A Great Man - Nashville Portrait Photography

There are men.

There are good men.

And then, there are great men. The men that fight and believe and work hard and that have all those qualities that will always set them apart from others. Smart as a tack, a good friend, a faithful believer, and someone who knows his way around the kitchen. That's what you find in a guy like Brandon.



Brandon might describe 2009 as a challenging one. And I don't think we'd argue with that. Except, it's the kind of challenging that helps you figure out everything you're made of. And I'm just saying, Brandon's made of good stuff. It's been a year of loss and gain and so many lessons learned. I am thankful for how much of an inspiration he has been to the men and women who are fortunate to be in his life.

Like us.

He asked, as a way of marking the new season of life he's in, if I'd be willing to shoot some portraits for him to print as gifts for his family. I more than gladly said yes, especially with Cliff as company on a wintery day in Franklin.





Brandon is a strong guy with a big heart and I'm thankful that at this point in life, we have a relative front-row seat for all of the things in store for him.



And I'm also thankful that he's just one of a few great men my husband does life with.

A Stellar Couple - Portland Portrait Photography

I love a good couple's session, especially when the reason for the shoot is a mixture of celebration and significance in two peoples' lives. I'm all about catching some milestones. So, when Simon and Amanda asked if I'd be willing to "get a couple of pictures of them" during their visit to Portland this past weekend, I more than happily obliged.

Simon and Amanda have this beautiful youthfulness and, yet still, poise in their marriage. Celebrating one year as husband and wife this past weekend, the two made lots of time out of a busy work weekend in Portland to notice each other. To laugh, eat, play, and pause with each other in two lives that can sometimes get so busy that it's difficult to tune in.

So, tune in they did. And I bore witness to so much love, so much happiness, and so much true Simon-and-Amand-ness in the short time we spent together. You don't walk away from a session like this and not want to be close to the subjects. Besides, with a fashion sense as strong as the two of these guys have, Cliff and I could stand to learn a few things and I am totally down with that.

Click to see more from Simon & Amanda's Everyday session.

Preview: Beckham

Here's one of my favorites from yesterday's session at Dragon Park with a darling (almost) two-year old named Beckham and his lovely parents. I couldn't get enough of this kid!

More to come...

Fun With Families

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with this wonderful family out at Cheekwood for the sunny afternoon hours of a warm day in Nashville.



Ezra, the cute-as-a-button boy in the orange shirt, just turned three a week or so ago, and turns out it's a perfect age to have pictures taken! So much personality, answering to no one, and so inquisitive about the world around them. Made for a lot of fun for me and a tuckered out three year-old after our hours together.

Oh, and do you recognize this little guy?



It's my brave little former guitar-laying model Lincoln! I was shocked to see how much he'd grown and changed since we last spent time together. He was so much more alert and aware of the camera. Made for some great time with him as well.



Melissa and Mark are such a fun couple, so creative and laid back. It's no wonder I adore spending time with their kids - their great to be around, too. I can't help but look at these pictures and long for the day when we have our own.

In the meantime, I'll just keep having picture fun with families!

Shooting Friends

Has mixed with it both a voracious desire to get it right and the natural inclination to loosen up and have fun.







Thankfully both were easy with Molly on our afternoon shoot in Downtown Nashville.

Childish Wonder

I just love the expression on Allison's face, here.



There's nothing so fun as spending a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the park with a one-year old. I could snap a handful's worth of CF cards as I watch their epressions change so very much from one moment to the next.

I love what I do!

Oh Me, Oh My

That cute little Lincoln.



He just becomes more adorable, each time I look at these images.

Hard to believe he'll be three months old when I get around to shooting his brother's 3-year portraits along with some family updates. They grow up so fast!

Babies: [Lincoln]

I could eat this little sucker right up. He was just too much for me to handle! At just over one month old, Lincoln goes down in history as the youngest human being I've ever taken a picture of, professionally speaking. (And quite possibly the most perfect.) Big thanks to Melodie for getting me set up with her brother and sister-in-law for this shoot!

I want one.

The Gift of Love

Taking pictures of people who love each other is an amazing blessing.



Even more so when those people are some of your closest friends.



This was a full weekend of capturing love in the smallest of moments.

I have enjoyed it completely.

Day of Love

It's only fitting that two of my portfolio sessions should take place on Valentine's Day! Not only was the weather beautiful, but love was in the air, that's for sure.

We spent the morning with David & Melodie, shooting around what will probably be my new favorite surprise of a location. I now count David & Melodie in the small circle of couples whom I look up to so much for their evident love and care for each other. They had a great time, laughing and loving it up for the camera and I'm really excited about the results. Here's a teaser from the session:

And here's another teaser from Brooke & Brandon's Downtown Franklin afternoon session.

Brooke and Brandon are so laid back and look great in front of the camera. We had a good time scooting around some often overlooked locations in the area. Unfortunately the temperature was lowering with the sun, so we welcomed the warm car Cliff had waiting for us in between locations. They were great sports about it, though, fortunately for me.

More to come!

Everyday Portraits: [Natalie]

Natalie and I went to Centennial yesterday to get some shots of her being, well, Natalie. When one of your best friends asks you to take pictures of her, that should be an easy thing, right? Well, I was nervous. But it was lots of fun and though she might have thought otherwise, Nat was great in front of the camera.


I have lots of favorites from the bunch, but these were the first that struck me.

I hope they strike you too.




[Feel free to check out more shots as I upload them on my Flickr site.]

Benton Shoot Uploaded

Here it is!

26/189 ain't so bad, considering I probably could have worked on another fifty of them or so. I had to get choosy, though. And I was getting kind of tired of editing different versions of pretty much the same picture... but man am I ever partial to these kids.

Their personalities are just so evident in these pictures -at least to me- and I love it!

Everyday Portraits: [The Benton Kids]

I'm just going to say it: we have the most adorable nieces and nephews. I mean it. On both our sides, we've got a total of five nephews and five nieces and not one of them is the kind of kid that makes you think "ahh... one day they'll grow out of it." I guess that means we've got a lot to live up to once we start having kids!

On Thanksgiving, I spent the morning running around a couple of acres of Brad and Wendy's farm taking pictures of them with their kids Neeley, Luke, and Parker. Now I'll tell you something else, if you thought Brad and Wendy's photos were good a couple of posts back - these kids just blew me away. We had two wardrobe changes and shot in four locations and they're all so dang cute!

Here's a sneak peak of the shoot:



Now I've got to get to work on post-production for the rest of the images as well as designing and printing their Christmas cards! And now that I'm a working lady, time is a little hard to come by... oh me.

Everyday Portraits: [The Johnsons]

Boy, do I love the Johnsons! Andy and Karyn are a great couple whom we met through our Sunday School class. Hailey is their darling little girl who I absolutely adore. I make a complete idiot of myself trying to get her to smile, but those smiles are so very worth it.

I was honored to spend some time with them this afternoon, scooting around their beautiful neighborhood and taking some shots for Christmas!

Flickr Uploads

New shots from Brad and Wendy's Everyday Portraits photoshoot are up! Check them out on my Flickr site.

Let me know what you think!

Everyday Portraits: [Brad and Wendy]

Yesterday, I had my first official shoot. I feel so validated, now.

The beauty of two people who love each other beyond comprehension, the chilly fall air and sights of of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the familiarity of friends (and family) made for a fun time.

Meet Brad and Wendy:



If you're interested in a low-key, fun, and inexpensive way to get your pictures done for this year's Christmas cards... I'm in business. Seriously. I really enjoy this stuff and it helps to have people want their pictures taken.

p.s. Who says you can't practice on yourself, either?