Large Family Photo Session at Marcella Vivrette Park

Cousins at a large family photo session at Marcella Vivrette Park

I’m going to tell y’all a little secret. I don’t usually love large family sessions. Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE that clients want to do them. I think it’s so great to capture that beautiful relationship with extended family. Getting grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles together for photos is a great idea.

It’s just that having SO many people at a session can make it hard to do what I really love, which is to capture candid moments of connection. Sometimes, just capturing the more posed large group photo along with every combination of smaller families within the larger family can be pretty stressful.

I know what you are thinking – just make the sessions longer. I could, but I find that going much more than an hour has diminishing returns. That’s about the optimal time to keep the kids (and adults) engaged and focused. But also, sometimes it takes clients a while to warm up and become relaxed. This is fine when I’m photographing a family of four, for example. I tend to like the photos at the end the most, once the kids have gotten used to me. At a large family session, there isn’t much time to waste in “warming up.”

But I’ve been photographing this family for several years now, and they are like magic. Somehow, even with so many kids, they make it easy. They are used to me and my style by now, which helps (but also were a great fit, to begin with). I’m always super impressed with their clothing and accessory collection (isn’t this pop of animal print amazing?).

But mostly, I think it’s just that they have fun and I have fun with them. They make me love large family sessions.

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.

Childhood Portraits at Winstead Park

Family Portraits at Winstead Hill Park

 “And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.”

Mark Anthony

Family Portrait Session at Winstead Park – capturing the love & joy of Emerson in photos.

Family Portraits with Newborn at Winstead Hill Park

Outdoor newborn portrait with big brother

This outdoor newborn/family session was a lesson in being flexible. These are wonderful repeat family portrait clients of mine. I was looking forward to meeting the newest addition to the family, a baby sister who is one month old. Mom wanted more of an outdoor family session than a traditional at-home newborn. Her original request was to have the photos taken at the Park at Harlinsdale Farms. We had not done a session for them there yet and she liked the location.

That sounded like a great idea until I realized that the session was scheduled for the same day as the Pilgrimage Festival. So I gave them the option of moving the session to another day, or keeping the date and moving to another location far far away from Harlinsdale and the crowds.

It turns out, a weekday morning session worked just great for the new family of four. Little ones are often happier in the morning and it worked for their schedules, so we changed the date.

But then Thursday morning I showed up at Harlinsdale about an hour early (because that’s me…your Enneagram 1 photographer). They were already setting up for Pilgrimage. Oops! I guess it should have occurred to me that they would need several days to set up for such a large festival. They wouldn’t let me in, and even if they had, there were giant white tents everywhere.

This is where my being obsessively early coming in handy. I was able to call the clients before they had left home, and we adapted. I gave a few options and they chose Winstead Hill Park. That worked out nicely because Winstead has plenty of shade, which is needed for a mid-morning photo session, and was somewhere they hadn’t done pictures before.

Isn’t that sweet baby girl just perfection? Big brother had a great time exploring a new park.

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.

Spring Family Portrait Session at Winstead Park

Franklin Family Photographer Session at Winstead Hill Park

It was such a gorgeous day for this family portrait session at Winstead Hill Park in Franklin, TN. I have been photographing this family since little brother was a baby, and this week he is turning three. I love being able to see my clients grow. It’s one of my favorite parts of being a family photographer.

In case you missed it, I am offering a Spring Mini Session date for Family Portraits because the Fall Mini Sessions were so much fun! Only one spot is left, so if you are interested, don’t wait to book! The sessions will be 25 minutes long and will include your choice of 30 full-size digital images from the session gallery, with the option to purchase more digital images and/or print products. The cost of the mini-session is $300.

The sessions will be at the Park at Harlinsdale Farms in Franklin. Before you decide to book, please read about whether or not mini-sessions are right for you. If you have a large family or a little one who may take some time to warm up, I ask that you consider booking a full family portrait session instead.

I am a photographer serving families in Spring Hill, Franklin, and Columbia in Middle Tennessee. I photograph families at all stages, from newborn 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.

Spring Mini Sessions – March 28 at Harlinsdale Farms in Franklin

Spring Mini Sessions - Franklin TN by Crystal Freemon Photography

I am offering a Spring Mini Session date for Family Portraits because the Fall Mini Sessions were so much fun! Only four spots are available, so if you are interested, don’t wait to book! The sessions will be 25 minutes long and will include your choice of 30 full-size digital images from the session gallery, with the option to purchase more digital images and/or print products. The cost of the mini-session is $300.

The sessions will be at the Park at Harlinsdale Farms in Franklin. Before you decide to book, please read about whether or not mini-sessions are right for you. If you have a large family or a little one who may take some time to warm up, I ask that you consider booking a full family portrait session instead.

And while you are planning and scheduling your Spring Mini Sessions, be sure to read my post from last week on how to document last year’s beautiful memories. I show you a quick and easy way to create a photo book of your 2020 highlights using Google photos.

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.