Real life with the McGowan Family | Nashville TN Family Photographer + Filmmaker
I spent a few hours capturing The McGowan Family back in August. It was truly special. Capturing their nighttime routine of playing in the street, dinner and prayers, reading and their silly bedtime routine! I have never seen a bedtime routine like this before 😂I loved watching them parent two littles. One, just walking and a sweet toddler boy who loves trains. I loved capturing dad wrangling two dogs and two kids, while one melted down... is it mean if I laughed and photographed it simultaneously? 😂 As a parent of older kids, I find this much more amusing now 😂I adored watching dad skate board down the road in front of their house ... Dads are amusing to capture with their kids... they typically act like gigantic big kids 😂I felt so honored to capture these memories for mom. The memories she knows she will miss one day as they grow older. The toddler was about to get a big boy room, she wanted their family captured right before that big change. 🥺Enjoy their film and some photos from their session! If you are interested in films, reach out to me and we can chat more!
The McGowan Family | August 2023 from Jennie Pyfferoen on Vimeo.
Family photography sessions with BIG KIDS | with Nashville, Tennessee Family Filmmaker + Photographer Jennie Pyfferoen
It seems somewhere in the middle of elementary school, families stop getting photos done. I think it's because the culture of family photos is to bribe kids once a year to cooperate for family photos in clothes that are uncomfortable and at a location where they would rather play and get dirty, rather than sit and play smiley happy family.
It doesn't have to be this way.
That's what I love about in-home family sessions. They can be SO much more relaxed and fun. No one has to be forced to do anything! There is another way!
Jax, age 10, and his father chop wood during their Day in the Life Family Photography session.
Jax and one of his many chickens.
Big kids still play like little kids. Let their joy be captured.
Jax went into his chicken coop and loved on his favorite chickens.
Jax and his dad look at rocks and crawdads in the creek. and skip rocks together often. I wanted to capture their favorite memories together as father and son.
If you would love your real life documented, reach out to me here!
Is an In-Home Session Right for me? | with Nashville, Tennessee Family Videographer + Photographer Jennie Pyfferoen
With documentary photography becoming increasingly popular, clients may wonder if an in-home day in the life session or outdoor sunset session is right for their family.
#1 You won't have to worry about a crowded park.
Often times, during peak photography season, local parks and nature parks are packed with photographers. Having your session at home allows for that worry to go away. You can rest assured that the environment will be sacred to you and you will have a wide variety of spaces to engage with your family during your film or photo shoot.
#2 Your children will be relaxed.
Because you are doing the session in your home, your children will be in their comfortable home environment. Which allows for them to relax rather than feel "on" which leads to easier candid moments of just being together. My goal is to capture your connection to each other and that happens more easily in your own home!
#3 You love your home.
Yes, the outdoors and beautiful fall leaves can be beautiful. But none of that beats the place you had your babies, built a life, and raised a family. Your home holds so many wonderful memories of your life. It deserves to be apart of your story.
#4 You don't have the stress of getting everyone to a location.
Bringing kids to a location (filled with grass and dirt) can be stressful. You have to pack bags and make sure you bring plenty of snacks and bug spray. You have to get them there and keep them clean. (for in home shoots, we welcome the mess). It can be extra stressful doing all of this between naps and feeding schedules. Being in your own home allows for more flexibility.
#5 You live out in the country.
Let me come to you! I travel for sessions frequently, so I am happy to travel to you. If it's over 90 mins of a drive, I do charge a travel fee. But it's worth it to be able to stay home in your cozy environment and just be with your family. There is nothing more peaceful or enjoyable. Plus, the results in your film and or photos will be evident!
If you are considering an in-home photography session or a family film, I would LOVE to chat with you!
How to feel comfortable during your in-home family film + photography session | with Nashville Family Photographer Jennie Pyfferoen
Are you hesitant to book your family’s film and photography session because it sounds uncomfortable and vulnerable? Are you waiting for the “right time”?
I know that little voice… The one that says:
“I need to lose 10 pounds.”
“My house isn’t good enough.”
“My family is pure chaos.”
“Maybe next year…”
Here are my 5 tips to enjoy your family session. Shocker... it's going to be WAY easier than you expect.
#1 The best sessions feel like you're doing
nothing special.
They feel like you're a boring family with nothing special to film. But that couldn't be further from the truth. The BEST family films are with families who just hang out together for a few hours. Many people can overthink it. Or they compare themselves to another one of my films and say something like "we don't bake together" ... I'm here to tell you, if your family doesn't bake, I sure hope you don't for the session! Because that's NOT your family's story! I want to know what YOU do as a family. Maybe all you do is hang out on the floor. There is magic in EVERY moment. and I'm your girl to capture it!
#2 If you feel awkward, you can always move with your family!
Maybe for you, it's dance parties. For some, it's wrestling on the ground! Whatever it is, do that! It takes your mind off of the camera and gives you something you usually do together that is fun and easy to capture candid moments.
#3 Don't over think.
I know it can be hard for some, but really let go of any vision or ideas that lead to over thinking. Just be together, it's TRULY that simple.
#4 If there is an imperfect moment...
as there are in most sessions!... Just expect that. I will either put my camera down and let everyone rebalance. Or if the moment is right, I might capture it. Because real life involves ALL emotions. I have a degree in early childhood education and one in developmental psychology. Im VERY aware of kids' emotions and have zero judgment. I come to you with an open heart and a camera.
#5 Your kids do not care
Your kids do not care about your weight or if the house gets a million reshares on pinterest. Do this for them and not for social media. In 15 years, they will treasure this immensely. Just yesterday, I had a moment alone in the car to sit with my emotions. My mother will be in heaven now for nearly 17 years and I was thinking about how I would give anything to have video + audio of her laugh, her voice. If I could just feel her boney hug. I miss her like crazy. That's what your kids will feel in 30 years. Give them that. Contact me and let's talk about what memories you cherish in this season!
4 Memories every family wants to remember
I film a lot of families in MANY seasons of life. But at the end of it all, what are the 4 MOST important memories families want to remember?
1. Those first few weeks with your newborn.
This time is the MOST fleeting. Mom and Dad are tired and the job of having a newborn is heavy. Lots of diapers and feedings and trying to figure out how to soothe this new little person. It's a blur and a whirlwind. Trying to remember those first weeks is really hard. You mainly remember the exhaustion and diaper explosions. So, how can we do what we can to remember? We can film it. We can slow down and do as little as possible and try to soak it up. We can take a lot of photos, too.
2. Baking Together.
SO many of my clients bake with their children. If you don't do this as a family, please don't think you need to! But for the families who do, its a favorite memory! They love the messes and giggles and the mishaps. But what they love most, is the time spent together, making food together. It's their heritage and part of their family culture.
3. Dance Parties
Living in Nashville, I see so many music oriented families. So, naturally dance parties are apart of many family cultures here! and they make amazing photos and video. They love wanting to relive their dance parties together, seeing the joys and uninhibited forms of themselves. I LOVE capturing families singing and dancing together. It's the most candid joy I see in my client sessions.
4. The Sound of their laugh.
This is the most meaningful of all. My mother passed away in 2007 and I have zero video or audio of her. What I would not GIVE to relive her laugh. Mimicking her laugh does not do it justice and I would be SO happy to see my boys experience her loud cackle. At every family film, I aim to capture as much audio and laughter as possible.
Nashville Family Photographer | Full Circle: Maternity, Birth, Newborn Photography + Videography For The Lush Family
Any time a client hires me to photograph their family or create a video of their family, I am BEYOND honored. I know that's cliche, but its also HONEST. But when a family hires me more than once a year (I have several who do!) its just a compounded emotion. I bond with my clients, its the perk of my job. We become friends. We chat parenting and exchange wisdom. Anytime Malary has had a baby, she has hired me for maternity, newborn, baby and family photography. Once I added film, she began to get films too... for newborn/family sessions... But now I offer birth videography and photography, so she added that 😂😂😂 Which was AMAZING.
When I'm with The Lush Family, I feel their bond - these boys are SO closely bonded. I feel their love and passion for raising a close knit family. I feel the power of a mother who is determined to have the best damn life together. I feel her sentimental nature and love for things meaningful.
I think I did a great job of creating films that brought them back to this very moment in time. What it was like during her labor and delivery (film will not be posted) and what it was like to have a newborn baby boy, baby #5. I think the boys will rewatch it and remember what it was like, too. Im starting to get emotional when Im with them, because her oldest is starting to morph into a teenager and I can see it is around the corner. I tell her to hold on to him, he is changing. Little Wyatt is almost gone, and in his place will be a man looking child 😂 Its a sad and beautiful transition.
Let's walk through The Lush Family sessions from this year.
Here is a sneak peek from Malary's Birth:
Newborn Film:
The Lush Family | June 2023 | Short Version from Jennie Pyfferoen on Vimeo.
Photos from their Newborn Family Photography and Film Session:
Franklin, TN Family Photographer | The Gasparo Family
Spending the evening with The Gasparo Family was SO much fun. I laughed so hard several times. Between the goats, the dog, the chickens, the 2 younger wild children and their feisty youngest, I have never been more entertained!Brittany really wanted to capture what life was like right now, so she hired me to photograph a typical evening for them. Documentary family photography is such a beautiful genre of capturing REAL life right now. If you can think back to the 80 and 90s and other decades of course, you will remember random photos from a disposable camera. In the age of disposable cameras, we didn't curate the environment or the photo. We just took the photo. So it captured old couches, random stuff on coffee tables, it did not think about composition and light. It just TOOK THE PHOTO. It was RAW and REAL and I pray that we are finally moving back to that. I do see some progress that direction.I am the only photographer in Nashville, that I know of, capturing REAL life. True documentary. True day in the life, doesn't stage set ups. The photographer is JUST a fly on the wall, while the family does what they do. Brittany rocked this session by wearing what they normally wear, and not overly cleaning her home. The mess is apart of the REAL.What I love about documentary is that all the family has to do is spend time together. They don't have to look at the camera. They don't have to wear specific clothing. They get to just BE. Be themselves, be together. and Do their favorite things. and it doesn't have to be without incident. While there were few incidents in this session, I have seen full on tantrums. and that is OKAY! That is real life. I will probably try to capture it, as it is who that child is, it shows their entire personality and not just the cooperative side. Toddler tantrums can be funny later.The better I know a family, the better the session. I try to spend more time the first time I am with a family, because it takes a little bit to know the personalities and to be comfortable with one another. It's new and different. But once I know them, I know that their youngest will probably have a point where he gets really mad, because thats his personality. I know the older one might try to boss the younger ones. I know they might do something random in nature, like catching a frog. I wait for those moments to happen. I anticipate them.To have your family documented, holler at me! 
Franklin, TN Newborn Photographer | Baby Shepherd
Filming and Photographing this family with their FIFTH baby was just such a huge blessing. I have photographed every bump and newborn since the beginning (what an HONOR!). Five boys ranging from newborn to age 12. It felt a tiny bit chaotic, but only because their 2.5 year old has a very strong willed personality. But I can roll with the chaos and willful kiddos. We let him wear his fireman costume and let him just do what he wanted. and eventually he came around for photos ?
But really, being there... the vibe was all about baby Shepherd. Everyone wanted to hold him - even though he was 3 weeks old, they were not sick of it yet! Everyone wanted to show me what to film... even Dad said "He sleeps like this all the time, come capture it!" Because I had gone off to film someone else somewhere else ?
It is so much fun though. I love watching this family be together and play baseball and be the best big brothers I have ever met. They all are SO gentle with him and love him so much. In fact, the black and white photo of the oldest laying next to his baby brother, adoringly touching him might be my favorite.
I pulled up to their home and one of their 5 boys greeted me in the driveway. He could not wait to tell me about his birthday and how they rented a fancy sports car. He was over the moon.
Nothing matters more to me in these sessions than showing families the memories that they might not see. When you're raising 5 boys and are in the thick of motherhood, you may not see the beautiful mundane moments radiating in every scene throughout your day. I want to give families that. Nothing is more important to me than the “mundane”. It’s a practice of being truly grateful for what’s right in front of me and not trying to manufacture a preconceived notion of what society tells us is worthy of documentation.
These are the moments that will feel real and bring you back to this moment, when we look at them decades from now. These are the photographs and videos that your children will cling to, feeling the love and safety they felt as a child.
These are the moments I want to capture forever and for everyone.
I would LOVE to capture your family, let's connect!
The Lush Family | June 2023 | Short Version from Jennie Pyfferoen on Vimeo.
