A Good Afternoon - Southern Tennessee Family Photographer

Last week I met up with the Good family for a late afternoon shoot.  It might have been late afternoon, but this is July in Tennessee.  It was HOT! So we found some shade near the river.

Amanda gets an A+ on wardrobe for the family. I absolutely love the orange and brown.

Miss Emma is one of Molly's classmates.  Love this sweet girl.  She is so much fun.  She is such a precious girl.

And I just love that snaggle tooth grin of hers.

Next we headed to a nearby farm I like to use.  What a great surprise to find that the horses were near the gate!  This brown one is very much the poser! 

He really liked Miss Emma.  She really liked him, too!

Let's end on what I think may be my favorite family shot. 

It really was a "good" afternoon.  We laughed a lot and that always makes for a good session. Thanks again for letting me share an afternoon with your family.  

Stewart is 5! - Southern Tennessee Child Photographer

Since I never did portraits of Elizabeth and Stewart last summer when they turned 8 and 4, I have been determined to have a photo shoot with each of them this summer.  Elizabeth and I were planning a country shoot for her yesterday, but it rained and rained.  Since I was planning an urban shoot for Stewart we switched up things a little.  We were ready to go when Chris got home from work.  He assured us that it was not raining in town.  Well, it is summer time, and things can quickly change! It was raining when we got there, so I knew there was no way I could use the spot I had planned on using.  We had to find somewhere with some cover.  I knew just the spot, and it would be special because I had not used it in a long while!

I had promised him he could have the lollipop, and once I gave it to him there was no taking it away!

Luckily, I knew of another spot with some cover, so we weren't limited to just one location.

And whatta ya know?  It stopped raining.! We even saw a beautiful rainbow that Stewart wanted to see if we could find the end of.  Love that boy!

And I even found a new red door to use! 

We had the best time! I loved the one-on-one time with my little guy.  I still cannot believe he is about to start Kindergarten! When I look at these photos of him I see what a big boy he really is!

Home from Honduras.

Did you miss me while I was gone?  Chris and I spent 8 days in Honduras with the mission team from our church. 

I've been detailing my experience day by day on my personal blog if you would like to read about it and see more photos from our trip!

Kyle Senior 2011 - Southern Tennessee Senior Photographer

When I talked to Kyle's mom about his Senior session, she said he wanted bricks and concrete.  She told me Kyle was really laid back and relaxed.  She was right.  Kyle was a photographer's dream.  So easy going. Relaxed.  Natural.  I tell my clients before we start that the more relaxed they are the better their photos will be.  Just be yourself.  Kyle had no problem doing that.

He brought along his wake board.  His family spends a lot of time at the lake in the summer.  Actually, he and his mom had driven from the lake that afternoon just for his shoot.

I knew exactly where I wanted to start Kyle's session. This is a favorite spot of mine.

I loved the orange board.  It really popped against the neutral colors.

This one may be my favorite of the day. As is often the case, it is the unexpected ones I like the most.

Caught in the act.  Could there be a more natural shot of a teen?

Kyle's uncle met us with his grandfather's old Chevy.  Loved it!  They said it needed painting.  I said it was perfect!

The truck was awesome, but we also had to get a few of Kyle with his Mustang.

Kyle, thanks for a great afternoon.  A lot of times the guys are ready to be done before we even get started, but you were a great sport!  Good luck in your Senior year! 

Oh, and I just had to share a behind-the-scenes shot.  What do you do when you're dragged to your older cousin's senior portrait session? You find a nice spot and play your DS.  

Willy Wonka Wackiness!

My son, Stewart, turned 5 on July 5th meaning that this year was his Golden Birthday.  We celebrated with a huge Willy Wonka party, and I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos from the evening.

It all started with chocolate bar invitations.  Inside were Golden Tickets with all the party info. 

Welcome to the chocolate factory.

The candy display/store. 

The cake. By Carla Gault (send me an email if you would like Carla's contact info).  she does amazing work!

Fizzy Lifting Drinks.

Fun times. 

The birthday boy. 

Lollipop centerpieces.

A favorite. :-)

Make a wish!

It was as wonderful as any Golden Birthday should be!