N Family Session

After working with a few preteens/early teens, the last few weeks I've realized that I'm not super sure how to talk to them. You can't talk to them like a child because they haven't watched Disney Junior in 5 years but you can't talk to them about adult things so... how do you relate? Fidget spinners? Thankfully talking to these two was like talking to a few 21 year olds. They're both way too smart for their own good and they had such good values! We talked a lot about the future and they both and such big hearts but an AMAZING work ethic! That must come from their hard working and beautiful Mama.

I've gotten to work with these stinkers throughout the years and I realize just how old I'm getting. Thankfully they're still just as sweet as they were when they first came to visit me! I remember Mama L being pregnant with her youngest (or was that your oldest, oh God) and they're both in middle school now. L was part of the first group of people that were with me when I started my journey with photography and I'm so grateful that over the years she has continued to trust me with capturing her family! I also can't thank her enough for putting her faith in me, even when I was not so terribly good... She's always been incredibly kind and supportive is such an amazingly inspiring woman! Despite all of us being mortified of heights we all managed to fight the wind up hill and down and got some amazing photos in return! I hope one day, MANY years from now, they'll be bringing their children to me and I can be that woman that says 'I remember when you guys were THIIIIIIS big'

WE'LL FINISH THIS OFF WITH A FLASH TO THE PAST! I'M NOT CRYING!

2014

2013

Baby O Newborn Session

First newborn of the new year has me encouraging women to get pregnant. After not having a newborn shoot for about 3 weeks I felt like I might start loosing my touch, however Baby O was a dream from the moment he arrived to the moment he left. The home studio was a bit chilly do to the continuous very cold weather outside so we kept the space heater on him the whole time and he loved it! While Mama, Papa, & I were all burning up O slept like a rock and allowed me to change his fur, hat, and poses multiple times in a short span. This little dude even smiled for me in his very first photo and then again for the third! O didn't fight me once with his fingers or hand placement and even grabbed a hold of his foot all by himself! I could literally shoot newborns everyday if they were all as easy going as O.

His Mama & Papa chose a baseball theme which was great because we literally have a collection of baseball cards and autographed baseballs but I spent 3 days trying to find the glove we had to no avail. (Thankfully the next day one of my awesome friends found one for me and brought it over!) O rocked every color and every set and you couldn't even tell that Mama K had just had a baby, I was so jealous! I had actually shot Mama K when she was a senior in High School and she hasn't changed a bit! She's still just as sweet and beautiful as ever and she made a great choice in companionship with Papa N, who was a very hands on dad. He helped just as much as mom during our shoot and even laughed at all my jokes, which is always a plus for me!

I'm still having a hard time not posting more photos to O's blog and might come back and add a few more, his handsome face is already making its way into my portfolio and updated packet!

O & K Maternity Session

My longest days working, besides weddings, are when we do 'destination locations' but they are by far the best! I'm down for driving two hours every day for the perfect spot, trying to run around said park to find service because GPS takes you to the wrong place, panicking when you can't find each other, seeing your phone is about to die and you have no idea where you are, and seeing that bear in the woods eyeballing you because you look like a tasty snack... all of these things happened on my maternity shoot with Mrs. O & Mrs. K, except the bear thing. Bears know I probably just taste like Cauliflower and coffee, not a great combo to start your day as a bear. 

Mrs. O & K have gone through in vitro fertilization and were at the time expecting a little boy in the following month (Baby O has since been born and looks just like Elvis!) so we were all a little worried about making her endure the hike to our location! She was a trooper though and both K & I couldn't say a thing about being exhausted from the rock climbing and hiking because O was doing it at 8 months pregnant! We were all kind of hoping it would send her into labor so we could all head right to the hospital and we could photograph him making his big debut! Plus this shoot was mid December so we were thinking that they had already hit their deductible for the year so...! O handled the cold so well and still somehow looked so elegant and beautiful during the whole session, I always get so jealous of women who look 10 times better than I do on a normal day 8 months pregnant. K was so helpful helping me get those super flowy dress shots and despite not wanting to be photographed she was also such a great model, and almost sickeningly sweet and caring to her wife! K & O were both so excited about their pregnancy and have worked so hard and done so much to get to where they are! They're already preplanning their next child and I am dying to snuggle their handsome little guy! 

R & T Snow Day

Mama T & I have had the pleasure of working together a lot the past year and we were both thrilled at the idea of being able to shoot in the snow! I mean, how often do we actually get a good snow in Nash? The last one I really remember happened when I was in middle school, where we all got to school and were dismissed 5 minutes into the day but were still stuck there for 7 hours!!! We spent the morning texting trying to figure out if the roads were safe for travel and we finally decided it was worth risking all of our lives. I ended up having my friend/neighbor take me to the location who owns a big ol truck and it looked like Mama T did the same!!! (Thank God for men with trucks who can drive in bad weather)

Even in the dead of winter and dressed in all those layers Mr. R and Mama T were still so incredibly fashionable and looked like professional models ready for the runway! R loved it, he immediately started picking up large chunks of snow and started throwing them at everyone. There was even a brief time my lens got super foggy because there was so much snow on it that I could hardly get a clear photo. (Note to self, bring lens cleaning cloth to every shoot!) R was all about throwing snow on everyone else but wasn't too crazy about having the same done to him, which you can see from the last 3 photos. Thirty minutes was definitely enough time to enjoy the snow and then be done with it. I was so excited to finish these photos I literally spent the whole night working on them (& finished them) only to have my internet go out before I was able to send them out... 

Mini Snow Maternity Session

Happy 2018 y'all! Yes, I know it's almost February...  I've been waiting to post blogs till I completely updated the website and now that that is done I've got a lot of catching up to do! Thankfully we've all been snowed in the last few days which has given me nothing but time to work on business, so I feel like it's appropriate to share one of my first snow shoots of the year! As much as I hate being cold I absolutely adore winter, but you can't truly enjoy winter unless you have snow, which we have gotten plenty of the last week! Most of my clientele includes young children so this normally limits what I can do outside however when adults can tough it out I jump at the opportunity! I haven't been able to leave my house for about a week because I live up a very steep driveway, that leads to a steep hill, and then you to have to climb another hill to leave the neighborhood. However Ms. J has a very dedicated man who was willing to come pick me up and drive all of us to a location some miles away to get some killer photos! J is also a very talented photographer so it's always a pleasure getting to work with her and as a fellow photographer she knows all her best angles so it makes my job so much easier! When we got to the location she had a thick jacket on so I was very surprised when she removed it and saw her almost sheer dress and lack of sleeves! It sure did look good though...

This beautiful woman toughed it out though and I'm so thrilled that J & J both convinced me to come out with them! We probably only spent 20 minutes out but I am in love with all the photos and can't wait for little Ms. M to be born! 

Thank you J, J, & D for another awesome play date together!

Baby C Newborn Session

I always try and convince parents to allow me to take their newborn outside because the payoff is always soooo worth it but with Nashville weather we're always chancing it! Especially these last few weeks, we've gone from 30 degrees to 65 degrees the next day. (I fuss about weather a lot) Mama S & I ended up planning their session in about a week and I think Mama S caught on that overtime we talked about weather on the day of our session I just dodged the question. I'm a firm believer that if you talk about it, it brings it to light and I didn't have a plan B! We met at a separate venue and they followed me to their location, in the mean time it starts raining, which means it will get colder and I was starting to panic a bit! Thank God once we actually got there (which was only about a 5 minute difference) it had stopped sprinkling and despite being in a big open field where the wind was blowing, it felt much warmer then we were expecting it to be! 

I was also expecting to encounter two shy older sisters who would probably run away from me & their new sister the whole time but oh my gosh I actually forgot for a second that we were doing a newborn shoot and just had a blast working with these ladies! Any time their sister was eating they were running circles around me and loving all over one another! Little Sister N was definitely Big Sister E's shadow, where ever she went N was right behind her! I loved their overdramatic faces and motions and at such a young age they are already so maternal to their new baby! 

Baby C was just as good as her older sisters, if every newborn and siblings could be like these three I would do a newborn shoot every day! (added bonus if Moms & Dads were as cool and cute as S & E were!) Even though C was over the 14 day marker (I think) and it being a bit chilly outside she slept the whole time, despite receiving lots and lots of kisses, being moved around a bunch, and getting stuck in a bucket. There are so many more photos I'd love to share from this session but I've got to keep some a surprise for this family! I can't thank this family enough for enduring the chilly unpredictable day, and I can't thank them enough for being every photographers dream family!!!

Ms. A Three Month Session

So this blog might contain more images that I've ever shared in a blog but God Dangit I could NOT narrow my favorites down for the life of me! Little Ms. A, who was just 2 1/2 months old at the time of our session, was SOOOO good at tummy time and was basically sitting up all on her own! Before each session I generally spend a few good hours planning in my mind the sequence in which I'm going to do things, what I need to get through first, I layer my blankets, the works! I had everything planned to a T for our session and then the moment when I got my hands on little Ms. A that all went out the window! None of my wraps fit her, she didn't fit in any  bowls or anything so I we had to improvise and treat the session like I would any 6 month old! She was such a happy baby though and was so enthralled with everything going on around her. The ceiling fan was interested, the tall grass was interesting, the big snake that went by us when we were leaving our outdoor session was interesting... I might have screamed when this happen, nobody knows except those of us present at the time. 

Mama C & I went to Middle & High School together and though we weren't ever part of the same cliche she was already so incredibly kind and social! She was always so incredibly positive and was enviously stylish (& pretty but that goes without saying)! When we met for our session we spoke as if we were close friends and I was surprised that we seemed to share so many similar interest, the same humor, and a deep love for the Grinch & Joe Dirt. She and her family have relocated out of state so I was so honored that she spent some of her incredibly limited time in town with me and I was even more happy to meet her beautiful little lady! A let me go through about 4 different sets with her without fuss and fell asleep for the last part of our shoot, allowing me to get some shots of those KILLER lashes! She's going to be a knockout just like her Mama & I wish her and her husband the best of luck with this little heart breaker!  

C Family Session

The last four weeks I've been busier then I have ever been my whole photography career and it's given me the opportunity to meet so many new amazing people! So many of my 'friendstomers' are repeat visitors which is great because I get to see so many kids/couples grow over time and it's even better when I get to start that journey with a new family! The beautiful Mrs. C and I had been in touch for a few weeks planning their session and after weeks of it being 30 degrees outside we were blessed with a beautiful warm yet overcast day! Both Mama & Papa are both incredibly adventures and try to be outside as much as possible which in todays day and age is especially admirable, especially to a homebody like me! Papa might be a little crazy(brave) though, he told me how he used to go caving back home in Turkey and his sister has done skydiving... I'm with Mama K on being mortified of heights and I've seen the Descent too many times to even think of caving as being remotely enjoyable! These two were such an amazingly sweet couple and their little lady just couldn't get enough of them! The only time she was willing to part with her parents was when we were throwing rocks in the water and she was splashing around! You can't tell but according to Mama K little Ms. S hates those red rain boots! She's such a fashionista and was so picky about her outfits but obviously has such great taste! I'm trying to convince Mama & Papa to allow me to take them out for photos by themselves. They are just the cutest couple and photograph so well together (and I'm secretly hoping they'll bring Ms. S with them so I can add her beautiful little face to my portfolio even more!) 

G Family Gender Reveal

I always feel super special when someone does a gender reveal with me because normally I am Just one of three people who knows what they're having and I LOVE THE POWERRRR. But seriously, gender reveals are the best, especially when the mother is super creative and plans out the most awesome session you could ask for! It was so wonderful getting to meet the beautiful Mama B after talking for so long! It was like seeing someone I had known forever and though her husband couldn't make it to the session he was there in spirit! Mr. G was such a good sport and was all about sharing  all of his sweets with me and everyone there! He's going to be an awesome big brother to his little sister! 

Ms. I Six Month Session

Little Miss I was so incredibly animated her whole session, she made me fall in love with shooting babies all over again! I think I've decided that 6 month olds are my favorite age to shoot because they have enough of a personality  to have great interactions with, they're growing into their unique facial features, AND they can't run away from you (which is half the battle most the time!!!) This little lady came for a mini session and was SO good I made her and her Mama stay much longer. She did all the things you hope your babies would do while having their photos taken and her outfits were just to die for! Her Mama was stressing a little bit on what to wear but Auntie came in and saved the day and provided us with some of the cutest dresses ever!!! Do they make these in Adult Size? Doesn't it seem like kids have the cutest clothes? Step your game up old navy!!!

J Gender Reveal

This pretty Mama just COULDN'T keep the fact that she was pregnant a secret, she did however manage to keep it private just what she was having and I was lucky enough to be the lady to help her share that info!!! After two handsome boys this Lady is FINALLY getting a girl!!!! We couldn't settle on how we'd exactly be revealing that info so we ended up doing about 3 different things, even though we had more planned! 

R's Second Birthday

Today Baby R turns 2!!!!!!!!!!

One of my most asked about newborn photos is that of the little baby in the monkey hat with the big lips, which is by far still one of my favorites, and I was lucky enough to get to get to see that little booger again just the other day!!! To no surprise he has grown into an incredibly handsome and devilishly stylish young man that I'm sure all the girls at daycare are constantly fighting over! He's still got those lips that Kylie Jenner pays top dollar for too. 

R is Turing 2 going on 16 and pronounced the word sunglasses in the most adorable way, there were way too many syllables for me to even remember how to pronounce it but by golly was it cute!!! In every blog I've ever covered on this family I always gloat about how amazed at how stylish and beautiful this young lady is, despite having a crazy hyper active two year old.  I don't have any kids and have never been as collective mentally or physically she is! Definitely Mom Goals (as all the hip kids say). She's also just an all around kind and wonderful woman and is always such a pleasure to be around. Working with her and R was literally a day at the park, where I've taken some of my most favorite family photos! I even wore my sneakers to this shoot instead of my flats because I was expected to have to chase R down this whole session however he was such a treat and actually ran towards me quite a few times (with large rocks in his hand, not sure if it was a threat or not). I can't get enough of how cute these two were and how much I appreciate them allowing me to once again capture such a special part of their lives! Happy Birthday R, hope you and your family have a great one!!!

Thanks to Mama T again for providing Balloons not once, but twice!!! (they got away from us at some point the first time!) Also big thanks to 100 Acre Boutique for providing me with this adorable little beanie for this guys shoot! I didn't think he could look anymore like a rock star than he already did!!!

Baby DW III Newborn Session

The Saga of the DW family continues with their most recent installment Baby M, who is also my God Son!!! Just going into his birth knowing that made the moment so much more special when I was able to witness his birth and be one of the first few people to hold him! I'm hoping these guys will make another dozen babies because gosh dang they are awfully cute! Big Brother M & Big Sister R wanted so badly to hold M and to help with him however they could it was so cute! Mama & Papa have said that Big Sister R has repeatedly taken M out of his rocker and brought him to one of the, crying, sleeping, whatever! They both want so badly to hold their new baby it makes me hopeful that since I'm waiting so long to have kids if I have them close together they'll be this loving!!!

I so wish I could share some of photos from M's birth. We had waited and waited for what seemed like weeks for M to make his big debut, I had made sure to keep my schedule relatively open so I could leave at a moments notice but of course as soon as I started a newborn session (which typically last 4 hours) I got a call from Mama T that she was in labor... SOMEHOW, I still managed to do the newborn session and drive the hour and a half up to Kentucky to see this little guy come into the world! I even got to cut the cord which was one of the most special moments I've ever gotten to share with a family, or just in general!!! M was also kind enough to be born around 3pm instead of 3am like his big sister! 

Even though he looks like he was awake in a few of the photos I posted he slept like a rock. I don't think I can express enough how hard he slept no matter how much I loved him or changed him or wrapped him he just slept and gave me some of the best faces! I can only imagine what he was dreaming about, it was probably me... or the booby. 

G Family Session

G Family Session Part Deux, this family deserves a trilogy but for now will due with a sequel blog!!! I adore going to their property and shooting, every time I visit I find something different and always gives me such a great variety in photos in such a small location!!! We even did their family photos in the pond across the road where just a few days later Papa R found a poisonous snake... thankfully we managed to make it through this session without getting poison ivy or eaten!!!

Baby P Cake Smash

This little lady has graduated from the baby plan and oh my goodness she grew about 2 feet from the time we did her family session to the time we did her cake smash!!! She's so long and beautiful just like her sisters, I hate it for Mama J & Papa R! They're going to have it rough with three beautiful little girls... I feel like these little ladies are now my nieces I've gotten so close to all them! They're always so kind, well behaved, and engaging and I look for any excuse to go see them! Anyways, just a few weeks back Baby P had her cake smash and oh my goodness I can not tell you how many images are in their gallery that are just of the cake smash!!! (It's somewhere around 50!) Because there were so many photos I am so in love with just from the CS I'm doing a blog exclusively on this portion of the session and another one for the family! Her Mama & I share a love for all things Shabby & Frilly, which I guess you have to when you have 3 girls, and I loveeee outdoor sessions so this made for a perfect combination! Little Ms. P has so much self control too, we learned from her birthday that she is not a huge fan of icing so I made a nude cake covered in lots of yummy fruit for her! It was still surprising though when she didn't even break into the cake, she spent her session munching on the strawberries and dodging the blueberries. You can tell in some of the photos too where she hit a bitter one an was not pleased but overall she loved it just as much as we did! 

A & T Anniversary Session

As T & A make a quick stop in Nashville after a 20 hour car ride from RI (eclipse traffic!) and we were able to do a really quick session before the rain really started coming down! Literally, as we were leaving it started to pour, we were able to make it to the cars and I was able to make it home, which was about 3 minutes away! I'm happy we didn't do the 25 minute drive to the location we were originally wanting to shoot at because we would have never made it! 

Working on such a short time frame wasn't a problem with these two as interacting with one another came so incredibly easily and the jokes flowed like honey. I would start a pose and they would completely make it there own, which is what every photographer wants in a couple! These two were celebrating 15 years of marriage and I was informed at their wedding they actually ran in jumped in the ocean after the ceremony so this was a bit of a cake walk for them! The session is short and for now the blog is short as we are in the process of helping my brother move!!!

The wonderful woman in the photos is also the owner of SweetSouthernBabies and makes the cutest outfits!!! https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetSouthernBabies?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Baby P Newborn Session

I've recently discovered that little boys sleep ten times better than letter girls... It last their whole lives for that matter! Little Ms. P was so good for her newborn session, even though she hadn't been feeling well for the last few days and was spitting up lots! I thought she wouldn't be comfy on her tummy because of how upset it was and shows going to spit up the whole session but I was wrong on both counts! Despite being over the 10 day marker she did some amazing poses, on her tummy and back, and to my pleasure didn't spit up once (she did get the hiccups a ton though)! This lady rocked some of my favorite props, some of which I've never used before, and gave me the chance to showcase the fabric to one of my favorite swaddle wraps!

Just like her sister in law too Mama C had a better figure post baby then I have after months of running and looked like a super model despite what I assume was only 4 hours of sleep (I look and feel dead after sleeping 6 hours, so unfair!) Papa J was such a good helper during the session too and despite having worked a ton the day before Mama C told me he was always overly excited to get home and hold this little lady all night (Dad goals ladies). This awesome family had the best color scheme/theme picked out as well. I LOVEEEE all things frilly and pink (I talk about it all the time) but they also wanted to include some of my cat props into the session! I'm saving those photos for their gallery, even though I'm dying to show them off! After spending most the morning indoors, while it was nice and cool outside, we decided to head outside and do family photos on a day where there was about 70% humidity, or that's what it felt like at least. Based on the weather the last few days you wouldn't know just two weeks ago it was miserably hot outside! Mama & Papa were so patient outside during family photos and somehow little Ms. P stayed asleep for a few photos in the garden (but even she was sweating!) My mom always strives to keep the garden up too, for this very reason. She's always tickled to death to see her flowers in my photos.

P & A Maternity Session

I made a statement the other day on FB about how my ladies need to go ahead and have their babies anddddd I guess I'm getting what I wished for! Within two days of posting one of my pretty Mama's went into labor and just a few days later my beautiful cousin looked like she was about to have a baby fall out of her during her shower! Sadly Papa A had to go to work before the Baby Shower ended and before Mama P could escape I made her come out back and let me get a few photos of her! Thankfully she was model ready and so very happy to accept!!!

Our family is so incredibly happy for her and her awesome guy, they're going to be fabulous parents when we allow them to have their little guy! Thankfully he's being born into two big loving and very family oriented families.

C Graduation Photos

I have a huge problem when it comes to photoshoots, I get carried wayyyyyyy too easily, which isn't a bad problem I suppose! For those of you who can't tell I'm a huge fan of bright colors. My whole business palette is just a giant blob of shabby chic inspiration/explosion of florals so when C agreed to shoot at one of my favorite locations and gave my creative control I can not tell you how ecstatic I was!!! I did a session similar to this some time ago but wasn't able to capture the feeling I was wanting the photos to represent. Though the original model did a stupendous job, it turned out that I was missing one key element... a handsome boyfriend to share the excitement and ice cream with! These two played off each other so well and were just so happy in the moment I really didn't have to do anything except try and keep up with them! 

I might have taken like 100 photos in about 3 minutes. Though we spent a good amount of time at another location, shooting other outfits, I am madly in love with these photos because they represent the excitement and dramatic flair I want my photos and business to portray! 

Also, it was an extra special session because it was Panda's first birthday!!! She might have been the best listener and most responsive one year old I've ever worked with ;) 

K & Z Family Session

In between all the babies I've had these last few weeks I somehow managed to get a little 1.5 year old in my grasps! I love all the babies and will always welcome them but it was nice to work with a child who was about 95% less likely to pee or poop on me. It just so happens this darling little ladies Mama was someone I intentionally made friends with in High School just so I could photograph! It only occurred to me later that she was more than just a pretty face, she was an incredibly sweet and an all around remarkable lady! The last time I saw Mama K was the last time I attended High School, which... I don't even want to talk about how long ago that was. People always seem to make a huge change in personality from 17 to early 20's but Ms. K was still just as flattering as ever. She was also just as easy to get along with as ever! We talked like we've been in contact all this time & as socially awkward as I am that's a super hard trait to find in someone! 

As amazing as Mama K is she had some competition with Baby Z who spent most her session running away from me with my stroller. Z has the personality of a 16 year old girl and was definitely in charge of the session! She also had some of the best outfits I've ever seen (do they make pants like that in adult sizes?) and the most beautiful blue eyes! 

We ended up having to go to our first location the following day because the place was closing early and we got kicked out almost immediately... (jerks!) It gave me a good excuse to see these two beauties again though and was well worth the wait. Because I had planned for most of the session to be shot at the first location we ended up improvising the rest of the session and locations. Every park we seemed to drive by seemed to be having HUGE family reunions or people letting their giant dogs run around like crazy (it's a park, I get it, dogs will run around and they should be able to but it makes it SUPER hard to keep a kids attention so it was a no go!) We were also racing against the rain and these two stills somehow managed to give me some truly awesome shots on such a restricted time line with so many distractions!

Ms. Z was bein so good too I was able to get some shots of this pretty Mama & I think I'm going to try & sneak her pretty face in my senior gallery to see if anyone notices ;)