Nashville Family Photographer | The Howard Family Film
The Howard Family, My Annual Tampa Bay, Florida client... I love Sadiee and her family immensely! We always book her shoot in early October, aiming to miss hurricanes. This year, we were not so lucky. The FIRST hurricane arrived the weekend of our shoot, or actually shortly before. This really made all of October a doozy. I have to move clients from another weekend so I could head down to Florida... lesson learned, from now on we will have 2 weekends booked in case of hurricanes. Between last year and this year, Sadiee had a NEW baby! She now has 3 children, 1 girl and 2 boys. She has home birthed her children and was dreading having another 8 lb baby... but instead gave birth to a WHOPPING 12 LB baby boy! She says he's basically a toddler. Her film last year can be seen here!It was truly special spending time filming and photographing her family this year. It is fun to escape Nashville for a bit and hit up some beaches while we are down there. A few weeks before her film, her son scraped up his face really badly and 2 nights before their film, their daughter had a fever. So it goes without saying, we were SO grateful this film went off without a hitch, given how many things tried to stop it from happening!Sadiee sell BEAUTIFUL breastmilk jewelry. They are SO amazing and just so lovely!!! She is super talented. See her work on her instagram and her website.
Howard Family | October 2022 from Jennie Pyfferoen on Vimeo.
Franklin, Tennessee Family Photographer | The Hartsfield's Family Film
Sometimes, when I write about families, I feel like a broken record. and I Think to myself, How can I say this differently? However, its almost impossible. But every word I write, is more than words to type into a blog or instagram post. The words come straight from my heart. I mean them immensely.
I have been this family's photographer for 5 years. I photographed Lauren and Miles when they were pregnant with their first, Kennedy. I took a hiatus for a small time while figuring out who I was as an artist when I was moving into films. I wrestled with the change and how to go about the change. It was an odd shift emotionally and mentally for me. But when I came back, Lauren was right there ready for more. So many amazing clients rolled with me from doing very posed lifestyle work right into documentary and family films. I think the credit goes to God, but regardless, I am SO grateful. I remember so many moments, wanting to quit and wondering how I would ever book clients when no one even knew to google about family films. (Thus, a miracle from God!) and now, in 2022, I was FULLY booked for 2022 by July 1.
Okay, enough of the rambles. I was HONORED and completely humbled to film this sweet family for the 4th time. I directed Lauren a little on this one. I looked back and saw there weren't films with many giggles, or intimate moments. I asked her to keep it SUPER simple and just focus on connection and sweet moments with her babies. The result was AMAZING.
2023 Family film bookings open October 10th, 2022! contact me now so you don't miss out!
Hartsfield Family | August 2022 from Jennie Pyfferoen on Vimeo.
Franklin, TN Family Photographer | A Fall Evening with The Hogancamp's
I almost titled this "A Summer evening" because it felt more like summer than Fall. But It was Technically September 18th. It was so fun spending time with some of my favorite people. I have known this family now for 6+ years as they are the owners of my FAVORITE place in town, Herban Market. This place has been such a haven for me, being able to get local goodies and many of my favorite supplements, not to mention their authentic TACOS. If Im nothing else, Im a TACO GIRL through and through.
During Covid, Herban gave us some normalcy. They were considered a grocery store, and while there was a period of time where we couldn't eat inside, we were able to buy supplements, groceries, and get food to go. This place will always hold such a special place in my heart. and it would not be what it is, if The Hogancamp's were not who they are.
Having gone to their store since its opening, I have literally watched their children grow up. Being their photographer is not something I take for granted (honestly, I am grateful for every single client).
Our session began relaxed. Unplanned. The kiddos wanted to swing outside and I love those scenes, because I can capture not only the children in their daily routine and joyful element, but also capture how much joy the parents have pushing their kids on the swing.
After that, we chatted while they worked on dinner. I knew the goal was cooking over a fire out back (something we do at home and LOVE!). Im not talking a grill, I mean cooking meat over a real fire. They had also planned to feed me so I was REALLY winning! We captured how they snuggle in bed reading and then headed out back.
Out back, a lot of spontaneous amazing moments occurred. They worked in the garden, something they often do. And The kids jump roped and rode bikes. Since jumping rope was my MAIN skill as a kid (my only first place ribbon, all the others are participation?) I had to show off my skills. I then showed them what a double under was - something I now do in Crossfit.
I get so excited capturing these real life moments. I see many time stamps... Matt working with wood and fire - that will be a strongly held memory for this family. I see Ashlea with her kids in the garden, another impactful routine that is easy to under estimate. I cannot wait for clients to come back to me in 10 years and have bigger realizations of what I as capturing.
If you want a session like this, you can contact me here.
Nashville, TN Family Photographer | The Kneese Family Film
A few months ago, I was able to spend a morning with The Kneese Family. They had just welcomed their 3rd daughter into the world. Their new baby was also a rainbow baby. Originally, Dawn was my birth client. She had a home birth planned and we planned to do birth videography and photography during her delivery. As her due date came, things were just stalling out over and over. Long story short, she ended up with a 4 day induction at a nearby hospital. It took that long, because she didn't want many interventions or to have the process rushed. With her doula, midwife, and husband as her support and there to fight off the doctors who wanted to rush the process, she was able to deliver her baby vaginally after 4 long days. During this time, she decided we would use the credit she had paid for her birth video to do a family film and later, a 6 month photo session.
The goal of the film is to highlight their family where they are right now. During the filming, I felt a strong sense of dreamy, dream, this is her living dream.... so the song I chose was just that. As I was editing, I came to realize that during her daughter reading to her younger sister, she is talking about dreams. I believe that Dawn having her 4th baby, 3rd daughter must feel like a dream after having a loss.
I know that God is in control and that everything works out just as it is supposed to. I am so glad for Dawn's birth and that I was able to capture this day for them. Dawn is also a Lactation Consultant at Lavender Lactation and services Nashville and surrounding areas.
I hope you enjoy their family film. It's very dreamy. To book your family film or newborn session, contact me here.
Franklin, Tennessee Family Photographer | Tucker Family
A few weeks ago, I was honored to spend a morning with The Tuckers. They live on a few acres in Franklin and have 5 beautiful children. They homeschool and garden and tend to their chickens. My favorite sessions usually involve some sort of nature, whether its gardening or chicken tending. (I always have reasons to love my sessions. In reality, I always list something about a session and say "My favorite sessions usually involve.." Because I just adore my clients so much!)
The Tucker Kids range in age from 8 - 16 or so (I do not trust my ability to recall!) and this was their first time having a documentary not-so-posed- session! The weather was truly beautiful and we began the session with some baking in one room while the kids rotated between that and puzzle making. The kids played with their swing, drew, and definitely played with their chickens. OH and they have 4 cats! (clearly they were aiming for one per kid and need another ?
I hope this family loves their photos. I always get excited for clients to see their photos and anxiously await their response! It never gets old or mundane. Doing this work is truly the best.
To book your documentary family session, you can reach me here.
Franklin, Tennessee Family Photographer | A Summer Evening With The Cooney's
The Cooney's attend my CrossFit gym and reached out to me because they had taken a job offer in Florida and were selling their home and moving. While, the job offer was amazing, they were sad about leaving their life in Franklin, Tennessee. I have had several clients reach out to me to capture their last days at a home before a big move... it's neat to capture that for them, from the perspective of closing a chapter before a new one begins. What I am creating is a timestamp. A specific place in time before change. I think often about the social psychology effects of social media and how that has effected what we photograph. Social media has shifted our entire view of photography. For both clients and photographers. Photographers can fall into the line of thinking that a photo has to be absolutely perfect to have value, when in reality... meaningful matters far more than perfection. I will never hold back a less than perfect photo that has deep meaning for a client.
What I think of when I think of time stamps are ... houses we used to live in or an old couch we had. I photograph that couch if its in the frame my client's are in and I think ahead 20 years, on them looking at their photos and saying "Remember that couch?!" Or in this case... their littles probably won't remember their house at all. But these photos will give them some form of memory.
I think about timestamps and how we currently capture maternity clients. We get them dressed up and place nearly all of them in some sort of outdoor scenery. This is beautiful, and has value.... But there is no story there. When I think of my mom being pregnant with me I think of her telling me the story of her standing on her porch in the 80s smoking a cigarette, barefoot. It was super hot and that day a big breeze blew through. She enjoyed this breeze but later found it out was a tornado on the other side of town. ? Oh, the 80s!!! But How I wish I had a photo of that! A timestamp of then. of her in her REAL self. What good would a photo of her dressed up in a field be to me? There is no timestamp there, except for the timestamp of "back when we dressed up for maternity sessions and stood in fields" ?
I never want to knock anyone's personal choices or the photographer's work, and I only mean to happily discuss the social psychology of photography.
I love photographing this family. I wanted to tell the story of how they had fun on their land and how connected they were. and I really wanted to show the kiddos that their parents LOVED playing with them. It is so important to capture the parents for the kids not just the kids for the parents.
Enjoy The Cooney's photos!
Nashville, Tennessee Family Photographer | Big brother meets his baby sister for the first time
In the early spring, a friend was awaiting the arrival of her second baby. Her first baby was a boy and now, she was expecting a little girl. Her journey into parenthood was a rough one, needing IVF for both. She always thought that would be the hardest part of her journey. But her baby came early at 34 weeks. In the night, she had to rush to the ER where she had an emergency C-section. Crystal had been planning a birth without any interventions. So this was a very traumatic situation. Baby girl (Noah) was in the hospital for a few short weeks. When she was ready to come home, on a whim, Crystal asked if I could film them coming home and Shepherd meeting his baby sister. As luck would have it, I was available. So we made it happen and it was truly EPIC! I am not sure many brothers respond to meeting their baby sister as amazingly as Shepherd did. He was all decked out in his space suit, ready to meet his baby sister! Check it out!
You may recognize this hilarious boy from his moving portrait.
Contact me here for your own film!
Bringing Home Noah June Hinz from Jennie Pyfferoen on Vimeo.
Franklin, Tennessee family photographer | maverick’s moving portrait
This year I began playing around with a new type of film called moving portraits. A Moving Portrait Film is usually centered around one main subject, capturing details of that person and their environment. I love making these of children. It captures them and their entire personality in the developmental stage they are at. I spend about an hour filming and photographing them and then we do a sort of interview. The younger ones make these interviews really fun with their unpredictable answers.
My first moving portrait was earlier this year of Shepherd. This time, I captured a 2.5 year boy, named Maverick. It was so fun filming and photographing him playing and doing what he does best. We sat down for the interview - which is hard for me because I have to try to not laugh, while taking video and audio! But boy was he hilarious with his "NO, YOU!" answers.
When I arrived, Mav was cooking his own eggs. I love that about this family, they give so much room for toddler independence! Once he was done cooking, he went to eat with daddy. and then off he went to play!
The best part was after my put my camera away, he had to potty and off came the pants. I sure did whip it out and photograph the scene!
Maverick | June 2022 from Jennie Pyfferoen on Vimeo.
