"I must have flowers always and always." Claude Monet
The sweetest family session from this past spring...
Sharing on of my favorite sessions from this past Spring tonight with you guys. Beth is an incredibly talented photographer so I was honored to spend and evening with her crew. I will never forget asking her son to tell me his favorite thing about his mama and him getting overwhelmed with his emotions telling me how he loved his mama. Truly, the sweetest family. I hope you love these images as much as I do. Blessings.
Yay! It's time for another 10 on 10! I missed last month so I included a few extra photos this month. Our summer has been busy like everyone's. Swimming and lots of play outside. We've taken a much needed break from homeschool for the past few weeks to recharge our batteries but we're ready to get back at it. Well I am anyway, haha! I hope you guys are having a great summer! Please continue on around the circle and visit my friend Kristi's post. Her use of color and thoughtful composition draw me in every time! Go see for yourself!
You guys. This session is so special to me. Ashley and I met last year in Austin, TX at Joy Prouty's wildflower's workshop. I loved getting to know her there and have fallen in love with her work. Truly, her photographic voice is so beautiful. So I was over the moon that I got to photograph her beautiful family a few weeks back. We met at 630 in the morning and ended with breakfast, hot coffee and a long talk about our passion. It doesn't get much better than that. Enjoy this sweet family's images. They were a family photographers dream.
"Let us come alive to the splendor that is all around us, and see the beauty in ordinary things." Thomas Merton
Wardrobe styling by Nicole Wise Style
Four. This little sweet forth baby in this family rounds them out. He fits right in. The perfect little missing puzzle piece. I'm so glad I got to be there just hours after his birth to experience the thick excitement in the air as his family welcomed him into this world. You're one very lucky boy little Silas, they are going to love you well. <3
A few weeks ago I got to meet and photograph this beautiful family. This mother's strength and love for her children was so beautiful to me at her session, that I asked her to share a few words with her blog post. She writes....
"I am not saying that I wanted Dramatically Broken, on display. I wanted Mended.... I am a single mom. What I mean when I say single mom however, is that at the end of a long day it all falls on me in this house. Mortgage… mama, all other bills… mom, trash out…mmhm, lunches made….. ahem, health… mama, activities…mama, training them up right…mama, love/hugs/kisses…me, bath time… me, “can i go ride bikes mama?” , accountability…me, grass mowed…me, oil changed in a safe vehicle…me, vacation plans…yep… me, comfort and discipline… you guessed it. I think I know that they trust me and love me beyond measure. But, most of the time, I feel like I have failed and they see it. I feel like i am worth nothing if I don't remind myself of Gods love for me, constantly. In my heart of hearts, I want “give me more of you, Lord.” To be okay mingling with being “accepting of my mess”, and I imagined that you would journey there with me. Later I learned that I would get more than I even bargained for. I would get to see how my children see me.
The time that I have spent in the past and that I would have continued to allow to gnaw at my tissue, in all of this turmoil…. will not be what graces our walls. It will be the glance of brute motherly strength that melt into my most beloved possessions’ foreheads with kisses and closed eyes. I got photos that don't remind to be anything! They remind us of who we are! They don't scream, “look how good we are at bliss” they whisper, “look what God is doing when you don't blanket everything with pride, and you let him stomp out your shame” Or they say to those who enter “there is no tip toeing here, we fill each others empty cups with Christ when we each fall short.”
Hey Friends! Time for another month of photos from our family for this months 10 on 10(although I'm making it a habit of posting more than 10, woops!) This month has been filled with LOTS of time being outside, exploring and enjoying this beautiful spring we're having here in East Tennessee.
I hope you'll continue on around the circle and visit my friend Breanna's post. Her Alaskan adventures always give me a case of wanderlust! Enjoy ya'll!
This family. I knew this session was going to be amazing because of the way this mama talked about her family in my client questionnaire. I could feel her love for them through her words and her desire to remember this time with her sweet littles. Blessing to you Bailes family! Enjoy these sweet photos of your family
For this month's 10 on 10, I wanted to share a few images from a fun little road trip we took to meet some of our long distance best friends and it was the best time ever. Canoes, hiking, campfires and no cell service. It was awesome.
Continue around the circle to visit my friend Sarah who lives in Kalamazoo. Her images are full of life and color and always make me want to take a trip to Michigan! Enjoy!
I loved photographing this sweet family in their own space to celebrate their little guy turning 6 months. He even fell asleep during our session which I didn't mind one bit. Happy 6 months Asher man!
Hey Friends! Here are some of my favorite moments from this past month. Continue on around by going to my friend Breanna's post. I always love seeing her Alaskan adventures.
"Let all that you do be done in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14
There is an honesty that cannot be denied when a session is done in your home. It's where you're most "you." Where you're most comfortable, where life happens. The truth of your family. And I can feel all of that in this family's session. The honesty in their love for one another, it's here. Happy Birthday baby Luke! It's been an honor to photograph your sweet family this year. You are so loved.
Last month I got to spend the morning with the sweetest family photographing them as they settle in to life as a family of four. I love watching these new dynamics in families as they adjust to a new baby. Big sister eagerly waiting for each and every chance to help mama cuddle, kiss and shush her new brother. Such an honor as always to get to document this time for this family. <3
Ya'll, there is nothing like the air in a house with a new baby. There's just about nothing I love more than spending time photographing a new family. The love in the home is fresh and thick. And I love how even though new parents are tired, their eyes have never seemed brighter.
I was so grateful to come into this family's space and photograph this sweet time with their new little guy. Britney is my best friend's sister so it has been such a joy to see her and Blake step so gracefully into parenthood. Congratulations Waring Family!
I have come to look so forward to this post every month. I love getting to look back over our personal photos and carve out a little time to be creative just for myself and my family. This month has been filled with the usual slower rhythm of winter. A bit more time spent here at home focusing on school and being together before the business of Spring arrives. I always feel like these first couple of months of the year are spent with a lot of time reflecting on the past year and casting a vision for the current year. Aaron and I want to spend a bit less time looking at our phones and being more intentional with our time, reading and being more present with the children. A dear friend and client of mine passed away unexpectedly last week and her death has even solidified my desire for intentionality. She was a complete inspiration. She DID live intentionally. Her life was a testimony of God's love and faithfulness. She was an encouragement to all those who knew her and she left a legacy of love for her husband and children. Our hearts are broken for her husband and children, so would you please join me in praying for them and asking God to comfort their hearts?
This year, I've made a commitment to get in the frame once a week. After this past week's loss of my friend Lexi, I've never felt more the infinite value of a photograph. So I am so thankful to have this challenge to be in the frame with my children more. I hope you'll head on around the circle and check out the rest of the ladies in 10 on 10 group. You can head over to my friend Cris's blog and check out her gorgeous work.
Love this sweet family even more each time I photograph them. I feel right at home with them because they remind me so much of my own crew. A little wild and crazy mixed with a whole lotta love for each other. <3
Several years ago when I started my business, my very first official client was a newborn session. I was instantly hooked. There is nothing like the time with your baby especially in those early groggy days. I mean, yes, there is the utter exhaustion and sleep deprivation but the flood of emotions during that time is palpable and I LOVE to photograph it. It's been a while since I wrote a blog post about how I approach my newborn work and I thought it was time.
I've always considered myself a lifestyle photographer when it comes to newborns, even in the beginning. That can mean different things to different folks so let me explain. To me, it means our session is done in the comfort of your own home and we focus on your natural interactions together. That doesn't mean I don't pose you or direct you into beautiful light, I definitely do. But the magic in the image all comes from the real emotion that's happening between you and your family.
As a mother of 4 myself, there's no denying that my work is heavily influenced by my own family and the photographs of my children and myself that bring me the most joy. These are usually the ones where I can see things the way they really were. How we loved each other, the way a lip curled when my daughter cried, how my son beamed when he got to hold his sister(or not, haha), the way a father smells the head of his new daughter, a mother's embrace. These are the images that stir me and these are the images I want you to remember and see of your own family.
When it comes to portraits of your newborn, I love simplicity. In my opinion, newborns are just perfect on there own so I definitely think less is more when it comes to any kind of props for your session. Besides a few neutral wraps and swaddles, I rely totally on things in your own home to incorporate into your session. To me, this makes your session even more personalized.
For your baby's portraits, I focus on baby led posing in a more natural set up like the bed, their crib, a rug, the couch, etc rather than a more formal set up with a backdrop. I used to incorporate some of this into my sessions but over the past few years I have come to realize it's not my strong suit, nor are these the images that feel true to my style. In addition to baby led posing for individual photographs of your baby, one of my favorite ways to take portraits of newborns is in Mama or Daddy's arms. Babies are always more content close to one of their parents and I personally feel like it adds another element of emotion which makes the photograph more meaningful to you over time.
Another aspect of my newborn sessions that is very important to me that I feel like goes without saying is that the entire family(siblings) is incorporated. Bringing home a newborn is a huge change for siblings and photographs of siblings are so important. I always do my best to get portraits of siblings together but I also love getting photographs of little glimpses of what life was like with a brand new baby in the house and the impact it had on your entire family. This is different for every family and I love that about sibling shots!
Last but not least, I like to get a good mix of family shots. I always get the good old, traditional everyone's-looking-shots but those are never my goal at our session. My favorites by far are the ones where everyone forgets I'm there and your true story unfolds.
I hope this was helpful in understanding the way I approach my newborn sessions. When it comes to newborn sessions there is definitely no right or wrong when it comes to photographic style but I do feel it's important to choose a photographer that best suits your family. So, if we're a match, and you're expecting, shoot me an email and we can chat about a session. :)
I have always dreamed of photographing a family in the snow. Snow is so rare and magical here in Tennessee that we can't plan for this type of session and even when it happens we can't garantee that we can make it to one another because of road conditions. But a couple of weeks ago it all worked out and I couldn't be more happy about it. I CANNOT wait to meet this little guy here in the next few weeks and see this sweet pair become a family of 3. Congrats Waring family!
