Nashville Family Photographer + Filmmaker | The Douglass Family
Getting to film his sweet family and their rhythm together is such a blessing. This was our 2nd film together and it went just as beautifully as the first. I connect with this family because they homeschool and we do too. I love watching them crack jokes together, play games, jump and play…. making sourdough and even running out into the rain! Which I have never had happen in a session before.
Having your family filmed is something you will never regret, I promise you. You’ll watch it back over and over. Years later, it becomes increasingly valuable to you. Your kids will want to watch it and I even have some clients’ kiddos that go to bed with their little video albums (after 3 family films, I gift them one). It is so powerful to show your kids that their daily life is SO good and worth living. Give them evidence of the love and laughter and good times. Someday, they may cling to them. I would love to connect with you about filming your family!
Homeschool Family spending time together.
Husband and Wife on trampoline, kissing.
a Boy and his Dog
young boy on trampoline
dad and daughter jumping on trampoline
Homeschool girl learns piano
Homeschool family making sourdough
Dad and son play chess
Nashville Family Filmmaker + Photographer | Why Family Films Are the Next Big Thing in Family Memories
A More Dynamic Way to Preserve Memories
Photos are a great way to capture a moment, but a family film offers something even more dynamic. It allows you to capture not just an image, but the sounds, actions, and emotions that go into creating memories. Life is full of these amazing- but seemingly - mundane moments that we take for granted. Filming your family allows me to show you those little fleeting moments.
Mother wipes toddler’s face.
With advancements in smartphone technology and affordable cameras, families now have thousand of videos and photos on their phone. But where will that be in 15 years? How will we find the nuggets in the piles of files? Like many things, technology gives us a false sense of security, making us think we are capturing our lives all the time. But the permanence is lacking, severely.
Being able to replay memories that actually happened for years to come
Some of my annual clients were children who had parents who took video of their youth and they grew up rewatching those VHS tapes over and over. Back then, we had a few nuggets each year - usually Christmas and vacation - to rewatch. Today, we have all this content but no real way to watch it and it gets lost. We don’t know where the significant nuggets are. The only way around this is to take video with our phone (which means one of us will be taking video and not even in the family video) and then make a video out of it with an app and store it in a place where we can rewatch it. This is hard to sustain for the entirety of the years of raising children. Hiring me makes an intentional practice of having something to hand down.
Dad and Daughter Play Guitar together.
Family Films Can Be Passed Down Through Generations
One of the most magical aspects of family films is their ability to be passed down through generations. Imagine being able to watch a video of your parents or grandparents recounting family stories, traditions, or simply sharing their experiences. A family film becomes a legacy…a living memory that can be enjoyed by not only your children but by future generations.
In the future, your great-grandchildren might be able to watch your family film and feel a connection to you, even though they never had the chance to meet you. The ability to preserve your voice, your expressions, and your memories in such a tangible way is an invaluable gift.
Family films are rapidly becoming a favorite way to preserve, share, and relive family memories. Whether you’re filming a special occasion, capturing everyday moments, or simply bonding over the process of creating something together, these films provide a unique and lasting way to celebrate your family’s story. With the ability to pass them down through generations, family films are not just a passing trend…they are quickly becoming an integral part of family life and tradition. If you want to have your family filmed, please connect with me.
A family hanging out with their goats on their farm in middle Tennessee where they live with their grandparents.
Nashville Newborn Photographer | An In-Home Sun drenched Newborn Session
Sweet Allie contacted me months before to book her newborn session. She was having her 2nd baby boy and was excited to have me capture it.
After a reschedule due to sickness, we finally had our date for the session, 4 weeks after birth. The sun had finally returned and the whole day was glorious. I showed up, immediately met at the door by her sweet son, a 2 year old boy and his daddy. We chatted a few minutes and I went right to work, capturing Allie nursing her little new baby boy.
Capturing the real life in your early days with your newborn is so important. It REALLY can bring you back to this moment. I want that for my client. As a mom of 16 and 13 year old boys, I WANT that for my clients. You really wish, with each passing year, you could go back. It becomes an emotion that just grows with each year. I hate that it’s true. I remember when I had littles and people said that to me, but the words didn’t sink in, because we cannot comprehend. We try, but we fail.
These years with littles are just so much more fleeting than you think. You are so in the moment of trying to keep them alive that it is truly so hard to comprehend. Allie is going to BLINK and these boys will be 2 + 4. and then she is going to blink a few more times and they will be 10 + 12. It truly just goes by. Each year, as they change in age, and development, you lose that version of them. It’s heartbreaking and amazing all at the same time. You lose 4 year old Greyson or 6 year old Atticus and you want so badly to remember them at those exact ages. It’s so hard to recall. Video + photos will be your life line. Reach out to me here, if you want a session to capture the season you are in right now.
This session was very easy, in fact at the end … Allie said “that was the easiest session ever!”
They really just did life like they usually do. Eating snacks, nursing, reading to their son, playing with him and holding a baby.
Big brother was really into his baby brother, it was so organic to get some good shots of them together.
This new season of having the 2nd baby is so special, it usually gives the older child a chance to deepen their bond with dad while mom is kind of tied down with baby more. Mom still spends time with her older child, but there is a subtle shift.
I loved this scene. I was outside of the room, I looked in and saw this unfolding with the sun pouring on them. Grabbed this quick shot but I just adore it.
Nashville Family Photographer | Fall Family Photos …but your real memories
All around Nashville, every year, thousands of residents seek having their fall family photos taken. Get in and get out, get the wardrobe, the location, the light and box checked.
But I have grown to see over the years that these photos don’t really give us our memories. In fact, they become a place holder for where our memories should be.
Fall Family shoots are about the clothing you wore, the light, the field you sat in.
But in-home documentary sessions are about your real life moments unfolding and letting me - as a fly on the wall - capture those and tell that story back to you.
The Myers Family had their family shoot at home in October. The leaves had just begun to change and the temperatures were a touch cooler. They had mums and pumpkins to decorate their front and back yards with and so that was a huge part of their photo shoot. They also love Fall bonfires. This was the absolute perfect fall family shoot! It captured their real life of juggling two boys while doing home projects on the weekends. Letting the older son help. Taking breaks to nurse… all part of their typical days in this season.
There truly is magic in our everyday… and it’s not in the big moments, but truly these micro moments in the in between. The ones that are harder to see because we’re in the depths of parenting. Capturing those, gives us this beautiful incredible keepsake that is unlike any other. For your next round of fall photos, holler at me and let’s tell your real fall family story.
Franklin, Tennessee Family Photographer | How do I get authentic family photos?
Over the years, photography has been slowly moving away from posed family photography... But in replace of that, it has moved to "lifestyle" family photography. Lifestyle can be done indoors or outside, but it is another form of staged work. While the outcome can be beautiful AND meaningful... Is it capturing the family as they really are? From my experience with many photographers ... No.
What Lifestyle Photography Misses out on...
Lifestyle photography is another form of cookie cutter photography. Most photographers have a shot list. They follow that list for every family. (Hey, I'm not bashing it, I used to do it!)
But what I realized when I found family films was that a shot list misses out on capturing REAL MEMORIES.
Maybe not every family snuggles in their master bedroom? So why do we do this in every in home lifestyle photo session? I know most family certainly dont snuggle on a quilt in a field.... so why do we do this every fall for family photography sessions? What does a quilt in a field have to do with your family memories? Nothing...
Your life is absolutely beautiful. Even if you have weight to lose or your home needs remodeled. And if you are waiting on those things to be perfect, you will miss out on all of these beautiful moments in the meantime.
I get to know my families.
Me and my clients get to know each other. I want to know what your favorite moments are RIGHT NOW. I want to know what crazy things are happening every day that may even drive you crazy but you know you will miss (hello, stepping on legos!)
I want to know how you met your spouse and what your favorite memories were when you were kids! I want to know all of the weird parts, the messy parts and the best parts. Because to me, its all absolutely amazing. The story is beautiful.
When you choose a lifestyle session rather than a documentary session (unposed, real life)... You are actually ignoring memories. I remember when my first documentary session happened in my home and the photos came back. A photo of my son laying on his belly, on a bench, reaching behind him putting on his shoe made me cry... Why? Because I almost lost that moment by choosing perfect photography sessions over real life. (and for the record, when he acts silly putting his shoes on in the weirdest way, it does drive me crazy! But the kids will grow up and learn to properly put their shoes on, so I try to soak up the moments anyway!)
There are moments you may not even see.
Inevitably, there will be some really fascinating in between moments on your session. I see these tiny fleeting moments that you might not even see because you are busy living your life.
That's why you hire me. So that I can capture those for you and you can revisit them for years to come. Whether you hire me for documentary photos or a family film and photo session, Im going to spend a lot of time with you. Don't worry, the sessions are easy. Dads LOVE sessions with me, they say it's the easiest session ever, because I do not force posing or inauthenticity. If a child is uncomfortable, you can trust that I am going to give them time to warm up. I know how to back off and wait. and it has never failed. It helps that I have two degrees in child education and psychology. I never force children. That is the #1 way to ruin an authentic family session.
If you want to try this type of family session, please ... let's chat! I would love to talk it over with you.
