Welcoming Baby Girl | Nashville Newborn + Family Photography
Spending time capturing this family in their everyday life is such an honor, and honestly, it is so much fun. Every time I see them, it feels like catching up with old friends while we laugh and enjoy the morning together. I especially love seeing their boys in person, and this time was extra special because I got to document them as big brothers meeting their new baby sister.
The boys are completely smitten with her. They love holding her, kissing her, and showing her off. Their youngest brother, Emerson, is still adjusting, and you can see his mixed emotions. I loved capturing that too. Documentary family photography is about more than just smiles. It is about the little moments, the real expressions, and even the sibling rivalry. Those moments are honest and beautiful because they show the reality of change in a family. Emerson’s feelings don’t mean he doesn’t love his sister. It simply means that his role in the family has shifted. All changes, even the best ones, bring a mix of emotions because they mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
This was my third time with this family in a short period, and it felt incredibly special. I know I will miss seeing them until we meet again for their next family session.
If you missed it, you can look back at their maternity session here.
If you are looking for a Nashville newborn photographer or want to book a maternity session, family photography session, or birth photography and videography in Nashville, I would love to connect with you. Let’s create something meaningful for your family that you can treasure for years to come.
Nashville Family Videographer | A Film Session with The Brisky Family
It is always an honor to be invited into a family’s home to document their story through film and photography. But when my client is also a talented family filmmaker herself? That’s the biggest compliment I could ever receive.
I’ve admired and followed Neeli Brisky for a long time. We often chat about our work and encourage one another, so when Neeli shared she was expecting, she immediately reached out about creating a family film. My answer was an enthusiastic yes!
The Perfect Timing for a Family Film in Knoxville
As luck would have it, Neeli lives just a few hours away near Knoxville, Tennessee. Shortly after her baby was born, I happened to be traveling to Knoxville, which made the timing absolutely perfect for us to connect and capture her family’s story.
Meeting Neeli in person felt like reuniting with an old friend. She radiates kindness and carries a peaceful spirit that instantly made me feel at home. Watching her love on her three boys alongside her supportive husband was such a gift.
A Family Story Filled with Gratitude
Neeli’s journey to motherhood is filled with love and resilience. When she and her husband first tried to grow their family, they faced struggles. During that time, they adopted their first son ... and soon after, discovered she was pregnant. That blessing gave them two boys close in age, and now they’ve welcomed their third baby, another sweet boy.
To say that three boys feels like a dream come true for Neeli and her husband would be an understatement. Their gratitude for this season is evident in every smile, laugh, and tender moment.
Capturing Real Life Moments
One of my favorite parts of this documentary family film was capturing the boys together. The older two adore their little brother ... their voices, giggles, and excitement add so much life to the story. Their dad was incredibly hands-on, bringing energy and laughter to every moment with his boys.
What shines through this film is not just the beauty of this family, but also their joy in the everyday. These are the memories that will be cherished for decades ... not staged, not forced, but real and full of love.
Telling Your Family’s Story in Nashville + Beyond
Family films are such a powerful way to remember life as it truly is. From quiet moments to playful laughter, they preserve the heart of your family right now.
If you’re in Knoxville, Nashville, or anywhere in Tennessee and want a documentary family photographer and filmmaker to capture your family in an authentic way, I’d love to create something meaningful for you.
Reach out to me here to book your family film session.
Nashville Newborn Photographer | The Charm of Lived-In Spaces: Why You Don't Need a Pinterest-Perfect Home
Scrolling through social media these days, it is so easy to feel less than when it comes to our home. Other people's homes seem to be perfectly curated and decorated and look professionally done. But if you have ever stopped mid scroll, and looked around to see your son's dirty socks, your daughter's barbies strewn about and laundry on the sofa needing put away, you are not alone.
Guess what? That cozy, chaotic, well-used space you’re living in? It tells a story. One far more meaningful than a curated photo ever could.
Home Isn’t a Showroom—It’s a Story
A lived-in home is filled with personality. The dent in the coffee table? That’s from a board game night that got a little too competitive. The art on the fridge? Masterpieces by your kids or niece. The mismatched mugs in the kitchen? Each one collected from a place or moment that made you smile.
These imperfections don’t detract from your home’s beauty—they create it.
Real Life Is Messy, and That’s Okay
Perfection is exhausting. Living up to a social media standard of design can turn your home into a stage instead of a sanctuary. A home should work for you, not the other way around.
You don’t need throw pillows fluffed just so, or color-coded bookshelves to feel at peace in your space. Comfort and authenticity trump aesthetics every single time.
Design Should Support Life—Not Replace It
There’s nothing wrong with wanting a beautiful home, but beauty doesn’t always mean polished. A couch with worn cushions that everyone fights to nap on has value. So does a kitchen table with scratches from years of family dinners, homework, and impromptu heart-to-hearts.
When your space is designed around the life you live—not the one you think you should be living—it becomes truly beautiful.
The Emotional Layer of Home
Homes hold memory. That slightly wobbly chair you’ve had since college? It’s seen you through heartbreaks and late-night chats. The blanket thrown haphazardly over the couch? It’s comforted more people than you can count.
These things might not be “on brand” with current trends, but they are on brand with you. And that’s what makes them special.
Final Thoughts: Choose Soul Over Style
It’s okay to love beautiful interiors. But if you find yourself apologizing for your home every time someone visits, it might be time to reframe what “beautiful” really means.
Embrace the fingerprints on the glass, the cluttered entryway, the warm chaos of daily life. Because that’s what home really is—a place that holds you, not a place that performs for others.
So no, you don’t need a Pinterest-perfect home. You need a home that feels like you.
Nashville Newborn Photographer | Studio posed vs in-home lifestyle newborn photography
It's 2025 and a lot has changed in 10 years. I spent many years perfecting newborn posing and having a studio. I loved every second of it. But as life goes on and people change, I too changed. I changed my purpose behind my work and I changed how I felt about what I was doing. Does that mean I regretted it? Not at all. People shift. That's life. But since I have the unique position of having done posed newborn photography for over 6 years and now having done in-home lifestyle / documentary newborn photography for the past 8 years, I thought I would write about the differences, in case a mom out there is wondering, which one is right for her.
The poses.
Let's start with the difference in poses when comparing an in-home newborn session to a posed squishy newborn studio session. In the posed situation, baby is molded into various adorable poses that place them into a perfect position. the lips are brought out, the angles are perfect, the baby is folded to create a piece of art. It's absolutely precious. But what are the downsides?
Well, for one... did that baby ever naturally pose themselves that way? Not usually. So it kind of tells a false narrative. Vs... when you do an in-home newborn session just a week or two postpartum (or longer if doing a newborn video), the baby is never intentionally posed. Everything is organic and natural and the positions he or she puts themself in, tells the story of how that baby may have positioned itself in the womb. The story is what I am after in my work - the story was what I was missing in my old style of photography. The story is what we will miss.
The photos.
In the studio, the photos are very similar to the 90s olan mills days. (the thing we don't want to admit!) Everyone is posed the same as every other family and it's a factory assembly line. Your family is family #4 for the week, and will be put through all the same poses as the family before that and before that. It is very cookie cutter. Whereas, when I go into the home of a family, everything about them is unique, and I hone in on that. The furniture, the state their home is in (moving boxes tell the story of how you just moved into your new home just before baby was born), its all a time stamp of what life was like the year you had your baby. We miss these elements of story telling in some of our modern photography ways... in the 80s and 90s, we had albums from photos that we got off of a polaroid or a disposable camera. There were items randomly placed on a coffee table, the sofa was the mess that it was - and ALL of it told the story of that year and that time in your life. The beauty of the items laying around or the imperfections is the depth of the story told.
The pacing of the session
This might be the best part. With a studio session, there is stress about getting out of the house with a newborn and trying to remember all the things you'll need. You get to the studio and the photographer definitely has a lot of patience (I hope) and you can relax and watch your newborn be posed and photographed. But she might have someone else coming in and will move through the poses as quickly as she can for you and her - to let you get home and resting again. When I come to your home, it's just us hanging out. Baby's fussy? we just sit and chat and let you nurse. Need a snack? No problem, I set my camera down (or maybe I don't) and we just chat and eat. There is ZERO pressure. Not ready when I arrive? Cool, I will just chat with the hubby or pet the dog... You get my drift. I want nothing more for you than for this to be the easiest possible session ever. You don't even have to have a clean house, I wont flinch if it's a mess of stuff. If I need something moved, we just move it. All I care about is that you are able to enjoy your day being photographed as a family with a new baby. and that I leave and you feel like that experience was so easy and fun. I usually spend between 1-2 hours, depending on the family's pace at a session. You're my only session that day and I want to come with an open heart ready to give your session 150%.
In-home newborn photography is more candid, real life, capturing things like the nursery and your home, letting you just do what you have been doing - loving on your new baby - and Im just there to hang out while you do it. And if you happen to add on a film, I will even get to capture all of those amazing baby noises and coos - and how baby responds and lights up when you talk to them. If this is something you are interested in, contact me here!
Nashville Newborn Photographer | The Best Doulas in Nashville, Franklin, Spring Hill, TN and Beyond!
As a Nashville Birth Videographer and Photographer, I am blessed to be able to attend many home births. As such, I get to see so many birth providers and doulas and midwives support women in their journey of bringing their newborn into the world.Hiring a doula is such an integral part of your birth plans. I did not have a doula with my first birth and it turned out the epidurals do not work on my body (they gave me 3 and all 3 failed). So for my 2nd birth, I attended Bradley Method Birth Classes and hired me a doula!It was 2012, and the birth world wasn't what it is today. I found a few and interviewed them but ultimately chose a woman named Beulah (Man, if she wasn't 70 and was starting her business today, what a marketing campaign for Beulah the Doula!). She was amazing. Calm and centered. and I adored her. (I would recommend her, but I don't think she's practicing much these days!). All that to say, I truly know the importance of having a doula that meshes well with you and can stand up for you, plus support you WELL.Here are my top faves!!!
- Viergeni White. I have attended a few births with this lady and she is hands down the BEST doula. You know, being the best doula doesn't really have to do with WHAT they do? It's how they do it. It's their presence. Their soul. any doula can "do all the right things" but it really comes down to that plus their spiritual self and presence in the birth space. This sweet lady has such a deep connection with her moms, she prays audibly, shows up so happy to be there. She is so in tune with mom. Is just amazing.
2. Lyss Moore. I have not yet gotten to be in a birth with Lyss, but I have heard many MIDWIVES rave about her. She holds women well in their time of need and has a big heart for birth.3. Kimberly Williams. Kimberly is amazing. She's a gentle soul and loves the lord. She is an incredible doula with a peaceful presence in the birth space.
4. Amanda Githaiga. I have not yet had a birth with this doula, but she comes highly recommended by doulas on this list! She is who other doulas would hire for their birth - which speaks volumes. She is crunchy and Christian, which matters to many.5. Lauren Glass. I had a long VBAC with this lovely doula. She spent many hours with this momma, supporting her and helping her, mentally and physically. Mom even got transferred and Lauren's energy never waned. She is fierce and loving - an amazing combination for a doula.
Nashville Newborn Photographer | The Smith Family welcomes baby #2
I just loved spending a fall morning with The Smith family, capturing them in their new life with baby #2, a boy. They have enjoyed their time with a newborn and their 4 year old, being out on their land with their chickens, in their kitchen drinking coffee together... life together raising a 4 year old sweet girl who just became a big sister - who loves to read and put on makeup and be with her parents and baby brother. This time with littles is so fleeting (and exhausting!) and I love being able to give my sweet families their memories of this time that can go by in a blur. If you want your family captured, I would LOVE to chat! 
Nashville Newborn Photographer | The DeClue Family
Getting to enter a family's life and see them just a few weeks into their parenting journey, is such a fun experience. I love seeing them head over heels in love with this new human, a few weeks into their new lives, being entirely new people really, because having a baby changes you a million times over. I love thinking ahead to how she won't be this tiny for long. How they will grow into their parenthood. How as a couple they are going to change and grow together, raising a little girl. I love thinking about how soon she will sit up, then crawl, and one day walk. How in a few short weeks, the babbling and teething will come and she will say her first word. and how amazing it will all be for these two parents. If you want me to come capture your life with your new baby or as a family, please reach out to me here, I would LOVE to chat!
Nashville, Tennessee Newborn Photographer | The Guarienti Family
I truly believe, 100%, God selects my clients. He picks them out so beautifully.Brooke contacted me in August about a maternity and newborn session at her home and land northwest of Nashville. We captured her maternity session back in September on a beautiful summer day. I truly fell in love with this sweet family. Meeting them, they are so down to earth, loving, and kind. Truly trying their hardest to raise amazing boys (and succeeding!). Their older son is OBSESSED with baby brother, a truly good sign of good parenting (don't worry, you can be good parents and have an older son who isn't a fan like I did 🤣)We spent a morning just hanging out with together, chatting about all things newborn, politics, family, nursing and so on. It really is just a chill time of hanging out together. I don't force a tight schedule or rush the session, just go with the flow, stay as long as I need to. Let the toddler run the show 🤣🤣🤣If you would like maternity and or newborn photos, please reach out to me! I would love to connect.
