grandparents Archives - Crystal Freemon Photography

Extended Family Session – Identifying Priorities

November 14, 2022November 14, 2022Posted in Family, Little Kids, Sarah Benson Park, (formerly known as Thompson's Station Park)Tagged "Spring Hill tn", cousins, extended family, fall, family, grandchildren, grandparents, joy, Large groups, outdoorsLeave a comment

Extended family session with Grandparents at Sarah Benson Park

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.

Spring Hill Family Portrait Session with Grandparents

September 18, 2022September 18, 2022Posted in Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Newborns & Babies, Portrait SessionsTagged baby boy, extended family session, family, Family Portrait Photographer, grandfather, grandmother, grandparents, outdoors, Spring Hill TNLeave a comment

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.

Backyard Family Photo Session in Spring Hill

May 4, 2022May 4, 2022Posted in Family, Home Sessions, Seniors & TeensTagged family, grandparentsLeave a comment

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.

Large Family Photo Session in Franklin, TN

March 1, 2022March 1, 2022Posted in Couples, Family, Little Kids, Portrait Sessions, The Park at Harlinsdale FarmsTagged "crystal freemon photography", cousins, extended family sessions, family, grandparents, Harlinsdale Farms, outdoors, toddlersLeave a comment

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.

Large Family Photo Session at Marcella Vivrette Park

November 9, 2021November 9, 2021Posted in Big Kids, Family, Marcella Vivrette Smith Park, Portrait SessionsTagged cousins, extended family, fall, Franklin Family Photographer, grandparents, Large groups, Marcella Vivrette park, outdoors, siblingsLeave a comment

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.

Family Portraits in Franklin TN

October 23, 2021October 23, 2021Posted in Family, Home Sessions, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", extended family, fall, family, grandparents, Large Group, outdoors, portrait photographer, siblingsLeave a comment

I first met this beautiful family two years ago for an extended family portrait session. I was really excited to return and see them again. A lot of people on Instagram have been asking me about this beautiful portrait location. It’s actually the client’s private retreat, and it was a joy to shoot there. So much beauty and lots of love.

And aren’t the clothing choices just fantastic? I love the colors and the textures.

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.

A&E Farm Extended Family Photo Session

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021Posted in Family, Little KidsTagged "crystal freemon photography", A&E Farm, college grove, extended family, Family Portrait Photographer, Four Generations, grandparents, Horses, outdoors, sistersLeave a comment

This beautiful family traveled from all over the country for a vacation together at A&E Farm in College Grove. I had never been to A&E Farm before. It’s such a beautiful place to book for a vacation or small event! I’m sure wonderful memories were made for all four generations visiting together. I am so thankful they asked me to capture some of those moments.

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 of Four Portrait Session at Harlinsdale Farms

June 22, 2021June 22, 2021Posted in Little Kids, Newborns & Babies, Portrait Sessions, The Park at Harlinsdale FarmsTagged baby, baby girl, family of 4, grandparents, siblings, summer, The Park at Harlinsdal FarmsLeave a comment

Family Portrait Session at the Park at Harlinsdale Farms

I don’t ever remember photographing a summer family portrait session in such pleasant weather as this one. I was in shock that it wasn’t suffocatingly hot. It was especially nice because I felt like I had botched the first scheduled date for this photo session by rescheduling it prematurely. The forecast was calling for rain for most of the day on our originally scheduled date. I texted the client to decide what to do. We discussed whether we should wait and see or just go ahead and reschedule. I suggested we reschedule because every time I take the “wait and see” approach, we end up having to reschedule anyway. But of course, this time it ended up being clear and sunny that evening after we had already rescheduled. So I felt vindicated when the weather was so perfect on our make-up date.

Everyone knows that 2-3-year-olds are my favorite age of kids to photograph at family portrait sessions. One thing that makes this age group even more fun to photograph is when they are still getting to know a new brother or sister. It’s so much fun watching that new relationship and capturing the changes happening in the family.

When I am prepping for a family portrait session, I often think about my own family, and what it was like when my girls were the ages of my little clients. For this session, I thought back to how my oldest reacted when we brought home her little sister. We weren’t sure how she would react, but he was so enamored with this new human. If I put Kayla in her crib and walked to another room, Megan would say, “Mommy…you forgot your baby!” She was very protective. I remember the sweet way her little than would pat Kayla when she cried.

These were the things I was thinking about when I met this beautiful family. Hopefully, I was able to capture some of those special memories for them.

Contact me today if you’d like to book a session to capture your families precious memories.

I am a photographer serving families 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.

Backyard Portrait Session with Grandparents | Franklin Family Photographer

June 24, 2020June 24, 2020Posted in Big Kids, Family, Home Sessions, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "extended family", cousins, family, Franklin Portrait Photographer, grandparents, outdoors, pool, siblings, summerLeave a comment

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.

Why I’m thankful for Portrait Session Referrals

January 6, 2020March 28, 2020Posted in Big Kids, Family, Portrait Sessions, The Park at Harlinsdale FarmsTagged "extended family", "Franklin tn", "The Park at Harlinsdale Farms", 2020, Franklin Portrait Photographer, grandfather, grandmother, grandparents, groups, Teens, tweens, winterLeave a comment

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 Memories – Giant Extended Family Session

December 24, 2019December 24, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Family, Home Sessions, Little Kids, Newborns & Babies, Parties & Events, Portrait Sessions, Seniors & TeensTagged "extended family", 2019, Christmas, cousins, Family of 29, Family Portrait Photographer, grandparents, groups, Holidays, home, indooors, Large Group, rain, siblingsLeave a comment

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

December 2, 2019December 2, 2019Posted in Family, Little Kids, Portrait Sessions, The Factory at FranklinTagged "extended family", "Family of 4", "Franklin tn", Franklin Portrait Photographer, grandparents, indoors, little kids, the factory at franklin, toddlers, winterLeave a comment

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

October 16, 2019October 16, 2019Posted in Aspen Grove Park, Family, Little Kids, Newborns & Babies, Portrait Sessions, UncategorizedTagged "Aspen Grove Park", "extended family", 2019, baby, Bridge, fall, family, grandparents, Large Group, little kidsLeave a comment

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

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019Posted in Ellington Agriculture Center, Family, Little Kids, Newborns & Babies, Portrait SessionsTagged "extended family", 2019, baby, cousins, Ellington Agriculture Center, fall, family, grandparents, nursing, sisters, toddlersLeave a comment

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?

September 24, 2019September 24, 2019Posted in Family, Home Sessions, Little KidsTagged "extended family", fall, grandparents, Leipers Fork, siblings, Tips, toddlers, woodsLeave a comment

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.

There are a couple spots left for Fall family portrait sessions, but don’t wait. Book your spot today.

Capturing Christmas Tradition at a home Photo Session

November 20, 2018August 7, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Family, Home Sessions, Portrait Sessions, UncategorizedTagged "crystal freemon photography", 2018, Christmas, family, father, girl, grandparents, Holidays, home, indoors, joy, lifestyle, mother, photography, portraitsLeave a comment

The years pass quickly, and that’s one reason why Whitney wanted a home portrait session to capture her family’s Christmas traditions while Haley is still young. They wanted a session that captured things they do each year around Christmas time, like decorating the tree, making Gingerbread houses, and listening to the Christmas Story and the Night Before Christmas while drinking hot cocoa by the fire.

I mean, how can you not just feel all cozy and filled with the Christmas spirit by looking at these photos? I just love this so much. 🎄❤️

What about you? What kind of memories would you like to capture for your family?

My ideal family portrait clients

November 15, 2018August 7, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Family, Little Kids, Portrait Sessions, Preservation ParkTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Preservation Park", "Spring Hill tn", 2018, boy, cousins, fall, family, girl, grandparents, joy, leaves, outdoors, photography, portraits, preschoolers, siblings, TeensLeave a comment

I want to apologize for the large amount of photos in this blog post. I really am trying to get better about that, but I easily had enough photos from this session for three blog posts, and I had a really hard time choosing.

I first met this beautiful family last year, when they hired me for an extended family session after I had photographed sweet Lily’s preschool graduation photo and I just fell in love with them. There is just so much love, and joy and togetherness with them that is just beautiful to be around.

In photography workshops and facebook groups, they talk a lot about finding your ideal clients. That’s not something I thought about at all before becoming a professional photographer, but I quickly realized how important it is to find clients who are a good fit for my style. This past weekend, I had three family sessions, and I walked away from them all thinking about how exactly perfect the clients were for me.

I can’t put into words exactly what makes them so perfect, because a lot of it is just a feeling. But there are a few things that I know I love to see in clients:

They are familiar with my style of work and have come to be because that’s the style that they want, not just because someone recommended me or they found me in a google search (those are all great ways to find me, but my point is that they did look at my photos and made their final choice based upon my work.)
They put thought and planning into their wardrobe selection, but also understand that the primary subject of the photos are the people themselves, and have chosen clothing that they are comfortable in and feel themselves in.
They value photos as priceless artifacts of their time together, and after the session, they take the time to print the photos and enjoy them. (I was so excited to hear how this family printed and enjoyed their photos from last Fall!)
They aren’t looking for perfectly posed and put together photos, but are interested in capturing real memories of their time together.

I feel so thankful to have so many amazing clients who are not only clients, but who have become friends. I love being able to see them grow each year ❤️

No, we aren’t doing photos with Satan…and other reasons I need a copy editor.

October 11, 2018August 7, 2019Posted in Family, Little Kids, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "Eagleville tn", "Family of 4", "Lucky Ladd Farms", 2018, animals, boy, fall, family, farm, girl, grandparents, horse, joy, mom, outdoors, personal, pets, photography, portraitsLeave a comment

So apparently I invited the “I heart Spring Hill page” to come have photos made with Satan at Spring Station Middle School. 👹

So two things:

We will be doing photos with SANTA 🎅🏻, not Satan 👹. Satan isn’t very festive. 🎄 (Click the link at the bottom of this blog post to get your tickets now..don’t wait as they are selling out fast.)

Also, I should not be allowed to type things. Pictures really are my specialty. And if pictures are worth a thousand words, then I have millions and billions so I should just quit typing.

It’s not that I can’t spell, it’s that I type quickly as things are coming into my head, and then, even if I re-read it multiple times, I SEE it like it’s correct. Have you ever seen those tricks of the mind things where they delete all the vowels from a paragraph, but somehow you can read it anyway because your mind subconsciously fills in the blanks? That’s what I do when I try to edit my own work…I don’t even see the error. I mean, you guys, OF COURSE I meant Santa.

I’d like to say that was the first time I royally goofed in type, but sadly, it’s not.

So I actually have a copy editor. She’s really good at it and bonus…she’s free. Unfortunately, she’s also 12 and at school all day. I could wait, and I know I should, but I get so excited to show these beautiful families their photos, and I know that they are usually on pins and needles waiting to see them, that I just can’t make myself wait.

So instead, I ask for your grace and hope that you’ll love me for my photos and not judge me for my typos. And a big shout out to all my amazing people who are kind enough to point it out to me when I invite an entire town to photos with Satan, or who help point out less interesting errors.

With that, check out these photos from a session that I so look forward to each year. Lucky Ladd Farms is one of my favorite places and the Ladd’s are one of my favorite families to photograph. (Check out their website to see lots of pictures of my baby girl, who has been in love with their farm since she was teeny tiny.)

The love of a family – extended family portrait session

March 6, 2018August 22, 2019Posted in Big Kids, Family, Henry Horton State Park, Portrait SessionsTagged "crystal freemon photography", "extended family", "Henry Horton", 2018, grandparents, kids, outdoorsLeave a comment

“The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.”

I’ve known this family for many, many years. I became friends with Shelly in college and am fortunate enough to live in the same town with her now. I’ve always admired Shelly’s parents…they were always so welcoming to our large group of friends and I always really admired how close they were as a family. I’ve been photographing Shelly and her boys for several years now, but when Shelly told me that her entire family was interested in an extended family session, I knew that I really wanted to try to capture that bond between them.

It was a gorgeous spring day and the weather could not have been better for a portrait session. Though if I had one complaint, it would be that there are still not leaves on the trees, which I guess is to be expected this early in the spring season. But I do prefer shooting with full trees as a backdrop to let the beautiful light filter through the leaves. But there was a gorgeous sky and a magical sunset and as I’ve often said, all I really want for a session is beautiful light.

I don’t think I’ve seen Shelly’s brother Ryan in about 20 years, but it was so much fun to meet his wife and two kids. They were just the absolute best kids to photograph…so full of personality and so completely adorable and sweet with each other. I enjoyed capturing the children interacting with their cousins and playing together. I got a kick out of how little KD had this gentle way of keeping the boys on task. I just couldn’t help smile while editing this session, and had a hard time picking my favorites for the blog preview.

In looking at these photos, I thought this might be a good time to talk about what exactly is “Lifestyle Photography.” I think it is a good idea for clients to understand what that means coming into a session, and how I approached these images. I think that one of my favorite photographers, Lisa Tichane, explains in well in this article from Clickin Moms (one of my favorite photography resources).

She says “My own take on lifestyle photography is a mix of authentic and staged. What I am shooting could actually happen in real life (this is the core definition of “lifestyle” in my opinion), however I would never have captured such a variety of images in such a short amount of time if I had not interfered. During a session, I create a diversity of opportunities that will generate real-life type of images which might not have spontaneously happened at that specific moment if I hadn’t been there to jump-start them.”

What I wanted to point out about these images, is that it helps me to know a little about my subjects in order for me to guide the session into producing those real-life type images. Yes, I had the advantage here because I’ve known Shelly’s boys all their lives, but I had never met their cousins KD and Judah before. But what helped me immensely were the questions that Shelly answered for me before the session. I knew a little about their personalities while I was planning my session, and knew that they would be OK in being close and loving for some images. That wouldn’t have worked for all siblings and knowing a little about their personalities before hand helps me to know how to guide them before I get to a session.

Another thing that helps, especially for a session with this many people, is knowing what the client’s priorities are for a session. Shelly especially wanted a photo of all the kids with their grandparents, so we mades sure to make that a priority.

Have you booked your family portrait session yet? There are only a few spots left for spring, so don’t wait to book your session.