Tag: lifestyle

Alicia’s Quinceanera Part 2: The Celebration

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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

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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

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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?

A list of things I can (and will) photoshop for you, and a few things I won’t

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This was supposed to be an outdoor session but unfortunately, it started raining right before the session time. As I discuss on my FAQ page, there are several options for you if i should happen to rain for your session time.  Nicole chose to move the session to her home, rather than to reschedule, which is a great option as I love capturing families in their own surroundings.

Another issue that Nicole had was that little Scarlett got a fairly significant boo boo on her chin before the session (isn’t that the way it always happens?), and Nicole was afraid it would show in the photos.

I reassured Nicole that Scarlett’s boo boo wouldn’t be too hard to remove in editing, so not to worry about it.  So I thought this might be a good post to go over what I will and will not edit in family portraits.

What I will photoshop:

  • That random zit that popped up right before your session.
  • The boogers in your two year olds nose (but lets try a Kleenex first please!)
  • The bruise your four year old got riding her bike (or boo boo on her chin).
  • Generally anything “temporary” that isn’t part of what you normally look like.
  • That ugly trashcan in the background that I saw, but knew it was worth it to remove in editing.
  • The horrible bike lane stripe on my favorite path.
  • Minor “wardrobe malfunctions” that result from clothing not laying perfectly because I don’t operate perfectly posed portrait sessions. For example: your bra strap is showing, or maybe your shirt or dress is poofed out in a weird way.

What I won’t photoshop:

  • “Can you remove this logo from the shirt I chose to wear?” (I might could depending on the location, print, etc, but if you want it done more than once or twice, I’m going to need to charge extra.) 
  • “Make me look 50 pounds smaller?” (You are beautiful, just the way you are.)
  • “Can you make most of the photo black and white and leave this one part in color?” (I just don’t want to.) 
  • “Can you get the wrinkles out of my husbands dress shirt?” (Usually, no…especially if it’s a print and not a solid color.)

So my general rule to myself when it comes to editing…I want you to look like you, because you are gorgeous.  But if something happened recently that isn’t a part of your normal, let me know and we can probably work on that.

What the world needs is more dancing in the kitchen. Nashville Lifestyle Portrait Session.

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Brother & Sister reading book by flashlight at a home Lifestyle Portrait Session in Spring Hill, TN

I saw that phrase written in a meme recently and it spoke to me.  I love a good dance in the kitchen.  My husband…not so much, but he humors me.  To me, it’s one of those things that reminds us to savor the mundane…those little moments at home that don’t seem very grand. Aren’t those really are the ones that matter, and that we cherish for years to come?  At a lifestyle portrait session, those are the moments I want to capture.

The days are long but the years are short.

Things change so quickly as we are raising little ones, and before you know it, some things that seemed so much a part of your daily life that you didn’t even notice them, are suddenly gone. At my house, there is not a playroom anymore.  There is no swing set in the back yard.  My children bathe themselves and read to themselves at bedtime. I don’t remember the exact time when many of these changed, but gradually, they did change.  I look back to photos of when they were smaller and am so thankful that I have those mementos of days gone by.  

Seeing the possibilities.

That is one thing I love about doing these home sessions for families. I look at these photos and imagine all the possibilities they hold in bringing back the past, years from now.

10 years from now, will Renae’s family look at these photos and think about how that was the first year Coen played the violin, which he later grew to master and love?  Or will they remember it as that time Coen tried the violin before he found what he really loved?

Maybe Coen and Peri will look at these photos and fondly remember the photo of mom and dad’s wedding day that was hanging over their bed for years.  Will they giggle about when Peri was obsessed with Fancy Nancy and the giant caterpillar and Coen (and Mommy) was obsessed with Harry Potter? 

Will Peri look around the kitchen and smile at the “Happy Fall” chalk sign? Or remember the kitchen table that the family shared so many meals on before it was traded in for something new?  

These are the things that can’t be captured at a park.  

The home session advantage.

One advantage to home lifestyle portrait sessions is that we don’t have to worry about weather or sunlight.  My outdoor lifestyle sessions are all booked up for October & November, but I have been able to add some at-home session dates to the November calendar for weekdays where the early sunset doesn’t allow for outdoor sessions.  You can book one of these spots now on my calendar. These sessions would be a perfect time to decorate the Christmas tree, make some Gingerbread Houses, and just create beautiful memories of your family together capture forever by the camera.

So what do you think? Would you be up for an at home lifestyle portrait session?

Home…where our story begins | New Home Sweet Home Portrait Sessions

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It’s no secret that my passion is family photography.  I enjoy seniors, newborns & couples photography as well, but families, especially with younger children, are what inspires me.

Up until now, most of my family sessions have been outdoor, lifestyle portrait sessions.  I love these for many reasons, most of which is probably the gorgeous natural light of an outdoor session, particularly at golden hour.

But for a while now, I’ve been feeling drawn to encourage clients to also consider another option for family photography.  I want to offer in-home lifestyle & documentary sessions. I’ve always felt like the purpose of photography is to capture meaningful moments that a family will cherish always, and what better place to capture these moments than in a family’s home? 

I find that many clients are hesitant to schedule sessions in their home because they are so used to seeing outdoor sessions and they don’t know quite what to expect from an at-home session.  Here are a few things you can expect from an at-home photo session with me:

* We will be silly and play games, just like at my outdoor sessions, but those games might look a little differently.  For example, we may jump on the bed (with your permission), play shadow puppets, or have tickle fights on mom and dad’s bed. 

* Instead of awkwardly posing, I will ask that you do some activities together.  What these activities are will vary depending on what your family likes to do together.  Maybe mom and dad will have coffee on the back porch, while the kids play at their feet.  Maybe you’ll make dinner or cookies.  Maybe you can play board games or decorate the Christmas tree. The possibilities are endless. The point is that we will try to capture real moments for you…of things your family enjoys doing together.

* Your house doesn’t need to be fancy, or immaculate, or even clean.  For real. This is real life and real moments.  We are making memories…not caring about whether or not you swept the bathroom. The camera is forgiving and I promise I don’t even notice.

One advantage to home sessions, other than being able to capture memories in the place that you make the most memories, is that we don’t have to worry about weather or sunlight.  My outdoor lifestyle sessions are all booked up for October & November, but I have been able to add some at-home session dates to the November calendar for weekdays where the early sunset doesn’t allow for outdoor sessions.  You can book one of these spots now on my calendar. These sessions would be a perfect time to decorate the Christmas tree, make some Gingerbread Houses, and just create beautiful memories of your family together capture forever by the camera.

So what do you think? Would you be up for an at-home family session?