family photographer
Good lord this blog was drafted in September of last year, even worse, I think it was shot months before that!Any who, here’s a super handsome little man with the prettiest blue eyes!
Baby G & his parents came to me for his Wild Ones themed First birthday Cake Smash and he was just the sweetest baby with such a big personality! He laughed at all my jokes, tolerated all his outfit changes, and loveddddd his cake! His parents were okay too I guess :)
One of the biggest compliments you can ever get as a photographer is having clients that continue to come back to you and I was so happy when the beautiful Mama M contacted me about getting up to date family photos/Baby M’s 18month pictures! I had the pleasure of photographing Baby M (now big boy M) last year when he was 6 months old and he was nothing but rolls and a big ball of happiness. Not too much had changed since that time, except now that he’s mobile he’s lost some of those precious precious rolls but he was just as attentive and sweet as ever! I guess you’re extra smart too when your Mama is a teacher and has had extra time home with you…
Just like our prior session it was an insanely hot day in Nashville and of course our location required a bit of hiking to get to. I felt so bad for Papa M who had already been working outside all day but none of them complained once. I was sweating by the time we got to the lakeside but somehow Mama M & Papa M still looked perfect! I guess I’m just really out of shape. Baby M was so well behaved and was so attentive to everything we were doing, he was probably the easiest baby to get to look at the camera. He was in such a good mood for his photoshoot, he didn’t care who was holding him, which made family photos so easy, or what he was doing, he was just happy to be out on an adventure!
We thankfully avoided all the rain that had been looming all week, this was the first nice day in a while and we had already had to reschedule once or twice, and I couldn’t have picked a nicer family to work with. Baby M got to model one of the new outfits I have available for little boys and he was the perfect baby bear. He also loved the chair I had brought for him and kept sitting in it no matter where I moved it. He even tried to sit in it when I was trying to put it up, it was the cutest thing. My favorite part of the session though was when his parents had him identify all his body parts, which you can see in some of the photos below. He was starting to get tired so to keep his attention we asked him to find his belly, his nose, and his ears, and he got every single one!!! Oh, and his Chris Farley impression was pretty dang spot on
I started photography wanting to excessively working with professional models but I quickly dropped that narrow-mindedness and now 5 years later I work almost exclusively with children! It’s definitely been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made because working with kids is always a wild, unpredictable ride. The energy is definitely wasn’t on the youth, I feel like I always get a days worth of steps in working with kids and this little lady definitely gave me a run for my money! B and her Grandmother and Grandfather originally met me on a day a freak tsunami hit Nashville. The day started beautiful, got slightly overcast, and by the time we got to our session location it was pouring!!! It was also thundering very very loudly, enough to scare me, and even though we tried to wait it out, it just wasn’t going to happen. Despite all this madness going on little Miss B was amazingly friendly and open to meeting someone new and was so excited to take photos (though it didn’t happen that day). I actually kind of cheated by winning her over, it wasn’t my charming personality she like, but she loved looking at all my bows, trying on dresses, and singing Let it Go while spinning in said dresses. She was so very social and it was so sweet to see how crazy she was about her Grandparents, who were also the kindest most patient people. I kept telling them, this is Nashville weather, it’ll pass it 5 minutes… it didn’t pass. Though the made the long drive out to meet me they were super understanding and were completely understanding and willing to reschedule, despite them only being in town for a few days.
After having to reschedule two more times we finally managed to shoot on Easter morning and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect! Surprisingly there were also 100 other people out enjoying the nice weather, which kind of blew my mind because ya know… it was Easter Sunday. B, who had now had to wait 3 separate times for us to actually shoot, was a ball of energy and optimism for our photoshoot! She ran through the flowers probably a dozen times, picked several for her Grandmother and me, and once again spent the whole session twirling! Energy is wasted on the youth… I wish I got that excited about anything and had that much energy for… anything. She was the most perfect model and it was definetly worth the wait! It’s always so nice seeing children who are so well behaved, kind, and just absolutely LOVE the outdoors! She probably feel 5 times running through the field but just got right back up and kept on trucking! Her grandmother has told me that they plan on bringing her back to me at some point so I’m already planning on what fun and excited adventure we can all do together next time!
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I used to pride myself on being able to write super descriptive blogs where I spilled every detail of my shoot and how they came to be but I think with age I’ve lost that ability (6 months makes a big difference guys!!!!) So I’m going to attempt to bring blogs back, and bring them back with a vengeance! Don’t go back and READ prior blogs, you can look… that way I won’t be judged off previous work
ANYWAYS!!! This session was seriously one to write home about and as much as I would like to take credit I literally have to thank this beautiful little ladies Mama for making it all happen! Mama B and I became friends about the time she found out the gender of this sweet little lady. We did her gender reveal together, she dropped off some nude cupcakes for a stylized shoot I was doing, and the rest is history! I’ve had the privilege of getting to experience so many special moments in their lives with them and the chance to watch her two children grow!!! She’s a wonderful friend and a very very talented artist and baker (Two Peas and Sweets Bakery)
Okay, back to the blog, I’m getting ahead of myself. This little ladies first birthday session was planned before she was born. Mama is basically a gypsy and has lived everywhere but her roots are in Arizona (don’t kill me if I get your families history wrong B, I’m not a stalker) and her Grand….mother used to have an alpaca farm (that sounds right). Her uncle even makes cactus art!!! Definitely a desert rat. When E was born she even had an extra special Aplaca/cactus swaddle!
When it came time to planning her First Birthday photoshoot Mama B somehow found an Alpaca farm, which was only about twenty minutes from Blakes house, go figure, and the women that owned it was kind enough to let us shoot there! We ended up getting lost along the way and managed to do this shoot in a record twenty minutes, which was probably for the best otherwise we would have stayed there all day. Baby E literally had zero interest in the Alpacas though and was more concerned with what they were eating and picking up as much mud as she could between her toes. The Alpacas literally had zero interest in her either and were more concerned about why this small creature was trying to shove their pellets into her mouth.
Again, this shoot was definitely like a fairytale and over the years we’re somehow going to have to one up this session. We’re already trying to figure out how we’re going to get an elephant for her 16th birthday
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No matter how many times I shoot with the G family it’s ALWAYS new and exciting! I always aim to make each session their most favorite of all the ones we’ve done and I always go into a session feeling slightly nervous on how I’m going to make this shoot different… Now… I feel like I’m always going to have to live up to this session!!!!
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It always brings me such great joy when my newborns make their way back to me and I was SO happy to see Mama K and the handsome Baby O! O is now about half the size of his Mama, which isn’t a hard feat to accomplish, sorry K, wears a mans size 9 shoe, and despite what some photos might show, has lots of wisps of red in his hair! He was so well behaved for our session and even let me spend a little time solely photographing his beautiful mother while he stomped around and tried to find whatever mud puddle he could.
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Baby O was my first cake smash of 2019 and I was able to bring back an oldie Goldie set for him! Even though I put extra special love and care into making his cake he was more interested in the cut out One on the top than anything else. All the other damage was done by Mama and me!
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My handsome little Nephew turned one last month and spent the week getting lots of ouches in preparation for his birthday photos!
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I think at home newborn sessions are becoming my favorite, one and most importantly... because I don't have to clean my house, you get to capture families in their true element with their newest addition, and, and, and sometimes other peoples homes have much better light than mine and it makes life sooooo much easier! Mama M & Papa D’s home had the biggest window ever and I think every newborn session I have from here on is going to be in their bedroom infant of their bay window…
I was fortunate enough to be one of the few people that got to see Ms. S after her birth as Mama had a pretty rough post labor and needed lots of recovery time! While Papa D was at work and Mama M took a cat nap on the couch Ms. S and I spent a few hours together and took some of what are I can only call, deceivingly sweet photos… I say deceivingly because this little lady would wake up every so often, look directly in my direction, and bust her arm or leg out of her swaddle, like she knew she wasn’t suppose to do that, never once looking away from me! Or when she was doing unswaddled photos I’d get her perfectly placed, pick my camera up, and all of a sudden shed stick that leg straight up in the air and just hold it there. Other than that she was the best and didn’t cry once!
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The fact that one of the little ladies, who’s mother I knew before she was pregnant, who’s pregnancy photos I did, who’s 6 month photos I shot, is now in school makes me feel incredibly old. If you ever want to feel your age have or be around children and every time they hit milestones it’s just another gray head on the head!
It is amazing though to see the personality this little lady has developed over the years and how quirky she is! She is so bubbly and menacing at the same time, it’s hilarious to hear her talk through scenarios that she’s dealt with or those that she makes up in her head. If she’s this imaginative and smart she is now I can only imagine how she’s going to be in the next 10 years!!!
Also, did I mention she’s a model prodigy? I won’t even consider her as a ‘child model’, she’s far surpassed that title and is ready for the runway! Her one downfall is that she KNOWS she’s an awesome model and requires bribery for her skills, last time she got some bows, this time, ice cream was her preferred payment method!
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Baby E is finally here!
I know some pretty Kool cats but these guys are ranked up near the tiptop!!! Baby E is now about a month and a half old (see how behind I am in blogs) and is sleeping 5 hours at a time for her Mama, and just like Big Brother G, is full of smiles!!! I could shoot this family ten thousand times and never get enough photos, nor do I think I could truly capture Big Brother G's obsession with his baby sister E! Here's to many many more shoots together and lots of adorable photos of Baby E & Big Brother G! Its going to be crazy looking back in a year and seeing these photos
White Headband - IvyandNellBaby
Fox Headband - Pixie Blossoms
White Feather Headband - Pixie Blossoms
Pink Headband - IvyandNellBaby
Gender Reveal - http://www.chelseameadowsphotography.com/blog/2017/10/26/g-family-ge
Maternity Session - http://www.chelseameadowsphotography.com/blog/2018/3/9/c-family-maternity-session
Now that Mr. S is a month old I GUESS I can finally share photos from his Mamas Maternity Session...
I can no longer just call the G family children 'some of my favorite girls' because they now have a little brother! Sadly, Papa R is still greatly outnumbered... This awesome family has basically become family over the last few years and my portfolio can't contain enough photos of them! Mama J handles pregnancy along with raising three other children so gracefully, I'm in their house and just get tired watching her & Papa R wrangle everything and everyone! We picked one of the unfortunate days of being out in the cold, where the wind was blowing like crazy, but these ladies & Papa toughed it out, as always!
This new generation of kids is a handful already, they're all already 10 times prettier than any of us have ever been too, I feel bad for all you Mamas and Papas out there! Little Ms. I turned one a few weeks back but you wouldn't believe it if she was standing right next to you! This little lady is so tall and so far beyond her years already, if she had a little more hair on her pretty little head you'd think she was pushing (1)3! This girl was wonderful for her six month session so I was extra excited for her follow up, and of course so honored that Mama L came back to me to document such an important part in her life!
After a beautiful drive out to a private lot we were able to shoot in a beautiful field of wild flowers in 70 degree weather! We had to be extra careful tiptoeing around though because we weren't allow to pick or step on the flowers and little Miss I was so well behaved and resisted the temptation! Mama L gave me creative freedom for her Cake Smash which always creates some pressure but I'm pretty pleased with our woodland themed session!
Little Ms. P came back for a visit and I thought it had only been 6 months but she's the size of a one year old!!! This blue eyed beauty is the cousin of the little ladies I posted in my last blog and she is equally as adorable! (Luckily for Mama and Papa, it looks like she only has eyes for Daddy) These cool cats make the family life look like a cake walk, a beautiful cake walk at that. Little Ms. P is always so well behaved and is obsessed with her parents. She was however kind enough to let me take some photos of her beautiful Mama & Papa while Blake awkwardly held her. (just kidding Blake, you did adequate)
As always Mama C was on top of everything and we had this session planned months ago, but between Nashville weather and injuries/sickness it just didn't seem like it was going to happen! Thankfully, Nashville had one of those rare 50 degree days and we were all able to go out and bask in the sun! We had originally planned on doing a little Valentines Day mini for Ms. P and even though the day had come and wayyyy gone we still decided to sneak that in there! After all the time Mama C & I spent trying to decide which one of her many adorable outfits to wear we weren't about to put all that planning to waste! Thankfully P still fit into all her adorable outfits and made the simplest set look amazing.
It's crazy to think that this session happened... two (?) months ago now and we'll be planning her cake smash soon! I think she'll enjoy our next session together a little more because it'll be much warmer but P, a baby after my own heart, LOVES her some food and will probably pulverize her cake!
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!
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!)
Baby DW number 3 is almost here!!! This means at any given moment I can be driving up to KY to witness this little monster to make her/his big debut! Lets hope unlike his/her sister, they decide to arrive at a hard noon! Hopefully this isn't the last of the DW children, I know if Mama can help it she'll get two more out of Papa K, because they make the most adorable kids! Check out this beauty rockin one of my maternity dresses & her adorable munchkins (& handsome hubby) giving her some serious love!
