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!!!

N Maternity Session

Despite us having snow yesterday everything is in full bloom and beautiful in Nashville! The sad part is, stuff only stays in bloom for about a week, but the allergies stay ALL.SUMMER.LONG!!!!! Due to this I bribed Ms. N with the promise of pretty flowers, which didn't take too much convincing, to do part of her maternity session a little bit early! (I'm still super dooper excited to do her full maternity session in Florida!)

I already shared a few of her photos on some of my other social media account and I spoke about how jealous I am that all these pregnant women have themselves together more than I do, which I am, but who wouldn't be jealous of this gorgeous lady! She is one of the kindest most graceful (not like, won't trip over her own feet graceful, like elegant)  women I have ever met and truly has the pregnancy 'glow'. Like seriously, her hair, skin tone, everything just radiated! I don't know if I can attribute that all to her pregnancy but I can sure as heck blame it to make me feel a little more adequate!!! 

She also picked up the cutest maternity dress last second at Target, which I am considering going to get for everyday use! The material was so soft and it was so flow and elegant, I couldn't have asked for a better outfit or model!!! I am so grateful this beautiful lady came out with me last second on one of the prettiest days we've had in Nashville for some time and so happy that we were in-between our rainy and snowy days! All the trees we stopped by for our shoots have already lost their bloom and we did this shoot less than a week ago!!! 

Her dress - https://www.target.com/p/maternity-knit-kimono-sleeve-dress-isabel-maternity-by-ingrid-isabel-153/-/A-53217490#lnk=sametab

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! 

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L Valentines Day Session

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!!

This is a rare thing, this might literally be the one time in my life I properly planned ahead, so this year I was able to do a mini Valentines Day shoot!!! All of you know that I am all about some frill,I love incorporating pops of color into any and every session so when the Lovely Lauren Cummings was willing to go frolic with me fighting cold and wind I was over the moon! This sweet lady is almost sickeningly sweet, she has the most positive attitude and the most contagious smile! We had discussed late 2017 doing a session together but traveling kept me busy and this lady is hard to get ahold of! Both of us go nonstop and I think that's one of the reasons we got along so well! She also laughed at all my jokes, even the ones she didn't get, so that was another big bonus. This small portion of our shoot yielding so many awesome photos and the second part deserves its own blog! 

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

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!!!