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:

Nashville Birth Photographer + Videographer | The Birth of Josiah Shepherd

On Sunday, May 21st, I had the honor of filming and photographing the most gorgeous nighttime birth.

Malary was slightly passed due - which is her normal - She had gone to her son's baseball games that afternoon and contracted all the way through. That evening, her husband called me that things were moving fast. Given it's her fifth boy, I thought it could go very fast. I headed out around 8 pm and slightly sped the whole way. Her midwives - The Sara's - Sarah Fuqua and Sara Rosser - were there and ready.

When we got there, Malary was her usual self between contractions. Grabbing her kids for one last photo and managing everyone ?

After a bit, things got more and more intense. Between her husband and assisting midwife, she was managing pain well. Sarah rolled some oils on her back and helped her rock her hips which seemed to help a lot with her contractions. She got into the tub!

From there, things were frustrating for Malary. Baby wasn't coming out as quickly as we would expect. She had a lot of pain and was really expressing her frustration. They moved her to the bed and she was pushing VERY hard. Baby had shoulder dystocia and was kind of stuck, but thanks to amazing midwives, baby came out well! It was a hard delivery for Malary, but everything turned out beautifully.

Her Homebirth team rallied around her and helped her get comfortable and nursing right away. We all commented on this baby and how big he was. Malary said "ha! Michael's mom said he would be 10 lbs" and I said "we might wanna weigh him first!"

Sure enough, he was TEN POUNDS! her biggest baby yet!!!

You just never know how birth will go, even if you have had many babies!

Her birth film is remaining private, but is the BEST one I have ever created.

Here are a few images Malary was okay sharing.

I would LOVE to capture your home birth! Let's connect! 

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The Birth of Beckham Ryan

I received Joy's call around 5 AM that it was time to head her way. She lives about 1 hour and 15 mins away from me. Im on the west side of Nashville and she lives east of nashville, so I had worried about traffic... but she went into labor at the most perfect time. No traffic at all. I drove during sunrise to meet her and her birth team at her home. This would be her 2nd home birth and 2nd newborn baby boy. Her country home is truly way out of town. Her beautiful farm house was so peaceful when I arrived, that I decided to include it in her birth film. The sun was coming up and the birds were chirping. It was such a peaceful morning - which ended up being a predictor of exactly how her birth atmosphere would be.Joy was laboring and her doula, Chelsey Fischer, was at her side when I arrived. Occasionally, her husband would swap places. Joy made little noise during this part of her laboring. She just has a quiet nature. You could feel the trust and knowing in the room. That things would be good and beautiful. The word I have used to describe Joy's birth has been PEACE. and I knew I had to find a song that really reflected that and helped you - the reader or viewer - feel that sense of peace we all felt in that room.Her midwives, Nova Birth Services,  were there but giving her plenty of space to labor peacefully. They would check the baby's heart rate occasionally but mainly watched from a distance. I love midwives that just let birth do its thing. This was my first birth with Nova, and I really loved their vibe!During Joy's home birth, her older son was being fed and entertained by a sweet neighbor. But he did come into the room a few times and once to get a shower. I love capturing the entirety of the story. Capturing where he was during that time, him coming in to hug his momma between contractions. As well as him coming out of the shower. And then of course, we filmed him meeting his baby brother! He had the sweetest reaction.Joy began making some small noises and I knew something shifted. She delivered her new baby boy in just a few pushes and she had the most peaceful reaction to his birth. (I'm telling you - the word peace was there the entire time!)Afterwards, the midwives let her and baby just be for a while. Another beautiful part of home birth. They sat in the warm birth tub together and had their first nursing session while letting his cord pulse for a while. A first for me with this birth was the "floating placenta" where the placenta is placed in a little device and just floats in the tub with mom and baby.After some time, they cut the cord and daddy was able to hold Beckham for the first time. I love capturing this moment. He has been patiently watching and waiting and now he gets his moment of REALLY meeting his son for the first time! Such a magical moment.Then they transitioned Joy to the bed and she ate. They all hung out there for a while. And the midwives communicated that she could do that as long as she wanted. and then whenever she was ready, they would weigh baby and do the newborn exam. We all just kind of hung out together for a long time talking and laughing. I love home birth so much.If you are thinking about  having your birth filmed and photographed, I would love to chat with you! 

The Birth of Beckham Ryan | June 9, 2023 from Jennie Pyfferoen on Vimeo.

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.

Franklin TN Family Photographer | Best images of 2023 (So far!)

We are HALF WAY through 2023! It is insane to believe. I hate how fast time goes by. I am currently on call for the 3rd birth of 2023 and editing an amazing film for a dream client. Life is really good (and it is not perfect!) I am almost booked out for the year, which is amazing. The heat is finally turning here, just outside of Nashville. It's been a cool spring, in my opinion. My garden is fully growing and looking so good. I just got some butternut squash and watermelon to plant! We just set up our badminton net for the summer and got my youngest a basketball goal for the driveway. We officially have a ton for kids to do on our property. Yesterday, I created my More About Jennie page... if you want to read it!Next week feels like the official start to summer. The boys start summer camps and it is finally hot. I will film newborn family film soon and a few other films. As dorky as it sounds, I am so excited for each film (which comes with photos too), or each photo session! They are so fun. I am also really excited about my 2023 and 2024 births that have booked already for videography and photography. It's going to continue being a great year!I am also constantly taking classes to be better at editing, filming and business in general. I love continuing to learn. I want to be a great film maker who has a lot of creativity.To schedule your Family Film or Documentary Photography session, just click here. I can't wait to chat with you and learn about what memories are most meaningful to you.I wanted to share my FAVORITE family photos from this year so far. Enjoy!