So now that I'm not complaining about the cold, or the rain, I can complain about the heat... I can't actually complain about the heat cause Baby C's Papa works in the blazing heat all day, but I'm still going to gripe. I always love seeing my babies grow and Ms. C and her big sisters were AWESOME, as expected. I can't imagine the grief Papa E & Mama S are going to go through when these girls get older because they've got 3 very different and lively girls all of are exceptionally gorgeous in their own ways!
Family Photos
S Newborn Photos
in Newborn, Family Photos
This little guy didn't only luck out in the fact that he's being born into an awesome family full of love BUT, he's got 3 older sisters, which means he'll have a continuous supply of older girls around the house when he's a teenager! Too bad he'll always be known as the baby brother though!!! This little guy makes 6 for the G family, but Mama & Papa have some of the best helpers in the forms of Ms. G & Ms. R, who are the best second Mommies. After having a house full of girls for years though Mama J & Papa R finally got their little boy and let me tell you... he's going to be spoiled. When J found out the gender she immediately went to target and started picking out clothes, you should have seen him at the hospital too! He had the coolest swaddles, a custom hat with his name on it, and the most stylish 'coming home' outfit... monogramed of course.
E Newborn Session
in Family Photos, Newborn
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
I Cake Smash
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!
N Family Session
I'd like to welcome back some serious CMP veterans, the N Family! Mama C and I have known one another since high school days, which I don't care to say how long ago that was, but the fact that her oldest child is almost in the double digits is a super unfriendly reminder! As I always complain, it was freezing cold this morning, even though the day before was about 20 degrees warmer, yet the kids somehow managed to do SO good. I had two jackets on because the smallest breeze might kill me so I had no clue how they were doing it! For the most part we just allowed them to run wild, the only rule was not to fall into the water, which W didn't really follow too well!
All of these guys get along AMAZINGLY and spent the whole session giving each other a hand up whenever they tripped, or attempted to climb something, it was the best! I did realize though I have no clue what to talk to kids that are between the ages of 7-10, especially these guys because they all acted way older than they actually were!
P Six Month 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!
E Family Session
I feel super bad for Papa M, not only because he wasn't able to come to our super fun girls only photo shoot BUT he has three beautiful girls he's always going to have to be on the lookout for. Not only are his girls going to be knockouts but Mama B is... well, we'll just say Papa M is super lucky to have her! S & H are also going to have to worry about bringing their future boyfriends over because it could easily end up like a Stacey's Mom situation... and also their girlfriends because Papa M is also going to be 'The Hot Dad' and their friends will be looking for excuses to come over!
These ladies are always so amazingly fun to work with. Mama B & I talk like we've been best friends for our whole lives, never an awkward moment, H is too terribly smart for her own good, like seriously... she's scary smart, and S is soooo tender and sweet she actually makes me consider wanting a girl! I've been dying to share their images and what better day to do it than S's First Birthday!!!
C Family Maternity Session
The best thing about starting your day early is you get to call dibs, which includes waterfalls! We didn't start our day too early, we got to our location at 9, but we still had dibs!!!!After trying to plan a snow maternity session out of state for weeks we had a random heat wave, in-between the days were it was 20 degrees out, and the location we were looking at was a no go. Fearing we were running out of time we found the best alternative!
B picked out one of our 'Glamour Packages' at CMP which gave us aaaaaaaall day to play! After deciding last second we were going to shoot we picked out a new location literally 10 hours before our shoot and headed out early the next morning! Neither of us had obviously ever been to this location and the last time I visited a location without exploring it first did not go well... so I didn't have high hopes with my very pregnant lady friend and her very small child (Dad came along later at another location!) however this might have been the easiest fall that I have ever accessed! Literally had a paved trail to it and a nice little bench for G to sit on while I photographed his Mama, that is when he wasn't throwing rocks in the water (he's got a good arm on him too, he made lots of rocks skip!)
Mama B knew exactly what she wanted from her session and did everything she could to help make it everything she had envisioned! She also went way out of her way to do everything I asked and somehow made it ten times better! She knelt in mud and pricklies, changed 80 times, laughed at all my bad jokes, but most importantly, she did not slip and fall... Working with her & Papa K was like working with very old friends, the hour car ride was spent telling stories and discussing the best horror movies, poking fun at each other in ways I wouldn't dare do to friends that I've known for years, there was never a silent or awkward moment between us! We text each other basically every day now, she's even on my meme list! I could sit here and gush over how great they are and how badly I want to steal their son but I'll save that for their newborn blog!
Cowboy G
I might regret saying this in 10 years, when I have a little girl reading over all my old blog post, but I've always wanted a boy! Just because I would literally probably go bankrupt buying floral everything and I feel like you have less to worry about with boys. The only good thing about me having a little girl, when the time comes, is that she might have a chance with Mr. G, even though I'm sure his Mama has promised him to a dozen girls already!!! This little fella is notes incredibly smart and is great at acting out the words he hasn't learned yet, like vey detailed acting out, he's an amazing listener, no matter how badly he might not want to listen at the moment, plus I absolutely love his Mama & Papa and could totally deal with them as in-laws!!!! Plus he's just so stinkin handsome!!! This little buckaroo was the first child to break 'Woody' in and I've been dyyyyying to use it in a shoot! I can't wait to see this little guy again when his little sister gets here know he'll be just as enthused with her as he was his rocking horse!!!
M Cake Smash
Anyone that follows me on ANY of my social media accounts, if you don't I'll be posting that at the bottom of this blog, has seen THIS MOST HANDSOME LITTLE GUYS FACE!!! When I first started my photography journey my lovely friend Lindsey Huff and I knew we were both going to become famous from our shoots together. We kind of did, we've got posts on Tumblr with 100k notes but NOBODY knows it's us so... Today, I think If I'm ever going to get found online it's going to be from this.guy.here.
It's been a good minute since I've had the privilege to do a Cake Smash (what's up with all you people being health freaks huh!?!?!) and when Mama T brought her handsome little booger to our wedding pre consultation I jumped at the idea! Thankfully Mama T is just as dedicated to her session as I am, she had custom made M an outfit to go with the theme of his session and it absolutely made the session! She is ridiculously talented and creative, her abilities put me to shame!!! Baby M definitely was a 'Wild One', exploring everything around him, crawling through the mud and leaves, climbing whatever he could! Once he starts walking both his parents are going to have a hard time keeping up with him, I did and he was just crawling!!!
Both Mama T & Papa A need to continue to have babies, even if they just have another one and give it to me, because they made the most adorable and well behaved child! Mama T & Papa A were so incredibly amazing too, M is not only lucky enough to have some knockouts as parents but both of them were so incredibly kind and patient throughout our session! I can't wait for their wedding to truly focus on both of them in all their glory!
J Maternity Session
Working with other photographers is always so nerve wrecking, especially when they're as talented as Ms. Jessica Elvir! Her and her amazing family have always been so wonderful to work with and I looooove her boys so much! She's blessed me the opportunity to work with her and her growing family so many times and I feel like both of us have grown together so much over the last few years! Her Hubby to be is always such a hoot to be around too, he always laughs at all my jokes, is such a good dad to his boys, and is always such an awesome sport, even though I know he probably hates being photographed!
As nerve wrecking as it is, photographers are probably the easiest to work with, they know how to pose themselves and the ones they're being photographed with... She made me feel like I wasn't doing my job at all! She made pregnancy with two (Three if you include John) rowdy boys look like it was nothing, but we all know better! This is this families last child and they're getting a girl out of it this round! All the boys are already smitten and Ms. M isn't even here yet. If she's as pretty as her Mama they all better watch out!
Despite shooting outdoors on ANOTHER chilly day this whole family did so well enduring the cold and the hike to our location. This is a location another one of my most favorite ladies introduced me to and I'm glad I was able to break it in with Jessica and her Wolf Pack!
I & G Family Session
Just like Vampire Diaries I have my very own Originals. These are the people who started it all and helped me build my portfolio and shaped me into the photographer I was going to become! Much like The Mikaelson family, all of my Originals are beautiful and sometimes show back up unexpectedly in my life... I so wish I could add emojis to my blog, That was about as cheesy as it gets, but I'm not about to start the fight of comparing my original models to the originals! I don't want everyone fighting to be Niklaus. (G might be the closest temper wise to Klaus!!!!)
ONE of my many fabulous originals recently (December) spent the morning frolicking with me in the forest and much like her Mama I was the most wonderful model! She went dressed as a Pikachu Princess (you can't see her tutu) and spent the first portion of our session bouncing off everything in sight and the second part trying to carry her mother. This session consisted of lots and lots of tickles, laughter, and what I can only call I's... threats? I'm pretty sure Mama G was told her eyeballs would be eaten a few times.
It was really hard not to include every single photo from this shoot, I gave me so many wonderful and silly facial expressions and was the most perfect model I could ask for! I never thought I'd be so jealous of a 5 (is that right Glynn?) year old! Even though I kept her and her mother for more than an hour she never once fussed about what we were doing and was so engaging!
B Family Session
Before we had our lovely Snowmageddon we had lots of days where we were in the single digits and this family lucked out on having their session scheduled outdoors on one of those days! They faked it well enough, even the kids somehow managed to look like they were having fun in the sun but we will forever be able to see the pain in their faces.
This group was so awesome to work with and so patient, they made my job so much easier! We all got stuck behind the train, which made a pit stop for a good 20 minutes and the parents were awesome enough to go pose near the immobile train. De Once the train finally passed we made it to the wall we had planned on using as our backdrop only to have a police officer come up and tell us we were in a dangerous area! He was kind enough to sit there with us while we finished our session however I couldn't help but think about all the pretty young girls I had made travel down that street before for the sake of photos.... Needless to say it was an exciting day
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
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...
Baby C Newborn Session
in Family Photos, Newborn
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!)
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!!!
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!!!