Family Photographer | Knoxville Botanical Gardens | Heather's Family

Knoxville Family Photographer

Say Hello to Heather's beautiful bunch; an adorable family of five! Heather came to me, after tons of Spring blooms for her family session. The Dogwood winter caused us to reschedule and had us a bit worried about flowers, with the weather dipping back down to freezing here in Knoxville. Thankfully, Mother Nature rebounded beautifully, and the Knoxville Botanical Gardens were FULL of all kinds of flowers. 

Let me tell you, photography sessions can be rough on little ones but the pictures are oh-so-worth it! These three littles gave me some amazing shots; I couldn't be happier! I could do a little happy dance looking at their final images <3

Knoxville Photographers | Maternity Photographer Knoxville | Samantha's Session

Knoxville Maternity Photographer

Meet the lovely Samantha; a beautiful Mama to three, and expecting another beautiful baby this summer. She is in that perfect window for Knoxville maternity pictures, in that 28-34 week range. I love that time frame because you have a perfect bump and look absolutely stunning, but you're not so big you're uncomfortable, or risking having an early baby and missing maternity pictures. 

I stumbled upon these beautiful, rustic stone steps several weeks back, and I couldn't love them more. They make a perfect backdrop, and I was so excited to use them for Samantha's session. They are just so grand and photogenic. 

In these first images, she is wearing my Hera gown, by Sew Trendy. It's available to rent for your own maternity session, asbolsutely free. 

The second half of Samantha's maternity session took place in all of the wonderful spring blooms we currently have; Dogwood trees, and Redbud trees were everywhere! It was perfection!

To stand out among all of the flowers, Samantha wore the Corbyn gown to really contrast. 

Pigeon Forge Photographers | Family Reunion Cabin Pictures in Pigeon Forge

Julie's Family | Pigeon Forge Photography

Meet Julie's beautiful extended family! This amazing extended family came to the Smoky Mountains for a Pigeon Forge family reunion in a relaxing cabin for their Mom's 60th! I love watching these families celebrate milestones together, and just enjoying each other's company. Smoky Mountain vacations bring everyone together <3.

We absolutely lucked out on the day of their session! Not only did we have rustic cabin steps for pictures, right across the street, there happened to be an amazing Gatlinburg mountain view. The weather was perfect and the sun dipped behind the clouds just long enough to grab some family pictures with the awesome view. 

During family reunion sessions, I love to grab all kinds of different groupings, parents, siblings, individual families, and some candids, just all those fun pictures for you to look back on after your vacation. 

Gatlinburg TN Award Winning Photographer | Knoxville Photographer

Award Winning Knoxville and Gatlinburg Photographer

Shoot and Share was so kind to make an awesome video to showcase some of my award-winning work!

I am BEYOND excited to be able to share the results of a huge, international photo contest that I am a part of every year. This contest put on by the Shoot and Share community had 413,000 images entered this year, from 175,000 people involved from 160 total countries in 2018. This contest is mind-boggling large, and so much fun to participate in. 

This year, I had 33 images receive badges ranging from top 30% all the way the 4th place. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am to have placed so well when there were over 400K images submitted. I'm thankful to all of my wonderful clients who went along with my vision to create the perfect image. 

One of my Gatlinburg proposal photographer images and two Knoxville maternity pictures made top 500, as well as a few images from my personal work. 

A few more of my favorites that received badges include Gatlinburg family pictures, Smoky Mountain maternity pictures, Knoxville family pictures, and some of my Knoxville newborn photography work. 

Knoxville Photographer | The Cove at Concord Park | Heather's Maternity Session

Knoxville Maternity Photographer

Meet the Whittemore family ( almost everyone, a sweet new addition has arrived since their maternity session)! Heather contacted me for an awesome family maternity session and we made it happen at The Cove at Concord Park.

During family maternity sessions, I love to do a great mix of poses with just Mom, the family, Mom and Dad, and some solo of the kiddos. It allows us to have the focus on maternity pictures, but also show the relationships, and have a great variety of images. These guys were amazing; we did so many beautiful poses in just 45 minutes. Little Louis was a total trooper to give his Mom some amazing mother-son pictures even after he thought his portion was done. 

Check out some of my favorites!

Knoxville Photographer | Maternity Pictures | Knoxville Botanical Gardens

Jessica and Kent's Knoxville Botanical Garden Session

The Carringers Knoxville maternity session could not have turned out more perfectly! Simply put, the rsults are awesome! Kent contacted me back around the holidays, to purchase a maternity and newborn session for his wife for Christmas. I have to give him kudos for thinking of portraits as a gift; so thoughtful.  

Everyone was a bit concerned about the weather and foliage for the session with the up and down weather we've been having here in East Tennessee over the past few weeks. The day of was BEAUTIFUL, warm for early March, and a few of the trees and bushes were already in bloom. Kent and Jessica were awesome and had some great input for backdrops that I was able to incorporate with my own. 

I can't wait to meet their new addition next month!  

Knoxville Photographer | Family Pictures at The Cove Concord Park | The Longworths

Knoxville Family Photographer

Say hello to the Longworths! They make an adorable little family of three, with the sweetest little girl who LOVES to smile. I have loved being their photographer through maternity, newborn, and now beautiful family pictures. Watching my sweet newborn clients grow up is an absolute pleasure <3

We met up at The Cove at Concord Park, a darling little park in Knoxville. I love that it offers wooded areas and water views just a quick two minute walk apart so you don't risk those short attention spans of little babes. 

I'm not sure when I've ever seen a 6 month old smile more! This little miss is as happy as can be. Her smile is totally contagious and I can't help but grin looking through the images from her session; such a cutie! 

Knoxville Photographer | Smoky Mountain Maternity Session | Emily

Knoxville and Smoky Mountain Maternity Photographer

This beautiful Mama's name is Emily and she had her heart set on a maternity session with a Smoky Mountain backdrop. Coming from Knoxville, we wanted to choose an easy access location, so this little nook was perfect, and the mountains are stunning!!

I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! These puffy clouds rolled in just before sunset, making an amazing sky, and Emily looked so gorgeous with the mountains behind her. Maternity sessions are always magical <3. Capturing this time of excitement and beauty is one of the very best parts of my job. 

Gatlinburg, TN Family Reunion | Family Pictures Pigeon Forge Vacation | Mandie's Family

Gatlinburg extended Family session

 

Gatlinburg family photography sessions in the winter come with their own unique set of challenges. This good-looking family was visiting from Florida this month, and was hoping to see snow on the Gatlinburg vacation. To say it simply, they got their wish; a winter wonderland!

The downside of snow in Gatlinburg is the road closures ( and super chilly temperatures!). This sweet family was amazing and totally flexible to change their date due to the weather. We were all set to go to Cades Cove, and thought we lucked out, because the loop re-opened on the afternoon of our re-scheduled session. Unfortunately, we didn't think to check and see if other roads they needed to travel on the way were also open. Thank goodness, they thought quickly and contacted me to let me know they couldn't get there, and we were able to move their session to a location in Knoxville with well-salted roads. While it wasn't the Smoky Mountain views we were all hoping for, I'm so glad we were able to capture their family while they were all together. In the end, that's all that matters. 

There was still a bit of snow on the ground, and freezing cold, but they braved it out!

Here's the highlights from their Pigeon Forge family reunion session. 

Gatlinburg Photographer | Knoxville Photography Studio | Beth's Family Session

Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Photographer

You wouldn't believe all the obstacles we had to overcome to get this beautiful family gorgeous extended family pictures... 

Beth contacted me several months back to photograph their family while they were visiting Gatlinburg TN on vacation. We chatted, booked, and thought we had everything all set. Well, if you've ever been around the military, you know plans are made to be changed, and since one of the members of their family is a service member, we needed to move our session to accommodate their schedule. No problem, once again, we're all set.

Now, we have had one of the coldest winters I can remember this year, and of course, their session was set to fall on one of the super-cold, 23 degree days we've had recently. The cold coupled with little ones recovering from the flu forced us to get creative and move their session from Cades Cove to my Knoxville studio.

They hung in there through all these changes though, and I'm so glad they did! The images were not what we had planned, but I love them just as much! The studio lent a very classic feel to this extended family's portraits. 

Check out some highlights. 

Knoxville Newborn Photographer | Knoxville Photography Studio | Pregnancy Announcement | Baby Reed

Newborn Photographer

Say hello to baby Reed! He's such a cute little fella!! This sweet baby is just so loved; I'm incredibly glad I was able to be apart of his parent's journey to parenthood. It's not every day I get to see a picture of one of my newborns as a teeny, tiny embryo. His Mama had this beautiful watercolor done from an ultrasound of him as an embryo that we used in their pregnancy announcement; it's probably one of the coolest things I've gotten to photograph. 

Now that their handsome little man is here, we got to take darling newborn pictures. He's such a little champ! He gave us sweet tiny smiles, and slept away for most of his newborn session. We got to incorporate a few fun things like his monogrammed diaper cover, and rainbow baby blanket. I love everything about his pictures <3 

What To Wear for Family Pictures | Gatlinburg Family Photographer | Photographer in Gatlinburg TN

Pigeon Forge Vacation Photographer

What to wear for Gatlinburg family pictures? Such a simple question right? Yeah, it's not for me either. This is a HUGE stress on so many of my clients, and even myself when I get ready for family pictures. I don't know about you, but I really don't welcome additional stress in my life.

What Colors to Wear for Gatlinburg Photography Sessions

A big hurdle is color scheme; it can be tough! Pulling everyone together while being worried about looking like a box of the reject crayon colors. I personally love really classic, timeless looks and adore neutrals like cream or grey being the main focus, or heavily incorporated. Chambray and denim are also great for casual looks. Don't be scared of a bit of pattern, but keep it fairly subtle. Not everyone has to exactly match, mixing in colors, layers, and those simple patterns create a beautiful texture and look for your Gatlinburg family pictures. I've made some swatches with some of my favorite color combos that photograph beautifully.

These are a few of my favorite schemes, especially for big groups. There are hundreds of beautiful combinations though, and so much more I would include if I had space. 

How To Plan your Pigeon Forge Photo Shoot Wardrobe

When you start planning, I suggest starting with Mama ( or the women in the case of extended families with several Mamas to please). The old saying, " If Mama ain't happy, nobody is happy" does have some truth to it.

Mom, you're most likely in charge of planning your family pictures in Gatlinburg, and the wardrobe is totally up to you. Once you've picked your color scheme, focus on finding flattering pieces for yourself. If you have any areas that aren't your favorites, really work to camouflage those. It can be as simple as wearing a light jacket, or lacy cardigan to cover your arms, or a flowy top, layered with light jacket, or high waisted flowy skirt to hide a tummy. These little tricks will make you feel SO much better about how you look. 

Now that you've found an outfit you adore, fit everyone else's in.  Layers are GREAT, jackets, kimonos, cardigans, half-zips for the guys: all of these create really great texture and interest to add to your photos. Notice in the net picture, the slight texture the Dad's shirt, the embroidery detail on the sweet girl's tops, and how the denim jacket really pulls this beautiful Mama together. 

This fabulous family looks amazing! The Mom chose a beautiful figure-flattering dress, and used light patterns and different maternials to create texture and interest in theor outfits. 

A fabulous example of neutrals with a tiny pop of color! So classic and timeless for your walls. 

This dark khaki, taupe, and grey combo is one of my favorites for Gatlinburg Photographer sessions!

Here's how to do bright colors! Throw in a few neutrals, and make sure everyone ties together, for a great look for your family. 

If you follow these few simple tips, I promise you all will look magazine worthy and feel great! 

Knoxville TN Newborn Photography | Newborn Baby Photographer | The Quillins

Newborn Photographer

Oh happy day! It's always a great day when I get to cuddle a brand new baby! The Quillins sweet, sweet baby girl was a delight. She was an AMAZING sleeper and flew through her newborn session. Her big sister was such a sweetie! She was the perfect role model for her baby sister during the session, she even held open the studio door for me when my hands were full. 

Newborn Carriage Prop

This little bit was the first baby to use my news Carriage! I love this piece! It's perfect for your little princesses first photo shoot! She can ride in style for those sweet pictures. What little girl doesn't want to be a princess at some point in their lives? 

Newborn and Sibling Photos

Next, the sisters got to be in the spotlight together! Little bit's big sister could not stop kissing her; it was the sweetest thing. You can tell they'll have a wonderful childhood toegther. 

Knoxville Newborn Photos

Photographers in Gatlinburg TN | Family Photographer | The Dahmans

Gatlinburg Vacation Photographer

This beautiful family of three booked their family photos with me during their Gatlinburg vacation. The Smoky Mountains are such a beautiful place, it always makes my heart happy when I get to photograph families in our beautiful scenery, with mountains and woods all around. Photographers in Gatlinburg are just so lucky to live in this beautiful area and capture memories for families enjoying a fun time together. 

The Dahman's sweet daughter is just three and she ROCKED! She was up for every challenge, from balancing on logs, to twirling her skirt, to loving on Mom and Dad. Sometimes little ones aren't quite so eager, but getting to play a little bit really brings them out of their shells. 

Showing off the best parts of a family is such a wonderful part of my job as a photographer. The Dahmans are a perfect example. There's so much love and energy in their pictures; just beautiful. 

Knoxville Christmas Light Show | Family Fun in Knoxville

Christmas Light Show in Maryville

Hi guys! As I've told a few of you, our family puts on a huge synchronized light show for Christmas. 

This year, we've tripled our lights, and have a total of just over 45,000 total bulbs that all twinkle and dance to music. 

This is just a fun thing we like to put on for the local community and I'd love to see you guys out here. 

The address is 924 Montgomery Lane in Maryville. To view the show, it's best to park at Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School and walk down to view the show from the sidewalk. Show will run at 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm, 7:30pm, 8pm, and 8:30pm nightly until December 22nd- 25th when the last show will be 10:30pm. 

We have a radio playing in the yard, but to hear better, we recommend bringing a portable FM radio and tuning in to 92.5fm. 

For updates and more information check out our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/baconlights/

Knoxville Photographer | Maternity Session Knoxville | Sequoyah Hills Park

Knoxville Maternity Pictures

This lovely couple is expecting their first little one; such an exciting time! It was a pleasure to meet Sarah and Jason for their Knoxville maternity session at Sequoyah Hills Park. Sequoyah Hills has some beautiful hidden gems tucked back in the park; grassy fields, rock faces, and the water all make great backdrops. As an added bonus, it's just 2-3 minutes away from my Knoxville studio. 

The outdoor portion of Sarah's session was beautiful! She looked stunning in the blue Poppy maternity gown. She was a natural in front of the camera, making it easy for me to capture a ton of images of her bump. The sun was even on our side, and dissapeared behind some clouds, providing a beautiful sunset. 

Knoxville Photography Studio

Sarah requested a few indoor, studio maternity pictures, and I was thrilled to oblige. Several months back, I opened my first storefront studio on Kenesaw, so it was just a quick trip over from the park. I don't typically do indoor maternity pictures, as I adore working on-location, but the simplicity of these really won me over. I love how the focus is really pulled to the Mama in the studio with classic portraits.  Doesn't Sarah look radiant?

Gatlinburg Photographers | Metcalf Bottoms Family Session | Family Portraits

Gatlinburg Family Photographer

A few weeks back, the beautiful Pfeffer family visited Gatlinburg on vacation from Nashville and requested a Smoky Mountain family session. We opted to use Metcalf Bottoms as our location for its wooded look, super easy river access, and relatively short drive from Pigeon Forge. I love how versatile it can be with woods, wildflowers, and water.

Their two sweet little girls were troopers! Our mountain session was awfully close to bedtime, but they did great and gave some shy smiles. Vacation pictures can be awfully hard on little ones, whose schedule is thrown for a loop, but with a little patience, we always get awesome pictures. 

We started out by the water, for some beautiful mountain stream pictures! The water stays SUPER cold, so we didn't venture into the stream, but enjoyed the soft babbling in the background. 

Next, I led their family down the trail just a bit, to an opening in the trees. I find the woods so peaceful and love when families want a picture there. The greens in the summer forest and just gorgoues! 

The Pfeffers ended their session in a patch of wild clover, playing with their beautiful girls. Tickles and giggles are a huge part of my family session with little ones and they are alwasy some of my very favorite images. 

5 Tips for A Great Fall Family Picture Session | Knoxville TN Photographer

Knoxville and Gatlinburg Photographer

It's that time! Time to think about your fall family photos and Christmas card images here in Knoxville. I'm hearing that the foliage should be AMAZING this year, way better than the past two or three Autumns. I'm SO excited; fall is my very favorite season. 

1. Book Your Knoxville Photography Session Early

Seriously, please don't wait! I'm even a bit late writing this. October and November for photographers has been compared to April for an accountant. Those two months are CRAZY busy here in Knoxville, and even more so for my Gatlinburg and Cades Cove sessions. My October/November weekends are sometimes booked 2-3 months in advance. I absolutely hate to turn people away, so I'll do everything in my power to make room for your session, but sooner or later, I run completely out of slots. So especially if you have a hectic schedule and need certain dates, book as early as you can. 

2. Carefully Consider Wardrobe

Your wardrobe can make or break your session, the feel and look of your images. You should absolutely use this to your advantage.

If you have a "problem area", use clothing to direct attention away from it, so you love the way you look in your photos. Personally, after two kids, my stomach is problem area, so I try to go for looser tops or high-waisted dresses that flow away from the body

Avoid too many large and crazy patterns and neon colors. A pattern or two mixed in is great for a bit of texture, but too many distract from your beautiful family. I love soft neutrals with a pop of color for family portraits. IF you need help, I'll be happy to point you in the right direction. 

3. Prep The Little Ones

Taking some time in the days leading up to your session to explain to your kids what to expect during the session and what you expect from them can work wonders. I find when littles are prepared, sessions go super smooth. I'm not above bribery with own kiddos, and find that going to the store and picking out a small toy ahead of time ( They're SUPER into blind Shopkin packs), that they can have if they're good listeners and patient during their photos, helps boost their morale a bit. Of course a good nap and a full belly before your session is also a great idea if you can swing it. 

4. Keep Calm

I'll be the first to tell you, family pictures almost never go as planned. From the planning phase, to the actual session, little things go wrong and things aren't always perfect. We will work together to make your session just as amazing as possible, but if we hit a bump, roll with it. It's so easy to get stressed out when little ones running around when they're supposed to be posing for your stunning family portrait. I promise they're not the first, and you will come out with amazing images, even if we have to play three rounds of ring-around-the-rosie to bring out those smiles.

5. Have Fun

Seriously, relax and have a good time. Play with your kids, embrace the crazy, and realize almost no one has a "perfect" photography session. Kids have meltdowns, clothes get stains, and husband's sometimes scowl. Come to your session with a playful attitude. I personally love a mix of playful pictures of playing with kids in the air, or running and picking flowers and your above-the-fireplace posed portraits. I promise we'll get great shots you'll love <3

Knoxville Newborn Photographer | Newborn Photography | The Sheppicks

Newborn Photography Knoxville TN

Meet the beautiful Sheppick family! They recently welcomed a BEAUTIFUL baby girl that I had the joy of photographing. Little miss was such a sweet little nugget of baby goodness; I couldn't get enough of her! Snuggling teeny babies never gets old <3.

Knoxville Family Photo

During newborn sessions, I like to start with the family pictures, if requested. It keeps everyone looking fresh for their pictures, before enjoying the 75-80 degree room ( to keep baby toasty warm.). Aren't they the cutest little family?

Newborn Baby Pictures

Sweet little miss was such a cooperative baby after she fell asleep. I got to use tons of set ups and had so much fun dressing her up in different outfits, wraps, and headbands. One of my favorites is the floral wreath!

I cannot wait to watch this little Sweetie grow up <3

Knoxville Photographer | Family Photos in Knoxville TN | Fall Family Photos

Knoxville Family Photographer

Meet the Shrewberry family! They invited me to come and take their pictures in their neighborhood, with the cutest little bridge. This little family of four did amazing, especially those sweet little boys! At their age, it's super hard to sit still and look at the camera for a bunch of family pictures, so we made sure to have some fun play-time mixed in. Running, swinging, and being tossed in the air does WONDERS for bored little ones to make sure you receive amazing Knoxville family pictures! 

Watching these families laugh, play, and make beautiful memories during portrait sessions is the best part of my job <3