Backyard Portrait Session with Grandparents | Franklin Family Photographer

Little boy sliding on pool slide in Nashville

Memories are being made in this backyard. Summer fun with cousins splashing in the pool, jumping on the trampoline, and creating art with chalk…is there anything better? I love being able to photograph families in locations that are special to them, and this home is certainly special and full of love.

It’s been five years since I first photographed this beautiful family as they gathered together for summer fun. I last photographed them around this time three years ago. It was so great to see them again and see how much the kids had grown.

Just like at their very first family session, we started out with more formal portraits, but then let the kids play in the back yard as I shot fun lifestyle pictures. Then they got to change to have fun in the pool. I even brought my GoPro along for a few underwater shots.

Factory at Franklin Family Portrait Session & My New Messenger Bot

First of all, I want to say that I adore this family portrait session from this past weekend at the Factory at Franklin. Heather chose to have the session at the Factory because it was supposed to rain, and the Factory provides a good choice for indoor sessions. But my favorite spots at the Factory are actually outside, so I was so glad when the weather turned out to be actually pretty decent.

The combination of agreeable weather, the great color choices for their outfits, and just a wonderful family to get to know made this one of my favorite sessions. Arica and Alec were such sweet and fun kids to photograph. Also, their big sister Maria and her fiance’ were in town for the photo session. I couldn’t help getting a few sweet shots of them alone, so it was almost like getting a combined family session in one.


Besides editing this beautiful portrait session, this week I’ve been working on making it easier for clients to get information they need about sessions right away.

I was an Engineer in my past life and bring some of that analytical thinking to my business.  I love efficiency and you’ll see that through my online scheduling calendar, and my automated emails that help you throughout the process from helping you choose what to wear to reminding you what to bring to a session.

This week, I’ve added to that efficiency by adding a Facebook Messenger Bot to my Facebook page. If you message me, you’ll have the option to get a lot of information from the bot immediately, without having to wait for my reply. So if I am out shooting a session and can’t respond right away, you can still get information on pricing, frequently asked questions and information on how to book a session, with just a click of a button within Facebook messenger.

I’m pondering about adding a way for clients to get communications through Facebook messenger, such as session reminders, what to wear advice, gallery links, etc, rather than just through email. I’d love to have some opinions on that from anyone who has one!

I love creating systems that make it easier on my clients, but the personal touch is also very important to me. I’m always a text, message, email or call away if you need me directly. 

Why I’m thankful for Portrait Session Referrals

It means the world to me when a new family portrait session client tells me that they hired me because a friend referred them to me for photos. I have several loyal clients who are often sending new families to me and I am so thankful for their recommendations.

First of all, if a client refers someone else to me, that means they’ve been happy with their experience in the past, and that is the MOST important thing to me. I want every client to love both their photos and the experience in getting the photos made. If a client trusts me enough to refer other people to me, then I feel like I’ve done my job.

Also, this photography gig is pretty much a one-woman show. I’m not only photographer and editor, I’m also advertiser/marketer, accountant, web designer and administrative assistant. I never expect or require clients to share my work, write reviews or send friends and family to me. But when they do choose to help with the advertising of my business, I am so very grateful for that vote of confidence.

When Venissa contacted me about booking family photos, she said that she had learned about me from her friend Nicole, one of my oldest and dearest clients, who often sends other people my way and I am so very grateful for her support. ❤

V️enissa wanted to book an extended family portrait session while her parents were in town for the holidays. We had originally booked for a few days after Christmas, but the weather was awful and rainy, so we were able to reschedule for New Year’s day before her out-of-town family returned home. What a gorgeous way to kick of 2020….I loved hanging out with this wonderful family. The weather was a bit chilly but tolerable, and they were all so much fun to photograph.

How did you kick off the new year? Are you planning on scheduling family portraits for 2020? I’m now booking sessions through June! Contact me today!

Christmas Eve-Eve Extended family Portrait Session

The hardest part about this extended family portrait session was deciding which pictures to share. For my large group session the day before, the weather was rainy and awful. We made do with a large covered balcony and some indoor shots, but I was very happy when the weather turned gorgeous for this session.

Sometimes clients are hesitant to book a winter session for fear of bad weather, but this session is a perfect example of how, in Middle Tennessee, any month can be wonderful for outdoor family photos. It was truly the perfect day.

To be honest, a lot of times large family portrait sessions aren’t my favorite. I enjoy them, and wholeheartedly believe they are important for capturing priceless memories. My only complaint is that often, because of the number of people being photographed, there isn’t a lot of time for candid, natural moments. You spend so much time getting all the required combinations of people, that there isn’t a lot of time left to run, jump & play with the kids.

But this session was absolutely perfect. The group shots went quickly and the family so fun and relaxed. We had plenty of time to explore and play. I loved the dynamic with this family, from the silly men to the sweet way that Kalei and Reed looked after their baby cousin, Alice.

I hope that they love this portrait session as much as I do and that the photos will be a cherished reminder of a happy Christmas for years to come.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas making memories.

Christmas Memories – Giant Extended Family Session

Merry Christmas everyone! This beautiful family isn’t able to get together often since some of them live in different parts of the country. Since they were all in town for their Christmas celebration, they wanted to be able to capture those memories in photographs, and I am so glad they did. It was such an honor to be a part of such love and laughter. I felt so at home with them that I could have easily slipped in and pretended to be another sibling. It was so much fun.

We had hoped to be able to take at least some of the photos outside, but the weather didn’t cooperate. But with the help of a large covered deck and a gorgeous red umbrella, we made it work.

I hope that the photos mean something special to them and that they can be treasured for years to come.

And I hope all of you have a very wonderful holiday season filled with lots of magical moments, laughter and love.

Extended Family Portrait Session at the Factory At Franklin

This is a family that I photograph pretty regularly, and I feel like they keep getting bad luck when it comes to session weather. I’ve shot a session for them in the rain. They had a session last year that was super hot, and then another where it was bitterly cold. They’ve been troopers through every single session and handled it beautifully each time. But it stinks because I generally feel like the weather cooperates for almost all my sessions – even late winter ones, but this one family keeps taking all the hits.

So of course, yesterday, when I arrived at the Park at Harlinsdale Farms where we were supposed to shoot, it felt WAYYY colder than the 54 degrees my phone said that it was. Then five minutes later my phone read 48 degrees. That’s still generally reasonable for a winter photo session, but the wind was so bitingly cold. I was worried that it would be way too uncomfortable to have fun and enjoy the session.

So when Kate showed up and asked if we could try to move the session to the Factory at Franklin, I completely agreed. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to, as the Factory charges a permit fee and I’d always booked it in advance. But the man at the front desk was nice enough to let us get the permit immediately so we were able to move the portrait session indoors, which was so much better than dealing with the bitter wind.

We were also able to slip outside for brief periods before coming back inside to get warm, and there is this nice corridor that was mostly protected from the wind. So all in all, it worked out well. But I still hope that next time they get a nice pleasant, mild day….it’s their turn.

Extended Family Portrait Session at Aspen Grove Park in Franklin, TN

I first met this beautiful family a little over 2 years ago when they booked their first extended family portrait session with me. Sherri had booked the session and wanted to have a big family portrait session with all her grandbabies. I remember that she had said in her booking paperwork that she wanted to capture “”love, happiness, grand-babies & family.” 

Now it’s been over two years, and there is still plenty of love and happiness, and even more grandbabies to include. One of my favorite parts of this job is that I am able to witness families like Sherri’s grow and change over the years. What a beautiful family they have created. I love being able to capture a little of that beauty for them to keep.

Extended Family Portrait Session at Ellington Agricultural Center

I had a fabulous time getting to know everyone at this extended family portrait session at Ellington Agricultural Center. It’s the first time I had shot there before, and the location is gorgeous. I definitely want to go back.

This session is a 50th anniversary gift for Sharon and Bob from their children. The two have NEVER had professional portraits made before. What an honor it was to be able to capture their beautiful family. I loved getting to know them. 

Despite promises of a cold front, the weather was warmer than I would have liked, but it didn’t stop the fun. And the lighting was absolutely gorgeous.

If you are wanting Fall Portraits sessions for your family or senior, please book today. There are no October spots left but there are a couple of November spots still available. Book yours today.

What to ask about Family Portrait Session Pricing?

When you research family portrait photographers, you will find a wide variety of prices and pricing structures. Today, I want to help you to know what questions to ask when comparing photographers and understanding the price.

What’s included in the session fee?

Most photographers charge a session fee, but what that includes can vary greatly. I used to charge a $250 session fee that included no digitals or prints, only my time in shooting and editing the session. Then clients would purchase digitals or prints after the session. But I realized that 95% of my clients wanted all the digitals from their session, so I started including those in the session fee for $450 total. So before, clients would pay $250 for the session fee, and then after the session they would pay $200 for digitals. Now the total price is the same, but it’s all included in one charge. There is no need for clients to purchase anything after the session unless they want to buy print products from me.

Be sure you understand what is included and what is not so that you compare apples to apples.

Can I purchase digital images, and will I get a print release?

Some photographers include “web only” digitals in their packages that are small files, sometimes watermarked, that are intended only for sharing on social media and not for printing. If you want to print your images yourself, make sure that that package you are considering includes full size digitals and a print release (both are included with my sessions.)

How many images will I get?

This is a very important question to ask as it also varies greatly for different photographers. There is no right answer here, and a lot of it has to do with the photographers style. But it’s something you will want to understand. Some will deliver as few as 10 or so final images from a session.

I’m probably at the other end of that extreme. Because my style is very candid and natural, I want to deliver lots of variety of shots to clients. Instead of just trying to get the “perfect” posed shot, we will focus on playing and exploring while I shoot a wide variety of images for your gallery. As a result, I tend to deliver over 100 images to clients, in both black and white and color.

Don’t base your decision on pricing alone.

But more than anything else, please don’t base your decision on price alone. The photographer you choose should be experienced, particularly in the genre of photography you are looking for, and should show consistently good images in their portfolio. And most importantly, her or his style should be something that speaks to you. Above all, photographers are artists, so don’t hire a photographer with a certain style and expect them to deliver something else.

Extended Family Session at their Peaceful Retreat

This grandma contacted me because she wanted family photos taken with her three adult children and their families while her one daughter was in town from California. She wanted to do the photos at the families second home / retreat near Leipers Fork that they just purchased in May.

She said something beautiful in her booking paperwork that stuck with me while I was photographing this gorgeous family. She said, when talking about the property, “I feel that it will be a place where people can come and disconnect from the busyness of the world and find peace with God.”

After arriving, I immediately saw what she meant. It is such a beautiful place and I know that they will make many beautiful memories there. I feel honored to have been able to document the beginnings of this special place for their family. I imagine many years of family photos there in the future.