that kind of photo location available to me on a daily basis.
I hope you all had a beautiful holiday.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
I just love this family portrait session in Downtown Columbia with one of my oldest and dearest clients. That’s not a surprise though because this family is always without fail one of my favorite sessions of the year. These kiddos bring an energy that I just adore, and we always have fun.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
I have a love/hate relationship with extended family sessions. I love being able to capture the love and joy in big family groups. I think it is a fantastic idea to capture all of these beautiful relationships. I especially love photographing grandparents with their grandbabies.
What I do not like is that there is never enough time to do what I want. I carry around a list in my head of all the shots I want to try to get at a family portrait session. This includes things like family standing looking at the camera, family standing hugging, family sitting, individuals of each child looking at the camera, candids of each child, siblings, etc. For a typical family session with 2 or 3 children, there is generally time to get all of those photos and have some time to relax and capture candid fun shots.
But when you bring in a large group with multiple individual families, I’ve learned that prioritization is the key. So on my session intake questions, I ask that clients booking a session for a large group let me know what they most want out of a session. That helps me understand what photographs to focus on because we just can’t normally get to everything I’d love to include. And it’s generally not a matter of just extending the session time, particularly if there are small children (and Dads). I find that people generally lose focus after about an hour so making session times longer doesn’t always help.
Prioritization was definitely important for this session. Even though all five children were under five years old, these kids did an amazing job and were such troopers. But it was so cold. The day before had been in the 70s, but that’s Tennessee weather for you. Rescheduling wasn’t an option because one of the families was visiting from out of town. We ended up having to hurry through and finish earlier than normal because it was so uncomfortable. But thankfully we had already discussed what the priorities were.
For this session, the most important thing the family wanted was a large group shot with everyone. Secondly, they wanted to focus on the grandchildren together with their grandparents. After that, I was able to get some other photos before everyone became too cold to continue. I am really glad I knew ahead of time what was most important to them. So if you are booking a photo session with lots of people, it’s a good idea to be clear about what you want most out of the session.
These beautiful children had me smiling the moment they got out of the car. I am so happy I got to capture this big, beautiful family.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
I’m sure you all know by now that Fall is my favorite season. How could it not be? I love the gorgeous fall color, the pleasant temperature, and meeting lovely families for their fall portrait sessions.
One thing I wanted to note about this family portrait session was the playground photos. Sometimes I shoot at local parks that also have playgrounds. For some little ones, this can be a problem because they immediately want to go to the playground instead of doing photos. This is especially true if the park is somewhere they already frequent and if the kids are quite young. It’s just too much for them to understand we have to do photos before playtime. In those cases, I’ve had parents decide that a location without a playground is better for their session.
But if the children are a little older, like these cuties in this family session, it can work out quite well. Little brother saw the playground and wanted to go. I told him if he managed to give me some time to focus on photos first, we could all go to the playground together. I happen to love playground photos. They are a fun way to get candid photos of kids in their own element. So if we are able to use it as an incentive, then I’m all for it.
The swings are my favorite. Is there anything that symbolizes the carfree wonder of childhood like a swing?
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
One of my favorite things about my job is being able to see repeat clients at their family portrait sessions each year. They say that childhood goes by in the blink of an eye. That truth is especially apparent when you only see them once or twice a year.
These are two of my favorite little ones that I’ve been photographing for several years now. I love photographing all ages of children, but this session hits my sweet spot. My absolute favorite time to photograph children is between 2 and 4, and both of these cuties meet that criteria. There is just so much wonder in kids that age that particularly inspires me. They are true to themselves, always live in the moment, and are in awe of the world around them. Would it be weird to say that I want to be a two-year-old when I grow up?
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
These sweet girls were the best. We had so much fun at their family photo session in Columbia. Yanahli Park has become one of my favorite locations for portrait sessions. There is a field there where the sun sets in just the right spot.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
It was so much fun getting to know this sweet girl and her parents at this family portrait session at Marcella Vivrette Smith Park in Franklin. I could have just hung out with her all day long.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
Sometimes I have moms who are booking senior photo sessions for their teens who ask if I could also get photographs of the entire family. It’s often the case that we schedule lots of photo sessions when our kids are little, but that gets harder to do as they get older. I am absolutely happy to combine a senior and family session.
My portrait sessions are about an hour long, and we can focus that hour on whatever best fits your needs. Some parents just want a quick family shot with the majority of the session focused on the senior. Others prefer a more even split between a family session and a senior session.
I find that particularly when all the subjects are older, with no very young children to manage, a one-hour session gives plenty of time to get a wide variety of shots. A combination session works particularly well when perhaps your senior isn’t super excited about photos and is willing to share the time.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
This sweet baby boy was so easygoing for his family portrait session. And it is so clear how much he is loved and adored by his parents and grandparents.
It’s getting into my busy season and I have a ton of editing to do, so forgive me if I’m short on words. They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so if that’s true, I should be good.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
I love seeing my favorite repeat clients yearly for their annual family portrait session. But I especially love it when the kids reach my favorite ages for photographing. Kids ages one to four have always been my favorite to capture, and this family portrait session shows why.
Young children are so authentic and true to their own feelings. They are filled with wonder about the world around them. Even a leaf on the ground becomes fascinating, and a hike through a park is an adventure. Photo sessions with young children involve a playfulness that I love to capture.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
It was so good to see this family again, after our last family photo session four or five years ago. These twin sisters were so easy to photograph. The family wanted a more urban setting for their session, so we chose to meet in Downtown Columbia.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
I’m so glad the weather cooperated for this extended family photo session. When family members are coming from out of town for a session, it makes it especially important for the weather to cooperate. It was a gorgeous evening with a lovely family in a beautifully landscaped yard. And for the second time in a week, I got to include sweet dogs in a family portrait session.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
Oh my goodness, there is so much sweetness in this family portrait session. These girls were so much fun to photograph. And as a bonus, they brought along their family dog. I am always game for families to include their pooches in family photos sessions, but it’s especially fun now that I’ve added my own puppy to my family. Our pets are so important to us and are part of the family, so it makes sense to include them in family pictures.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
I look forward to seeing these boys at their family photo session every year. They are getting so big. This year we had a good talk about superheroes. We agreed that Spiderman, Thor, and Ironman are all pretty awesome.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
Yesterday, I shared with you Emily’s First Communion Photos. We combined those photos with a family portrait session, just like we’ve done in previous years. That meant we had about an hour to do Emily’s pictures inside the church, change her, and do family photos outside the church.
I did not feel we needed extra time to do the session because I’ve been taking photos of these girls all their lives, and they are old enough to follow directions. But even still, after we finished the session, I felt like it was too easy. I wondered to myself, “Did I get enough photos?”
Well, it turns out that I have too many photos. So many that it’s hard to narrow them down to a reasonable level. A big part of why the session feels so effortless is that I’ve been taking photos of these kids literally since they were born, and they know what to expect.
So I thought I would list a few things that make them so easy to photograph in the hopes that it might help others better know what to expect from a family photo session.
Did I miss anything? What do you think is the key to a fantastic family portrait session?
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you considered following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
I have this theory that if someone uses the word “chaos” in my portrait client questionnaire, then I’m going to adore them and love photographing their family. First of all, you’d be surprised how often that happens. And secondly, I’ve been completely correct so far. (See also “wild” and “hot mess”.)
One of my survey questions asks how you want to remember your family at this stage. This mom wrote, “How precious these years are as we watch all 3 kids’ unique personalities unfold. I want to remember how we all love each other deeply, even if it’s chaos sometimes!”
Yes, please! You have no idea how much I’d prefer to read something like that, rather than a list of specific poses or Pinteresty backdrops you’d like included. My number one goal as a photographer is to capture those unique personalities, oftentimes with a little touch of chaos.
And really it’s not really chaos at all that these families bring, but a sense of fun, adventure, and embracing the moment. And for me as a family photographer, that’s everything.
Bonus points if they mention “beautiful light” as their main desire for a portrait location. Because I tend to also prefer simpler backgrounds with beautiful light that make the people in the portraits the main focus. This is the second time I’ve shot at Yanhali Park in Columbia, and I’m definitely adding it to my favorites list.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or to book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you would consider following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
When I photograph large family photo sessions, I can’t help but get a little jealous of all the fun that big families seem to have. It’s like a party anytime they get together. I adored this family before I had even met them, thanks to the beautiful things that their dad and grandpa said about them in my client questionnaire.
One of my favorite things is reading what my clients write about their families in that questionnaire. The simple question of “Tell me a little about each of you” can reveal so much. It’s an oddly personal job to capture someone’s portrait, and in a way I can’t quite explain, I like to know something about them before I begin. For example, I knew that the older granddaughter was very serious about taking care of her baby doll. So I definitely wanted to include the doll in photos. And when I saw her squeezing the doll and her cousin at the same time, giving them both all her love, I had to capture that.
The only challenge with such a large group is balancing getting all the different combinations of shots you need and still trying to capture a little of that personality simultaneously. I often leave wishing I could have gotten to know them even better.
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or to book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you would consider following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
I’m so in love with this family portrait session in downtown Columbia, and it makes me feel like I’ve made a horrible mistake. You see, I love taking pictures around the square in Columbia. It’s never crowded and it has some of the best old abandoned buildings that have beautiful texture and great light.
But I’ve only ever recommended it for Senior sessions. I’ve hesitated to use a downtown setting for my littlest clients because of the streets and traffic. I love to capture children running and playing. So I usually suggest the parks for them so that they have more space to run free.
But when I was chatting with this client about choosing a location, she said that “outdoorsy” settings didn’t feel like a great fit for their family. And above everything else, I want a client’s session to feel authentic to who they are and reflect their personalities. She also said the kids were likely to want to stay pretty close to mom and dad at a session. So I suggested we give downtown Columbia a try.
And I am SOOOOOO glad. I love them, and I hope she does too. These two sweet kids were FANTASTIC. The family was the kind that I immediately felt connected to and loved photographing.
When dad asked if I would take photographs of them getting ice cream at Hattie Jane’s Creamery at the end of the photo session, I thought that was a fantastic idea! Who doesn’t love photos of adorable kids eating delicious ice cream?
Looking for a photographer in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee? I photograph families at all stages, from newborns to seniors. See my website for more information or to book a session from my online calendar. I would love it if you would consider following me on Facebook and/or Instagram.