Tag: "Spring Hill tn"

Sweet Baby Abigail – Nashville baby photographer

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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. 

My first real family portrait clients

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I cannot believe it’s been almost four years now since I began on this adventure as a professional family & children photographer.  I was thinking about that during this session because I consider this family to be my first “real”clients.  I had been photographing lots of families before I considered myself a real professional, but they were all close friends who I knew very well.  This family was the first ones who hired me who I didn’t know really well when they had their first session, so that’s why I consider them my first real clients.

It was for a maternity session and included the big sister to be at a session at Harlinsdale farms.  I was nervous about shooting with people I didn’t really know, but I just fell in love with them right away, and not long after that, was blessed to photograph Grayson’s birth. And each year since, I look forward to photographing their family photos.  I talked yesterday about how I had a weekend of shooting my ideal clients, and this is definitely one of my favorites.

Each year I say how easy these two adorable kiddos are to photograph and they were the same way this year.  There is just so much cuteness and they clearly love each other sooooo much. It’s not just the kids though.  I adore mom and dad as well….they are always playful with the kids and we have so much fun just capturing memories. It’s always such an easy session and they are just simply beautiful.

My ideal family portrait clients

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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 ❤️

The best weekend for Family Photos with Fall Color

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First of all, I want to say that any time of year is perfect for a family portrait session. The important thing is to get them done, and to do it regularly, preferably at least once a year as our littles ones grow so fast and are constantly changing.  Beautiful memories can be captured any time of year. I’m now booking January photo sessions, and those can be absolutely beautiful (you just need to dress warmly!)

With that being said, lots of my clients really want that gorgeous fall color, and ask me when they should schedule family portrait sessions to get that color.  I always hesitate to answer because mother nature is unpredictable and I cannot promise you we will get beautiful fall color at all.  Sometimes, an early freeze or drought conditions or other things can put a damper on that beautiful autumn color.  

But I can tell you, after some experience and actual forecasts, when to schedule your session to get the best chance of gorgeous color, and that is the first weekend of November (the last weekend in October is a good second choice).  That’s when our fall colors peak here in Middle Tennessee.  I find a lot of clients who assume it happens a lot earlier than that, and that’s probably because it does up north. Our friends in Michigan saw their autumn peak several weeks ago (and now they are getting snow!). 

This beautiful family portrait session from this weekend is a bit past the peak.  The sessions I did the weekend before had a lot more color, but I can’t share those with you at the clients request (some are surprise Christmas gifts, and we don’t want to ruin the surprise!) But I’m so glad that this family had such a beautiful day! We had actually rescheduled this session from earlier in October because of rain.  Are they not absolutely stunning!  I’ve known this gorgeous family for years, but this is the first time I’ve been able to photograph them.  They were so much fun to capture and I hope they love the photos as much as I do. 

The autumn leaves are going to be gone very soon, so get out and enjoy this absolutely gorgeous color while it lasts!  

Of all the families I photograph, mine is the hardest

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I wish that I could say that this was a lovely, easy experience, but that would be a lie.

Last weekend, I was quite surprised when my husband suggested that we do a family photo session of our own. It seems like every year I forget to Schedule time for our photos and end up scrambling to get them done. But he is usually the last one who wants his picture talken, so I was pleasantly surprised when he reminded me. So I set off to find outfits for everyone that two tweenage girls wouldn’t whine about.

I was lucky and found things that everyone was happy with, except my husband who complained that it was still too hot for long sleeves. Oh well … you can’t please everyone.

So I was all set, and then it rained.

And rained.

And rained some more.

And finally, yesterday, the sun came out. So we all got dressed and drove out to the new park that I had never been to but wanted the check out. And as soon as we got there, my oldest started complaining that her head hurt. Because I knew that meant she’d never cooperate, we went home. Of course as soon as we got home, she felt better.

But that is how it goes. So no problem, because guess what??? There are TWO magic hours inthe day! So we got up bright and early this morning and headed out.

The bad part was that it was super wet from the dew and the kids didnt want to walk too far in it to explore the farm. And I got soaked from kneeling in it. And we got there later than I I wanted and the sun was brighter than I would have liked causing horid grass colors.

But the dew in the grass and all the spider webs were absolutely stunning. And it wasn’t hot at all. We also finished in time to go to a pancake breakfast for a friend’s gymnastics team, so score!

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?

A Strong united pair

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When Jessica contacted me about doing this family portrait session, she told me that she was going through a divorce, and wanted a way to document a new beginning for she and her daughter, Kaila.  She wanted the photos to show a strong, united pair.  

I think that documenting new beginnings is a perfect reason to schedule a portrait session.  I thought Jessica’s words in her survey to me were beautiful. 

She said ” I want to show Kaila that we are still a family even though we’re divided now and that we will be stronger and better from everything.  I want her to see how much love there is for her and how much fun we can have together.”

I love it when clients really put their thoughts and feelings in my client survey. It really helps me to have an emotional connection with them, and to understand truly what the photos mean to them. I can’t even explain why this matters.  The closest I’ve come to verbalizing why it matters to me is the quote by David Alan Harvey that says “Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.” 

Maybe it’s all in my imagination, but I somehow think I do a better job with the photos when I feel that connection to the clients story.

I know it felt super easy to capture a strong, united pair when I was photographing Jessica and Kaila.  Photographing mothers with their babies (no matter how old!) is always one of my favorite things and I just loved watching these two interact with each other.  It’s so obvious just by the look in Jessica’s eyes that there is so, so much love for this beautiful little girl.

Bold Beautiful color – Spring Hill Family photographer

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I’m so in love with the beautiful wardrobe choices that my friend Emily made for her family’s summer portrait session. I admittedly don’t feel like the best person to be giving advice about wardrobe choices, as fashion has never been a topic I have felt particularly comfortable with, but I absolutely know what I like for a session when I see it, and this is it. 

I’m drawn to colorful photographs and prefer rich, deep colors & jewel tones. I don’t mind a good neutral color scheme either, but its colorful choices like the ones below that I really love.

Lucy’s dress is definitely the focal point, and when choosing clothing for a family photo session, that’s a great way to start…pick one person’s outfit (doesn’t really matter who) to be the focal point and then build the rest of the choices around that one piece.  I’m obsessed with this deep mustard like yellow color, as I think it looks beautiful in most outdoor photos (deep purple is also a fantastic choice). But I do warn clients to be careful with yellow, because if it’s too neon, it can create a color cast on the person’s face which is really hard to correct in post processing. But Lucy’s dress is just right.

And I love how Maggie is wearing a bit more neutral of a top to balance out the bold print of Lucy’s dress, but ties in the floral pattern in her shorts. And mom’s orange pants are the perfect pop of color and look beautiful with the mustard. It all comes together looking beautifully coordinated, but not to matchy matchy.

What do you think? What are your favorite colors for photographs? 

The Good Memories

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I’m really struggling with how to start off this post, so I’m going to jump right into it. 

This is my beautiful friend Chelsea and her daughter Molly.  Chelsea is one of the most kind hearted and loving people I’ve ever met and would literally give the shirt off of her back to anyone who needs it. And my heart is hurting for her.

I’ve been photographing Chelsea & Molly for several years now.  Last year, she wanted to include her parents and her brother Chris in their session. Chelsea’s brother, Chris, had recently gotten out of jail.  He had struggled with addiction for years, but at the time, was clean and doing very well and the family was full of hope for his future.  We met at Harlinsdale Farms and it was a gorgeous evening full of laughter and love, and of course photographs.

On Saturday, I photographed this session for Chelsea & Molly.  They are one of my favorite families to photograph always, as the love and connection between these two is truly something special to capture.

On Sunday, Chelsea’s brother Chris lost his long battle with addiction.

Chelsea and her parents received the heartbreaking phone call that he had been found unresponsive at home and it was later confirmed that he died of an accidental overdose.

They loved him so and his loss is is heartbreaking for their family.

I sat with Chelsea last night and listened to her talk about her brother & how much she loved him. It has been years of heartbreak for her family, but she wants to focus on all of the good memories she has of him.  I didn’t really know Chris at all, but I do know that he looked at his sister and his niece with such admiration and love. 

As they mourn the loss of his precious life, Chelsea and her family hope that Chris’s story may help someone else to seek the help they need to overcome addiction.  And to seek help again, and again and again, until they beat it, if that’s what is necessary. When lost in addiction, a person might believe that their life doesn’t matter.  But I promise you, it matters.  Addiction impacts so many people and has reached epidemic proportions. Below are the beautiful faces of people who have been heartbroken by this disease. 

Chelsea & her family are asking that anyone who would like to honor Chris’s memory do so by making a donation to the Dismas House of Nashville.  The Dismas house believes that second chances saves lives, and their mission is to provide a safe haven for offenders transferring out of prison to aid them in beginning a new life. 

If you need more information about addiction resources, check out Bradford Health or call 1-888-577-0012.

Photo Session Location Selection – Light & a good dose of Imagination

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Sometimes, clients already have an idea of the type of location they would like to use for their family portraits, and other times they come to me for suggestions.  Sometimes, my suggestions sound a little crazy and not like a “normal” place that you would want to have photos made.

You have to use your imagination.

Lucky for me, if you are a client who is also my friend, then you trust me when I say “meet me by the U-Haul place off the side of the street. That’s exactly what Erin did without blinking, and I love her for it.

I happened to notice the spot when I was scouting for light before our session, and it just called out to me.  I snapped the first two photos below with my cell phone, just so I could show you how ridiculous it probably looked as a location option.  It’s really kind of a dirty, uninteresting stretch of road with a broken down old building, a billboard facing the interstate, and a parking lot full of U-haul trucks.

But on this particular day, the light, the clouds, the wildflowers, a little fence and the way the weeds were growing caught my eye.  Now, if I go back in a few weeks, I might find the place completely uninspiring, but for Saturday, it worked.  So I wanted to show it to you as an example of how it might look to you, versus how it looks through my camera.  

For when scouting out locations for a portrait session, the most important factor is the light, and then a healthy dose of imagination to see what it might look like through the lens of the camera. 

Breathtakingly Beautiful – with BrandiLee #finnsfanforever

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Finn Schafran and his mom Brandilee and his battle with Cancer. #Finnfanforever

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” – L.R.Knost

My new photo project: 

I did a personal project about three years ago that I called “This is Motherhood”   In that project, I asked mothers to allow me to take a simple portrait of them, and then I asked them to tell me about motherhood.  I gave them a few prompts or thought starters, but mainly was just looking for some insight or experience they had with motherhood that might mean something to other mothers. I was blown away with what women were willing to share with me.  Their stories ranged from funny to heartbreaking, and all of them were honest and inspiring. 

For some months now, I’ve felt the desire to do another photo project, but I couldn’t get my mind around what exactly it would be. 

I knew that like the first project, I wanted it to be about strong, beautiful women (though not necessarily just mothers.) In my line of work, I see a lot about how women are down on themselves, never feeling “enough”.  I have a desire to somehow show them through my lens, that they are enough. Just the way they are. 

I also knew I wanted it to be different from the first project in that I didn’t want it to be just a single portrait, but a more of a story telling photo essay for each woman.  I wanted it to be set in her own environment doing her own thing. I wanted to show women doing hard things, amazing things, but also ordinary things.  I wanted to photograph women living life. Embracing it even. 

But I wanted some kind of quote or theme to tie them altogether and I’ve struggled with finding what that would be.  For a while, I had settled on “She believed she could, so she did.”  I liked that it implies some action…as I wanted to include some activity in the stories, and not just some portrait.  But something was bothering me about that quote, and I finally figured out what it was….lots of times, she doesn’t believe that she could.  But she does anyway.  Because she has to.  Many times, women don’t know their own strength.  I want my project to show them their strength through the photos, so that quote just didn’t feel right.

Then, as I was browsing the internet, I came across the quote above, and it just felt like exactly what I was looking for.  I want to photograph women doing heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful and ordinary things.  I believe there is beauty in every moment…the hard, the wonderful and also the mundane. I want to photograph that beauty.  

Breathtakingly Beautiful with BrandiLee

Ok so I didn’t take these photos for my project, but taking them helped me to decide on exactly what it was I wanted my project to be. 

I first met BrandiLee last October, when I photographed a family portrait session for them. Last week, a friend of Brandi’s contacted me. She told me that Brandi had been selected by The Mom’s We Love Club as their featured mom for August. The Moms We Love Club is an Instagram account dedicated to loving on struggling moms through spreading awareness, prayer and fundraising.  For the feature, they needed lifestyle images of BrandiLee at home.  I was happy to have the honor of shooting for such a great cause, so we picked a time and I showed up to photograph real life. Brandilee will be featured at The Moms We Love club starting August 9, so please follow the page, and share the posts when you see them. 

As far as strong women go, I’m not sure I know any stronger than BrandiLee, though I’m positive she didn’t plan for life to be that way and that she often feels that she is not strong enough to deal with what life has dealt her. I cannot even begin to do her story justice, but please, please go read about this precious family on their GoFundme page, and if you are lead, consider making a donation.

The quote struck me so when I read it, because honestly, editing these photos took my breath away.

What struck me the most was the joy.

And first let me say that I know it’s not all joy. I don’t want to minimize in any way the horrible heartbreak this family deals with on a daily basis. I cannot even imagine.  I know there must be anger, and tears and so much pain.

But also, there were giggles, and hugs and helping mama make tortilla sandwiches, and licking the butter off the knife.  And funny snap chat videos, and being excited when Daddy gets home. And asking for more watermelon.  And snuggling with brother on the couch. And bedtime kisses. 

Out of the Park – Baseball Themed Family Portrait Session

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“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth

I am just so excited about this photo session. It helps that they are of some of my favorite people.

I’ve talked about Beth before in my blog, but for those of you who don’t know, she’s one of my oldest and dearest friends. We met way back in 1995 during our very first week of college and have been friends since. I’ve been photographing these boys since birth (though admittedly pretty poorly at first).  Beth has always been there for me when I really needed someone, and particularly early this summer when our family was having a rough time, so I really, really wanted these photos to be special for her.

Baseball is to her family like hockey is to mine, so she had the idea to have the session at ballpark and I thought that was an absolutely perfect idea. I’m not a fan of props, but I love incorporating things, places, or activities that mean something to the family in photographs. I also love any kind of activity that kids can do to feel like they aren’t at a photo session…or really the whole family can do that becomes a lovely memory that I happened to photograph, rather than some big chore of a photo shoot.

And this was absolutely perfect. The boys did a fantastic job.  I love how adorable Lincoln is in these, and Cole looks like a serious badass. And the whole family had a great time playing and having fun in a place that is like their second home.  This is what speaks to me as a photographer, and I hope it comes through in the photos. 

Embracing the Rain – Nashville Family Portrait Session

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“I love the rain. I love how it softens the outlines of things. The world becomes softly blurred, and I feel like I might melt into it.” – Hanamoto Hagumi

It’s no secret that I love the sun, and obsessed with chasing light. But not everyone knows that I also love the rain. A couple years ago, I did a rain session with my friend Christy’s daughters. We planned it and then waited for the right weather to hit, and then I called her and said, “It’s go time.” We met at a park and I photographed her adorable kids playing in the rain. It was so much fun.

Last fall, one of my favorite sessions was for a couple who decided to go ahead with our planned time, even though we knew it would probably rain. To me, it was such a romantic session, and the rain just added to it. 

That wasn’t exactly the situation for this family portrait session at Harlinsdale Farms.  They were hoping to avoid the rain, but mother nature had other plans.  We were able to get in a few photos before the rain came, but then once it did, I couldn’t help but to wrap my camera in a poncho, hand these sweet kids some umbrellas (I always keep these in my car because they still let light in), and to keep shooting.

And I have to say, I’m not really sorry it rained. These two kids are just so perfectly adorable with the colorful little umbrellas and those smiles.  It’s just one more thing that I absolutely love about kids this age…they really know how to embrace the rain.  

You too can survive an outdoor summer portrait session

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Yes, it’s hot.  I admit it.  It’s summer in Tennessee. But it is possible to have a beautiful outdoor family portrait session in Summer, and to look as gorgeous as this family does, if you just follow a few easy tips.

1. Schedule your session for magic hour (the hour before sunset). 

I always prefer sessions to be booked at magic hour, because that is when you get the most beautiful light. But this is especially true in summer, because let’s face it…none of us are going to survive the mid day heat.

2. Choose a location with lots of shade.

This walking trail is one of my favorite spots for summer (and all year really) because it has gorgeous light, and plenty of shade to shelter us from the heat and scorching sun. 

3. Dress for the weather

If you try to make these look like fall portraits, you are going to end up a hot sweaty mess.  Shorts are wonderful, and light weight summer dresses are perfect for summer sessions. It won’t matter how pretty your clothes are if you or your children are uncomfortable during the session. And remember my style of photography, and expect your kids to be running, jumping and playing…all the more reason to make sure their clothes are comfortable. 

4. Stay hydrated. 

I’ve taken to carrying a few water bottles with me recently to help clients stay refreshed, but if you think to bring along a few, that’s always a good idea.

I am so glad this family chose to brave the weather for a summer session because it was such a joy to meet them and photograph them. The personality in these two boys just had me smiling throughout my time editing these. I cannot wait to work on the rest of them.

What is keeping you from booking family portraits?

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So many times, I meet families who have never had a professional family portrait session.  I feel very honored to have been chosen by Andra for her family’s first photo session, and I really loved photographing her beautiful family. Owen and William were so easy to work with and we had so much fun together. These are the type of clients that I so enjoy meeting and hope to be able to see again year after year.

For those of you who have not ever booked a family portrait session, I’m curious as to what holds you back. I know that family portraits are a real investment, and it could be that it’s just not in your budget, which is a valid reason (though often it may be more about priorities than actually budget constraints).  But I suspect that rather than the budget, it’s likely fear that the session will be difficult and stressful, or maybe even impossible, that holds many families back.

So maybe if I tell you a little more about how booking a session works, and what to expect at a session, it wont sound so overwhelming.

You can book a session either through my online calendar, or just email or message me to work out a date (Fall fills up fast though, and I will be releasing those dates soon, so don’t wait for those spots.)  I know lots of clients stress about what will happen if it rains on their session date…no worries. I won’t make you shoot indoors or in the rain if you don’t want to (though both of those is an option!)  Rescheduling if it rains is usually no big deal.

After you’ve booked, you will receive emails from me to help you through the process, such as tips on what to wear, but please don’t ever hesitate to ask if you have questions.

But I think the biggest part parents stress about, is what to expect at the session itself…and in particular, whether or not young kids will “cooperate” for a family portrait session.

So here is what I want to help you to understand: 

The only thing I expect / want kids to do at a family portrait session is to be themselves.

Really.  That’s it.  

At a session, I generally start with trying to get a quick family portrait of everyone.  This usually works pretty well to get a photo of everyone looking at the camera, as they have not yet become distracted.  But what I’m not going to do is stand there for 30 minutes trying to get everyone perfectly posed. That’s just going to result in everyone becoming bored and/or frustrated.  That’s not what beautiful memories are made of…and I want you and your kids to ENJOY the session.  Not just to have lovely pictures when it’s over. 

So we will only spend a couple minutes on any particular “pose”, and then will will take some time to play.  Yes, that’s right…there is a lot of playing at a session.  I don’t do a lot of posing, but I do a lot of guiding. Mostly what I’m trying to capture are interactions between your family because that’s what inspires me. 

So with this lovely family below, you will see one of my first shots of the session is the more posed family shot of everyone looking at the camera.

After that, we went for a little walk down the path as I spoke to the boys and got to know them a little. I took a few individual shots of Owen to work on my lighting while baby brother just chilled.  Then, since he seemed agreeable, I went for another family shot. My favorite below is one where I let mom and dad and Owen know that they didn’t need to look at me, but just asked if they could help get William to laugh. I love these kinds of shots because it shows the family interacting together, and not just with the camera…though I do occasionally ask everyone took look at me, as you can see in the third shot below.

Then we just had some play time where I worked on getting shots of Owen and William both together and individually as they played.  I guided them to race, play ring around the roses, jump (playing Simon Says), and generally just explore.  If there something the little one doesn’t want to do, that’s totally fine.  I don’t HAVE to have a photo of them jumping, or playing ring around the roses, or whatever.  I’m just working to get them having fun and acting natural. This is like the exact opposite of when you go to Sears Portraits or wherever ever and have to stand on the x.  There really is no x, and very little standing still…I promise.

After we played, we walked to another spot and I wanted to try to get some seated family portraits. At this point, it’s typical for a toddler especially to become bored and tired. No problem.  In this case, I offered William a sucker (with mom’s permission) and he happily sat down with his family. We have several shots of him holding the sucker, which I personally think is fine, and then at some point, I asked him if dad could hold his sucker for a minute. So now you know the secret that dad is hiding a sucker out of view in the last picture below.  So we were able to get the shot and keep William happy, but even if we hadn’t, that would have been fine too because I had lots of shots earlier in the session. 

After that, we headed to the playground. Lots of my favorite locations have playgrounds and I love including them at the end of a session because then the kids think they are “done” with the photos, but really sometimes I get my favorite shots there, while they are just being kids and enjoying themselves. 

So really that is all there is to it…a little bit of posing, but mostly talking and laughing and playing. And suckers at the end. 

So what is holding you back? Is there anything else you need to know in order to be ready to book a family photo session? 

Family Portrait Session with Teen Boys in Spring Hill TN

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“The days are long, but the years are short.”

That is one of my friend Michelle’s favorite sayings and it’s so true. It comes to mind often. My girls are in those middle years of childhood now…ages 9 and 12…no longer little kids but not yet teens.  

Sometimes, I joke that photographing the babies makes my ovaries hurt.  Not that I want any more kids…that ship has sailed and I’m perfectly happy with my two girls.  But photographing babies does bring back memories of my own girls at that age and makes me all nostalgic.  

But you know what really gets me all teary eyed?  This came as a surprise to me, but it’s photographing the older teens.  It’s their mama’s that do it to me, because they always say something similar, just like Bonnie did.  Stuff like  “I want to remember…” and “might be the last one before college…”

No, no, no.  I’m not ready for that.  Time needs to slow down. 

And it makes me so badly want to give the mamas beautiful photos of their babies, because they will forever and always be our babies, no matter where they go.

Through the eyes of a child – Childhood photography

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“If we could all see the world through the eyes of a child, we would see the magic of everything.”

The wind in her hair.

The feel of the grass between her toes, and the sun on her face. 

The feel and look of the dandelion her brother blows in her face.

The flowers, weeds, rocks, sticks to explore.

Feeling the bark on the tree, playing peekaboo.

Hugs.

Races.

Being taught by big brother to play airplane, ring around the roses.

Tiny hands, and feet, and eyelashes.

Bunny rabbits and puppies on the path.

Shadows. 

These are things we pass by almost every single day, mostly without thought.  But to view them through the eyes of a two year old suddenly turns them into magic.  And we think we are teaching them. 

Treat your photo session like a fun family outing

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I prefer children (and parents) to have fun and be carefree at our photo shoots….often thinking of them more like playdates than photo sessions.  I believe that the memory associated with family photos should be a fun one, and not a memory of a stressful experience.  To me, creating a pleasant experience is just as important as the final product. 

Lana understood this vision completely and decided to bring along a picnic basket to their family session, and I absolutely love that idea. 

My style is very candid and natural, and I’m not really into props in the traditional photography sense. I do bring a variety of blankets for clients to sit on, but you won’t find me with much more than that. 

But what I do love to include in sessions is anything that a family would naturally have or do at an outing.  As a lifestyle photographer, my goal is portray your family in everyday situations, being together as you naturally would.  So a picnic is a great idea of something to include.  To me, the difference between this and a “prop” is that the picnic basket is something you would truly do in your ordinary life.  Unlike, for example, an choreographed backdrop or scene.  

There are lots of ideas of things you could do to add some fun to your family session. I’m going to list some ideas below, but the big thing is that whatever it is, it is something that fits YOUR FAMILY….something you’d normally enjoy together.

Ideas to do during a family session:

  • Bring a picnic (like Lana did!)
  • Bring a cooler of popsicles to enjoy at the end of the session…perfect for summer fun.
  • Have me to your home at your outdoor pool for a fun family session. 
  • Invite me to your family farm to capture a day in the life.
  • Do an at home lifestyle session and bake Christmas Cookies (or your Grandma’s favorite recipe) together as a family
  • Decorate the Christmas Tree at an indoor session
  • Bring a football, or other sport you enjoy together, to an outdoor session
  • Have an indoor session in your game room 
  • Bring your bicycles to an outdoor family session

The options are endless.  And of course, you don’t have to bring anything at all other than an open attitude about having fun at the session and enjoying the time with your family. 

Filled with Joy – Capturing Childhood in Portraits

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I photographed this family about a year and half ago, but it was an extended family session with grandparents, cousins, etc.  While I do enjoy extended family session and capturing that love, I honestly prefer smaller groups for the pure reason that it allows time for capturing more of the types of images that I love…the less posed candid shots.  In a large group, there are usually just so many combinations of people to try to photograph, that it definitely requires more directional posing time.  When it’s just immediate family, we can quickly get some posed, looking at the camera shots out of they way and then move on to what I really love…capturing a families true personality and creating memories together. 

Most of you know that two year olds are my favorite age to photograph, and how can you not look at these photos below to see why?  This kid is just PURE JOY.  You can’t even look at him without smiling.  I want to be Jace when I grow up because he is doing it right.  He so much reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:

“Welcome each day with the joy & wonder of a child.”

That joy & wonder is something that I try to embody in my photography and are words that I strive to be associated with my work.  That’s why we play lots of games at family session, do lots of tickling, running, jumping, just being.  That’s why playgrounds are often included, because what is the wonder of childhood without playgrounds.  And it’s why I love capturing toddlers because they look at life with so much wonder. I want to capture some of that wonder and joy in my photographs.  Kids like Jace make that pretty easy.  He’s just being himself, enjoying life.  

I have to say that his big sister Karley did a fantastic job as well. She is such a beautiful young woman and was so easy to work with.  I loved watching her interact with her baby brother.  You can definitely feel the love between these two.  

The best thing you can do to help me at a Family Portrait Session

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You might be surprised when I tell you how you can best help me at your family portrait session….

Do Nothing. 

Yep, that’s right.  Most of the time, it would be best if you just didn’t do anything.

  • No yelling at the kids to smile. (Especially when you are standing 10 feet away from me. If you really want to help get a baby or toddler’s attention, be sure you are standing right behind me.)
  • No telling the kids that their smile looks fake. (Even if it does…it almost always does when their between the ages of like 5 and 99…at least at first. Just let me deal with that.)
  • No yelling at the kids to behave. (Behaving is over rated anyway…I’d rather have real.) 
  • No yelling at the kids to put the stick down. (It’s just a stick.)
  • No yelling at the kids to act like they love each other.  (They do love each other, they just don’t always like each other.  Both emotions are fun to photograph.)

You know rationally that none of these things will help.  But it’s so hard not to…I get it.  I do the same thing when trying to photograph my kids.  But they will just get annoyed with you and frustrated at the photo session and if they aren’t having fun, it will show.  

Michelle did an amazing job at this session with her two beautiful daughters.  You know what she did?  Absolutely nothing. I barely saw her, as she was on a bench chilling a ways from us during the session and that was 100% the best thing she could have done. (Sometimes it can be a great idea just to walk away and give the kids some space.)  If she had gotten too involved, she may have become frustrated when I took the first picture below.  But if she’d have said something, I may not have gotten the second photo. Both are genuine photos of her girls..taken only seconds a part.   

So when you have the overwhelming urge to direct your kids at a photo session, just try to give me a little time and little patience, and above all…remember that I take hundreds of photos.  Some may come out like the one on the left below, but some will most definitely come out like the one on the right.  It’s all good, and they are both beautiful.