Family Photography with a touch of Chaos

Family of Five Portraits at Yanhali Park

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.

Family Portrait Session in Columbia, TN

Outdoor Family Session at Yanahli Park

I was very excited to find a new portrait session location. I’ve been hiking a lot recently and using the app AllTrails to find spots to go. Somehow I had never heard of Yanahli Park in Columbia, even though it’s only about 20 minutes away from my house. My husband and I checked it out for a hike and I thought it would be perfect for portrait sessions.

Nicole is one of my long-time favorite clients and always up for trying something new, so they were a great first family to photograph at the park. The spot worked great. The only problem is that there were SO MANY MOSQUITOS. I can’t even explain how bad it was. The kids were champs in dealing with it though, so we made it through and they look beautiful.

I always love the clothes choices that Nicole makes and this time was no different. Those colors are absolutely gorgeous!

You guys please let me know if there are other fun spots I’m missing out on!

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.

Joshua’s Columbia Academy Senior Portraits

Columbia Academy Senior Portraits

I’m so pleased with how this Columbia Academy Senior Portrait Session turned out, despite questionable weather earlier in the day. We almost had to postpone the photo session due to bad weather. Thankfully the rain ended well before our scheduled time.

But the weather led Joshua’s mom to ask me how the cloudy weather might affect the pictures. I thought I’d share my answer here for others who had wondered the same. I actually really enjoy photo sessions on overcast days. The clouds provide a diffused light that is very nice for portraits. It actually makes it a little easier. Normally during the beginning of a session when the sun is still high in the sky, I have to look for shaded areas to take photos to avoid the harsh light. On cloudy days, that’s not an issue.

The one downfall to shooting on an overcast day is that there is not much variety in lighting. There is no hazy backlight for example. But we can still add variety in other ways. In Joshua’ soccer photo below, I used my flash to light his face while still capturing the dramatic sky in the background. Then, as the sun went down, we used the headlamps on his car for some interesting lighting.

I also want to mention that we had some discussion of where to have this session, and I’m so glad we decided to do the photos at Columbia Academy. First of all, the campus is beautiful. Also, I love having a location that means something to the people being photographed. I’ve been organizing some old photos of my own, and find myself looking at the environment in the photos as much as the people. Often little things in the background that we didn’t even notice at the time, evoke memories when viewed years later.

Congrats to Joshua and all of the class of 2021! I know they have so many exciting adventures ahead of them. 🎓

I would love it if you could follow me on Instagram. That’s a great place to keep up to date on future openings. Also, you can book a session directly from my online booking calendar, or contact me if you have questions.

Downtown columbia tn senior guy portrait session

I can’t believe that once upon a time, I thought I would hate senior sessions. When I first started in photography, families and young children were definitely my comfort zone. But with some encouragement from friends, I gave senior sessions a try and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed them.  It’s so fun to get to know these young people, and also to try to capture their personalities and passions in photographs.  I just love that Dylan brought his guitar to this session, and my favorite photos from it are ones where he is playing. 

I also love the ability to get creative with backgrounds and lighting. I can do that to some extent with younger kids, but they just don’t stand in one place for long.  I love the look and variety of downtown sessions, but don’t recommend them for my young clients because it’s not a safe space for them to roam and explore freely. But with seniors, it’s just perfect. Downtown Franklin is great, but I also have grown to love shooting in downtown Columbia.  It was just the perfect weather and perfect location to commemorate Dylan’s senior year.