Fall Family Photos Archives - Crystal Freemon Photography

Fall Family Mini Session in Spring Hill, TN | Perfect November Colors

November 10, 2025November 10, 2025Posted in Big Kids, Family, Sarah Benson Park, (formerly known as Thompson's Station Park)Tagged fall colors Tennessee, Fall Family Photos, fall mini session, fall photo session, family photographer Spring Hill, family photography Spring Hill TN, Franklin TN photographer, mini session photographer, mini sessions near me, November family photos, outdoor family photos, Spring Hill TN Photographer, Tennessee fall photographyLeave a comment

One of the trickiest parts of scheduling fall mini sessions is dealing with unpredictable Tennessee weather. When I set November 2nd as my original date with a backup weekend, I had no idea just how much that flexibility would matter.

As the original date approached, the forecast started looking questionable. There was a real chance of rain, and while I thought we’d probably be okay, I also know that waiting until the last minute to make weather calls can be incredibly stressful for families. Some people are comfortable taking the chance, while others need more certainty to arrange their schedules and outfits. That’s exactly why I give clients the choice—reschedule early to the backup date, or wait it out and see what happens.

I had six families scheduled for the original mini date. Five decided to chance it, while one family chose to reschedule right away, which allowed them to coordinate work schedules to make the backup weekend work. And wouldn’t you know it—November 2nd turned out to be absolutely beautiful. The family who rescheduled expressed some regret when they saw how nice the weather was. But here’s the thing—that apprehension turned out to be completely unfounded because the backup date was even more perfect.

Here’s what I’ve learned after 10 years of doing this: you simply cannot regret your weather-related rescheduling decisions. We all make the best choices we can with the information we have at the time, and weather forecasts are notoriously unreliable. That’s why I try to be as flexible as possible and let each client decide their own comfort level with uncertainty. While I want to offer clients as much flexibility as possible, I also don’t have the capacity to endlessly reschedule in pursuit of perfect weather conditions. That’s especially true with mini sessions, which is exactly why I build in that rain backup from the start.

(Note: While I absolutely allow flexibility for rain chances or extreme cold, I can’t reschedule because it’s cloudy. Some clients get apprehensive about overcast weather, thinking they need bright sunshine for gorgeous photos. But that’s not the case at all—overcast skies can create beautifully moody, soft light that’s incredibly flattering.)

What I’m most thrilled about is that the fall colors were absolutely stunning on both weekends. Many people assume the most gorgeous autumn color happens in October, but I’ve consistently found that early November is the real sweet spot here in Tennessee. The leaves were perfect on the original date, and they were still perfect the following weekend.

And this past Saturday, November 8th? I’m calling it—that was officially the most perfect day of the entire year. The light, the temperature, the colors—everything came together beautifully. This family’s session was filled with genuine smiles, cozy fall vibes, and that golden hour glow that makes my photographer heart so happy. Getting to capture these moments when everything aligns is exactly why I love what I do.

Ready to book your own family session? I’d love to photograph your family and capture the connections that make you unique. You can contact me through my website or follow along on Instagram and Facebook for updates on availability and upcoming sessions.

Spring Hill Family Photos at Sarah Benson Park | Fall Sessions Available

September 3, 2025September 3, 2025Posted in Family, Sarah Benson Park, (formerly known as Thompson's Station Park)Tagged college students family photos, Fall Family Photos, fall mini sessions, family photography Spring Hill, family photos with teens, family photos with young adults, mini sessions October, Sarah Benson Park family session, Spring Hill family photographerLeave a comment

Family photo session at Sarah Benson Park in Spring Hill TN

I absolutely love photographing families with older kids and young adults. There’s something so special about capturing these connections during this unique season of life—when everyone’s personalities have really developed and the family dynamic has this wonderful depth to it.

Let me tell you, I know from personal experience just how challenging it can be to coordinate schedules when you have teens and college students. Between work schedules, school commitments, sports, and social plans, finding a time when everyone can be in the same place feels nearly impossible sometimes. But when it all comes together? It’s everything you hoped it would be.

This Sarah Benson Park session was exactly that—everything I love about photographing families at this stage. The golden hour light filtering through the trees, genuine laughter instead of forced smiles, and those natural interactions that happen when everyone’s relaxed and just being themselves. These are the moments that make all the scheduling coordination absolutely worth it.

Speaking of timing and coordination, I’ve just added another Fall mini session date—Thursday, October 9th! If your young adults will be home for fall break, this could be the perfect opportunity to finally get those family photos you’ve been talking about. Mini sessions are especially wonderful for families who don’t have little ones to wrangle. We can focus on connection and conversation without worrying about naptime or meltdowns.

I still have several dates available for full fall sessions too, but honestly, these won’t last long. Fall is always my busiest season, and I’m already seeing my calendar fill up faster than usual this year. If you’ve been thinking about family photos, don’t wait too much longer.

Ready to coordinate those schedules and create some beautiful memories together? I’d love to chat about which session option would work best for your family. You can book directly through my website or send me a message—I’m here to help make this as easy as possible!

Family of Four Photo Session at Henry Horton State Park

November 3, 2020November 3, 2020Posted in Big Kids, Family, Henry Horton State Park, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged 2020, boys, brothers, Fall Family Photos, family of 4, Family photography, Henry Horton State Park, joy, Spring Hill TN PhotographerLeave a comment

Photo Session at Henry Horton State Park with Crystal Freemon Photography

It’s been about two years since I last photographed this beautiful family, and I was so glad to see them again for a photo session at Henry Horton State Park. The boys have gotten so big since I last saw them. One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to see children grow over the years.

I have been loving Henry Horton State Park for family photo sessions lately because of the beautiful light. This session was no exception. I also love the tall grasses that can be found in the park. I do wish there were more colorful trees to be found though. The day was a bit chilly, but I will take that over a super hot fall session like I had a couple weeks ago. The boys weathered the cold like champs and we had lots of fun playing and exploring.

This is my favorite kind of family photo session….one with lots of giggles, hugs and love.

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.

What being a Lifestyle Photographer Means to Me

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020Posted in Big Kids, Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Portrait SessionsTagged 2020, fall, Fall Family Photos, family of 4, sisters, Spring Hill TN Photographer, tweensLeave a comment

Family of Four LIfestyle Portrait Session in Spring Hill TN

One of the biggest lessons I learned early on when I became a professional photographer, was that I am not the right photographer for everyone. It’s my job to try to make sure that the right clients can find me, while those who are not a good fit for me, recognize that and find a photographer who is a better fit. So when I show up at a lifestyle family portrait session and feel like the clients are exactly right for me, I get really excited.

There are lots of things that go into a photographer’s style. But what I want to talk about today is what it really means to be a lifestyle photographer. “Lifestyle” has become a buzzword in photography world, but I’m not sure a lot of people truly understand what it means. And that meaning can vary a bit between photographers. To let you know how I see lifestyle photography, let’s first talk about what it is not.

What most of us grew up with was traditional portrait photography. This was typically done in a studio (raise your hand if you went to Sears!!) with studio lighting and a photographer who told you exactly where to stand, where to put your hands, how to hold your chin just so, etc. That is a perfectly lovely form of photography when done by a true artist (like, not Portrait Innovations). But it’s not me. My goal is that no one shows up at a portrait session with me expecting traditional portrait photography. Because if they do, then they will likely spend most of the session staring at my camera with a forced, fake smile waiting on me to tell them how to stand.

At the other end of the spectrum is Documentary photography. I think documentary photographers are super cool, and I do dabble in that occasionally, but that’s not what most of my family sessions are either. When shooting, a documentary photographer would not become part of the story at all. They would simply document what happens naturally, without controlling or guiding the story at all. My birth sessions are this way mostly. I’m like a fly on the wall, capturing events as they unfold.

But as a lifestyle photographer, my approach is between these two extremes. As a lifestyle photographer, I want to capture real life interactions between your family, but I’d prefer those interactions to happen in pretty light, and I’d like to get a variety of interactions to happen in a one hour span of time, so I offer some guidance. Instead of “hold your head like this”, I’m more apt to tell you to “snuggle up” or “have a tickle fight”. I’m looking for things that capture your family as they are, and this might mean different things for different families. You may catch me noticing an interaction between you, and it’s possible I might ask you to do it again, maybe while standing in the pretty light this time.

Side note, but after all these years, I’m not sure my husband understands the difference between lifestyle and documentary. Whenever I try to get a photo of him and my girls interacting in a certain way, he always complains “but I thought you didn’t like posed photos.” Dude, I’m not posing you, I’m GUIDING YOU. Also, just do what I said.

Anyway, in trying to find the right clients for me, I work hard on educating clients both before they hire me, and before the session so they know what to expect. Some of that comes from written blog posts like this one, or client emails, but I also do it in more subtle ways. If you follow me on Instagram, you may notice that in a great number of the photos I share there, the subjects are not looking at the camera. I always get photos of clients looking at the camera at a session because everyone wants at least a couple of those, but my favorites are almost always ones where the family is involved with each other and not looking at me. So I make a point of sharing what I love to shoot, in an attempt to attract the right clients.

Well, let’s just say I felt like I hit the jackpot with this family. They were so much fun to photograph and immediately took to my guidance and silly requests. There was so much dancing, and snuggling up and giggling and LOVE that it made my job so super easy. I just adore this family portrait session and hope they do too.

Also, the family is fairly new to Spring Hill. Please join me in welcoming them to town!