Extended Family Session – Identifying Priorities

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.

Family of Four Portrait Session at Marcella Vivrette Park

Family photo session at Marcella Vivrette Park

I look forward to seeing these boys at their family photo session every year. They are getting so big. This year we had a good talk about superheroes. We agreed that Spiderman, Thor, and Ironman are all pretty awesome.

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.

Family Portrait Session at Montgomery Bell State Park

Crystal Freemon Photography Family Portrait Session at Montgomery Bell State Park

Family Portrait sessions like this one at Montgomery Bell State Park are my happy place. I love it when the babies are old enough to walk and talk and giggle and explore their surroundings. But also they are young enough to be their true authentic selves without worrying about what the look like in photos. This is why toddlers and preschoolers will always be my favorite age to photograph. (Though it’s also still fun to photograph Seniors, who allow for a different kind of creativity since they will do exactly what I tell them to do.)

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 Photo Session at Henry Horton State Park

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.

Baby Azure’s At Home Newborn Portrait Session in Spring Hill

I first met this lovely Spring Hill family a little over two years ago at big sister Scarlett’s newborn session. I was excited when Mikaela contacted me to tell me that she was pregnant again and wanted to schedule a second newborn portrait session. 

It is so much fun to get to come back to a family and again witness such a beautiful time in their lives.  I loved seeing baby Scarlett, now 2 1/ 2, doting over her new baby brother. I was able to see what used to be her nursery, recently turned over to baby brother.  And she showed me her new big girl room and all her toys. 

It’s a different vibe to the house the second time around when I get to photograph repeat newborn sessions.  Mom and dad are no longer newbies, but seasoned parents who know better what to expect from both parenthood, and the photo session.   And then there is an energetic giggling big sibling there to liven things up…one of my favorite parts.  

I feel fortunate to have a job that lets me be a small part of such special memories for a family. I know every time I leave a newborn session, I end up reminiscing about when my girls were that age, and what a magical time it was.  I know it was tough too. I haven’t forgotten that completely, but it was also so special. I’m glad that I can create a little something to help them remember that time, which is so fleeting. 

And as a bonus, I got to spend a morning hanging out with two pretty awesome little humans. ❤️

Margot & her dolly Spring Hill Family Photographer

This Spring Hill photo session included two of my favorite things…toddlers and lovies. As a photographer, I absolutely love including a child’s favorite objects in a photo session.

Margot loves her special doll and carries her everywhere, and she did not want to put her down for our session, and that is absolutely OK with me. I’m good with the lovie or comfort object for two reasons.  First, Margot is a little bit shy and allowing her to carry her doll all throughout the session made her more comfortable and that’s exactly what I want to do.  But besides that, I really like having the doll in the photos anyway because it is a part of who she is at this moment.  It makes the photos more meaningful because someday she will look back on them and smile as her parents remind her how she use to carry her doll everywhere she went.  ❤️

If your child has an object or lovie they are particularly fond of, I recommend you bring that item to your family portrait session. Not only will having the object be a comfort to them, but it will also make for great memories when you look back at the photos. Lovies can come in all kinds of forms. If you think your child’s lovie is unusual, check out this article about one little girl’s unusual choice for a comfort object. LOL


Oh and don’t worry about little Margot in the photo of her towards the end where she’s crying. She had fallen down and got a tiny boo boo, but she only cried for about half a second. 

Are you looking for a Spring Hill photographer? Contact me today to book a session. for your family.

Sweet Baby Abigail – Nashville baby photographer

What a gorgeous day for a photo session for sweet baby Abigail. Who would even know that it was December already because the weather for this Sunday’s sessions was absolutely perfect, sunny and fairly warm.  My only complaint  is that it was muddy, which isn’t the best when you are trying to photograph a baby, but with some blankets, we made it work.

And isn’t she just the cutest thing?  This sweet girl did such a great job for our session.  She so clearly adores her mommy and daddy and they were so easy to be around and to photograph.  I think my favorite photos are the ones on the swing at the end. Abigail really enjoyed swinging with her parents, and the light was just gorgeous. 

Alicia’s Quinceanera Part 2: The Celebration

As I said in my blog post the other day, I have soooo many pictures of beautiful Alicia’s Quinceanera last week that I decided to split it into two blog posts.  The first post focused on the formal pictures we did before her celebration at the lovely Homestead Manor. But today I want to share photos from the actual event itself, which was a beautiful celebration of this lovely young woman. 

Alicia’s mom Nery did such an amazing job planning this special day for Alicia.  It was so perfect down to every last detail.  The event was held at the Hilton Garden Inn of Franklin / Cool Springs, TN. The hotel did a fabulous job with the event and no detail was overlooked.

The absolutely stunning cake was made by Pink Blossom Bakery. Isn’t’ it just gorgeous? It tasted as good as it looked.

As I stated in the first blog post, Alicia’s Makeup and hair was done by Kari Flournoy at Nashville Hair & Makeup. She looked stunning.

For entertainment, the DJ for the event was Osborne Studio & Sound, and the grand finale performance was by Sol Azteca Mariachi Band. I LOVED the band.. It was so much fun and all the kids really enjoyed it.

I cannot even tell you how much fun it was to photograph this event.  Just being a fly on the wall able to observe these kids having so much fun just enjoying life was truly an honor.  And my favorite part was the Mariachi Band at the end…they were absolutely fantastic! 

Alicia’s Quinceanera Part 1: Formal Pics at Homestead Manor

I have soooo many pictures of beautiful Alicia’s Quinceanera last week that I decided to split it into two blog posts.  This post will focus on the formal pictures we did before her celebration at the lovely Homestead Manor. I will write a second blog post in the next couple days that will focus on the fun party pics with Alicia and all her friends, so be on the lookout for that one! 

When I was discussing the event with Alicia’s mom, she knew that she wanted to get some outdoor portraits with Alicia and immediate family before the celebration began, but we went back and forth trying to decide where the best place would be to do that, which would be not too far from the event location in Cool Springs, but didn’t require a lot of walking. I am so glad we decided on the Homestead Manor, because it was just perfect. As I was editing these, I kept feeling a Cinderella vibe with Alicia’s GORGEOUS dress, set against the beautiful mansion, and even a lovely carriage.  

Alicia looked absolutely stunning (her hair and makeup was done by Kari Flournoy at Nashville Hair & Makeup), as did her gorgeous mama, sister and grandmother. There was so much love for this young lady on her special day, that it made it truly a joy to be a part of and to photograph.  

Stay tuned for lots of fun pictures of the actual Celebration, including a Mariachi Band!!

Capturing Christmas Tradition at a home Photo Session

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?