University of Tennessee Senior | UTK Graduation Pictures | Knoxville Headshots | Anniece
College Senior Portraits
What an achievement!!! Anniece is not only a UTK graduate but this past month she also graduated with her Masters in Public Health! Shes's such a sweet, spunky girl, I know she'll do great things with her life! We had this great combination session for UTK graduation picture, Professional Headshots, and Family Portraits.
Knoxville Cap and Gown Pictures
Because graduations is a HUGE deal, we had to get a few with her cap and gown. It's definitely a milestone you want to remember with portraits. First, we took one in front of Ayers Hall on the UTK campus.
Then we grabbed some closeups of her in her cap with some of the beautiful architecture in the background.
Professional Headshots
Anniece also wanted some professional headshots to start her new career with, and what better place to do that than the Univerisity of Tennessee Campus?
Doesn't she look lovely hanging out on the back stairs to Ayers Hall??
This lovely arched doorway made a fabulous spot for a headshot.
This one is my very favorite of her headshots. She looks stunning and the location is perfect.
Knoxville Family Picture
The last thing on our list was to capture Anniece with her family, who traveled all the way up from Texas to watch her graduation. They were a great bunch; so full of laughter! An all-around lovley family.
Smoky Mountain Photographer | Knoxville Senior Portraits | Morgan
Knoxville TN Senior Portraits
Say hello to Morgan! She's a super sweet 2016 Knoxville senior with some big ideas! She had such great ideas for her Smoky Mountain senior portraits! Morgan was amazing and even brought super cute props, I couldn't have chosen them better myself! We ended up using a beautiful location overlooking the Smoky Mountains, and boy were her and her mom troopers on the hike up, in heels no less!
The Red Suitcase
Morgan found this darling vintage suitcase at an antique store in Knoxville. We got some fabulous pictures with it! Oh the places she'll go next year and beyond!
The suitcase also appeared in this cute Pinterest inspired pose that Morgan suggested. She rocked her heels and tassel!
The Scarf
Pinterest in a gold-mine for photography inspiration, and Morgan found a pose there with a scarf she fell in love with. I re-created it with my own spin with the gorgeous Smoky Mountains in the background. It's such a whimsical senior portrait.
Stack of Books
A stack of books is PERFECT for a Knoxville senior portrait, it represents all the hardwork you've put in over the last four years. These vintage books were a great touch for Morgan's session.
Cap and Gown
Of course we had to include cap and gown pictures! No Knoxville senior session is complete without them!
And she's DONE!!!
Newborn Pictures | Knoxville Photographers | Lily
Maryville Newborn Photographer
Last week, I had the pleasure of photographing sweet Miss Lily and family! Her awesome Mom contacted me a few weeks ago to schedule a Fresh 48 session in the hospital and her newborn session. I noticed something funny when I glanced over her paperwork for the session. As you may already know, I have two little girls, Lila who is 8, and Mylie who is 6. When I looked at her questionnaire, I thought I MUST be mis-reading! The names and ages listed were Lylah- 8 and Mylee- 6. What are the odds of having little girls with the same names, and the same ages and both live in little Maryville? I have to say, it made it easy to remember their names!
Newborn with Sisters
These girls did GREAT for their picture, I'm so excited to share! They had to endure a lot of holding still while I got everything perfect, but I think the end result is well worth it.
Harry Potter Newborn Nursery
Miss Lily has a fabulous Harry Potter themed nursery, and her whole family is full of huge fans. I can't tell you how many times I've read the books, and watched the movies, so I fit right in. Sadly, I haven't ordered any Harry Potter specific props yet (that'll be changing ASAP!), but I did have an awesome owl bonnet in honor of Headwig and used a gorgous mustard color for Gryffendor!
Newborn Pictures
The last few pictures I have to share are some assorted favorites from the session on the beanbag. Lily was a champ once she fell asleep; her pictures are amazing!
This last one, is one of my favorites. I love what I was able to do with this image. It turned out simply beautiful. I hope Lily's Mom loves it as much as I do!
Maternity Pictures | Knoxville Photographers | MaryEllen
Knoxville Maternity Photographer
On Mother's Day, I had the opportunity to meet the lovely MaryEllen, who is expecting her first sweet baby, a girl, next month. I had an idea for some beautiful maternity pictures, and this adventurous mom-to-be helped me make it happen!
Mountain Maternity Pictures
I ADORE the mountains, and I was so excited to do a session with such a stunning backdrop. We met at spot not too far out of the city, with an amazing view, and beautiful cliffs. This place is breathtaking!! I could spend all day there just taking in the view.
This view, plus a sunset was perfection! I don't think you can take a more beautiful maternity picture in Knoxville!
The mountains compliment her beautiful, pregnant glow so well.
Rustic Maternity Portrait
When I think of the Smoky Mountains, I think of rustic. I knew going in I wanted a rustic maternity portrait in black and white as one of the final products from this session. I love the velvety look of the mountains in black and white and the twisted pine. It's just perfect!
I had so much fun with this session, and meeting MaryEllen. What a wonderful way to spend Mother's Day!
Family Photos | Knoxville Photographers | The Manuels
Knoxville Family Photos
I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing the beautiful Manuel family a couple of weeks ago. This sweet family was visiting their hometown all the way from Texas! I'm so glad they squeezed in time for some family pictures in Knoxville TN. It's such a beautiful place, and I know they'll love taking these memories back with them.
Child Portraits
This little girl is the SWEETEST! She just played, and hammed it up for my camera. Seriously, what a doll! I had a great time chasing her around and capturing the most beautiful posed and candid pictures.
How could anyone not just adore that face?? She did a fabulous job looking amazing for her portraits.
At the end of our session, she brought me so many flowers, running back and forth between me and the field. It doesn't get much better than that <3
Family Portraits
We spent the other portion of our session on family pictures. I wanted to capture some beautiful images of this family of three together. Their busy schedules made it hard for them to carve out time for family portraits, and this was the perfect opportunity to get everyone together.
I knew it would be a great session when this was the very first picture I took during their session. They are such ahappy bunch.
The in-between picture moments are sometimes the best. I love the sweet moments between parents and their beautiful babies.
I have one of the best jobs, spending time with families like these. I can't think of a better way to spend my evening.
Maternity Photos | Knoxville Photographer | The Bowers
Knoxville Maternity Pictures
Meet Lyndsey and Jesse Bower. You would be hard-pressed to find a sweeter couple than these two! Jesse contacted me a few months before after searching for a Knoxville photographer to set up the maternity pictures for their anniversary. Major awesome points to him!!! Seriously, any man who willingly sets up portraits is A-OK in my book. We had a great time at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens, and took some beautiful maternity portraits!
Mom-to-be Pictures
In most Knoxvile maternity sessions, I like to get a great variety of images, including some of the mom-to-be alone. It's such a special time, and I love being able to make these lovely women feel as beautiful as they look while they're expecting.
We stumbled upon a lovely brick staircase at the gardens, it was the perfect spot to show off this beautiful mom!
This ivy wall makes for a PERFECT backdrop for Knoxville Photographers for all types of sessions.
These stone buildings are beautiful! Knoxville maternity sessions have so many options for great backdrops!! I love incorporating them into my sessions.
Couple Maternity Pictures
Pregnancy pictures aren't just about the Mom, we also have a Daddy-to-be! I love to include them in as many shots as possible! Dads in maternity pictures make for some of the sweetest images. These are about your new family, and the start of a beautiful new life, it's time to celebrate!
I love the framing of this stone wall, it's perfect to highlight the beautiful couple!
The beautiful Mom requested this pose, and I love how it turned out. It's so casual, but gorgeous!
Lifestyle Newborn Photos | Knoxville Photographers | Amelia
Knoxville Newborn Baby Photographer
Little miss Amelia's Mom contacted me a few weeks ago to take some beautiful newborn pictures of her beautiful 6 week old daughter. At 6 weeks, she was a bit too old for typical newborn portraits. but that didn't mean we couldn't get amazing baby and family pictures! We opted for a lifestyle session to make the most out of their package.
What are "Lifestyle Sessions" in Knoxville?
Lifestyle sessions are a style of professional photography that focuses on you being you. These pictures are more natural or candid and take place in your home, or another place that's special for your family, such as a local park with lots of memories. Older newborns make for GREAT Knoxville lifestyle photography. It's a great opportunity for their parents to snuggle their baby close, and preserve those sweet moments.
Newborn Pictures in the Nursery
We started out Amelia's session in her pretty, pink nursery. It was the perfect backdrop to grab some great, relaxed photos of her with her Mom and Dad. Her Mom has such great decorating taste, which made the family pictures all the better!
Who can resist such a sweet Mommy and baby moment???
Six Week Old Pictures
Next, we did a few pictures of baby Amelia, and guess what? She even smiled!!! I brought a few headbands, wraps, and props to enhance miss Amelia's beauty in her six week pictures alone. She rocked them!
Family Pictures On Their Bed
At the end of the session, we moved to their lovely master bedroom, and took a few lifestyle family pictures on their bed. This is one of my favorite things to do in lifestyle session! I love the togetherness, and cozy feeling of these pictures. This session was no exception! It's so sweet to watch new moms and dads with their new addition in a comfy setting.
Amanda College Senior | Knoxville Senior Photographer
Knoxville Professional Photographer
Meet Amanda! A lovely Knoxville college senior girl who will be an RN next month! We met up to take some graduation portraits to celebrate this HUGE achievement. Amanda had some wonderful ideas for her senior portraits, and I had a great time with her and her Mom making her visions come to life.
Here's a few I LOVE!
Dominic's Portraits | Knoxville Child Photographer
Knoxville Photographer
Meet Dominic! An absolutely spunky, fun-loving nine year old, who requested to have his picture taken in Knoxville with some awesome graffiti! Mr. Dominic wants to be a model, and boy is he good at it! Being a Knoxville child photographer, I've photographed hundreds of children, and he might have just been the easiest young man to work with!
This cool guy and me had a blast during his downtown Knoxville, Market Square, session. He had so many great ideas, and knew just how to pose before I could even get the words out. I couldn't believe he was only nine!
Here's some favorites!
Beckham's Newborn Session | Knoxville Newborn Baby Photographer
Knoxville, TN Newborn Photographer
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting this sweet, chunky little man, Beckham! I seriously LOVE being a photographer in Knoxville, we have the sweetest babes! This little one was just darling. His nursery was a rustic theme, so we focused on some wonderful outdoor East Tennessee themes like fishing, and woodland creatures.
Newborn photographers have so much fun! Don't get me wrong, it takes a ton of know-how and patience, but it's so, incredibly worth it to photograph tiny Knoxville newborns. Not many jobs allow you to snuggle babies for a living.
Here's some of my favorites of Beckham!
Team Headshots | Knoxville Corporate Headshot Photographer
Team corporate headshot for financial experts at Morgan Stanley.
Knoxville Professional Headshots
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking corporate headshots for a team at Morgan Stanley. Great team headshots are so important! It's great for your clients to see your whole team as a united front, as well as personal headshots. When I see great headshots on a website, I'm much more likely to use that company's services.
When I photograph group headshots, I typically travel right to your business with a portable studio. This makes it so easy to update your Knoxville headshot!
We created some fabulous professional portraits for this awesome team! Check out the results!
The Dempsey's Maternity Session | Family Maternity Pictures
Knoxville maternity candid portrait session.
Knoxville Maternity Portraits
This Knoxville maternity photographer had a great time with the Dempsey's for their maternity session! I was invited to their family's beautiful property in Louisville, TN, complete with a barn and magical lake. What could be better?
The weather was perfect, and besides for a bit of soggy grass, we couldn't have dreamed of a better day! I loved it! We were just in time too, exactly one week later, their sweet girl arrived!
Take a peek of some of their stunning, golden-hour, candid Maternity pictures.
Bates Family Portrait Session | Knoxville Family Photographer
Knoxville Photographer
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful Bate Family. This beautiful family of eight came to me to celebrate three new additions to their family with family portraits. They are the sweetest bunch! The little ones were a bit shy at first, but as the session went on, the sweet little ones came out of their shell and were the cutest little things with such personalities!
We went to one of my favorite locations for pictures in Knoxville: The Botanical Gardens. They are so pretty and versatile! I can never get enough of shooting there.
Here's some of my favorites:
The Beierle's Newborn Session | Knoxville Newborn Photographer
Sweet newborn girl's portraits, taken in Knoxville TN. Professional photographer serving the greater Knoxville area.
Knoxville Photographer
There is a gorgeous newborn girl I'd like you to meet! She's got to be one of the cutest little things that I've ever laid eyes on. I'm so blessed to be a photographer in Knoxville, and work with such sweet bundles of joy.
This little one made me work for it! She did not want to give up and go to sleep, but I must say, it was completely worth it in the end! The resulting newborn portraits are simply stunning; A picture perfect little girl.
Rawlin's Five Year Old Portraits | Knoxville Child Photographer
Meet Rawlin! A spunky, energetic, full of life little boy! He's quite the character, and his favorite superhero happens to be The Flash. What better way to keep a little guy's attention than to let him dress up as his favorite superhero?
We had tons of fun showing off in downtown Maryville while taking urban portraits. He ran around making everyone laugh by flying, and jumping all over the place. The results were fantastic! I couldn't ask for a better boy superhero. I adore his portraits; they're so much fun!
Here's a few of my favorites:
August's Four Year Old Portraits | Knoxville Child Photographer
Knoxville child portrait session. Imagination in childhood.
Knoxville Child Photographer
Meet sweet and loving August who just turned four! We celebrated this adorable little red-head's birthday with a fun, stylized portrait session. He had such fun dressing up in cape and wooden vintage sword! I loved watching him run around, and play, and grin and have such fun while having his portraits taken.
This location is such a hidden gem! It's lovely with all kinds of wildflowers and a beautiful boardwalk. It's super close for Maryville portrait sessions, and an easy drive for my Knoxville clients. Photographers are always looking for new, beautiful locations, so this was a GREAT find!
A stylized, fun, themed session may be just what your little one needs to get excited about their portraits! Sometimes thinking outside the box makes for the best pictures.
Enjoy some of my favorites!!
Snuck in a serious one! Isn't he gorgeous!!!!
Tiffani's Maternity Session | Knoxville Maternity Photographer
Beautiful maternity session in Cades Cove Tennessee. Knoxville maternity and newborn photographer.
Knoxville Maternity Photographer
I had the pleasure of meeting this STUNNING mother-to-be, Tiffani, last month for her Cades Cove maternity portrait session. She came in from out of town to have her dream maternity portraits taken, at her dream location: in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains.
We had a great time trying out all kinds of poses and looks; Tiffani looked great no matter what we did! We were able to capture a TON of images and I love them all! I could hardly choose which ones to edit. Seriously, it doesn't get any more gorgeous than these maternity pictures. A photographer's dream! I love that Tiffani traveled all that way just for amazing pictures and I'm so honored she chose me to capture them.
Check them out!
Krista's Newborn Session | Knoxville Newborn Photographer
Beautiful newborn baby girl from Knoxville, TN. Knoxville newborn photographer, serving the greater Knoxville area.
Knoxville Newborn Baby Photographer
Meet gorgeous baby Krista!!! This tiny beauty with her adorable little nose, and porcelain skin came to see me at 7 days new. She was such a good baby! Slept like a dream, barely made a peep, and even threw us a few smiles. She made my job a breeze!
Her Daddy was such a great help during the session; helping pose, and keep her comfortable and warm. I absolutely love when dads want to be involved and help out with the session. It really gets them in the spirit of things, and makes those portraits all the more special.
Krista simply flew through her session, and let me take so many darling portraits! It was next to impossible to choose just a few to share with everyone. I could've kept her! But I'm pretty sure her Mommy and Daddy would've made me give her back ;)
Knoxville Newborn Photography | Knoxville Photographer
Newborn Princess Carriage Photography Prop DIY Tutorial | Knoxville Newborn Photographer
How o make our own DIY newborn carriage prop. Knoxville newborn photographer.
Newborn Prop Carriage Tutorial
I don't know about other newborn photographers, but my prop stash is ALWAYS expanding. I think it's actually a slight addiction! One of my lovely clients aptly called it a "Prop-lem". With that said, I've been eyeballing a lovely newborn carriage prop for quite some time, but the one readily available on the market wasn't quite what I was looking for.
After seeing a few pictures online of DIY carriages, me and my husband set out to create our own. Sadly, there were no online tutorials we could base ours on that I could find, so I documented our progress to write one for others. It was actually quite simple and in-expensive! It came in under $60, which makes it all the better!
We used a plant stand as our base and designed it around it. It was perfect, with gorgeous "wheels" to simplify our DIY process.
To start you'll need:
Plant Stand (I bought mine on Amazon *here* ) -$25
3 Child sized Hula Hoops ( 20-24inches. Found mine at the Dollar Tree) - $3
2 Cans white spray primer - $8
Can of white spray paint - $4
Can of gold spray paint- $4
Can of spray clear coat - $4 (Optional, but cuts down on scratches and whatnot)
Wooden topper ( banister topper from Lowes in the Lumber section) -$4
Nut to fasten wooden topper ( check to make sure it fits on the screw of the topper) $.50
Zip ties - $2
Painter's tape - $3
Tools:
Dremmel or saw that can cut through a bit of metal (optional)
Drill
Sharp scissors
Assuming you have all the tools (we did), the total cost is just $57.50. You can't beat that for a beautiful, custom newborn prop!
Zip ties and a few cans of paint aren't pictured. We were working by trial and error and ended up having to pick up more!
To start, open up your plant stand box and discard the small wire shelf and bag of screws ( or put aside for another project!). Set aside the large wire shelf (this will become the platform for your newborn) and get ready to work with the sides of your carriage.
This is where you'll need the dremmel ( we used a dremmel with cutting blade) or saw. Cut off the cross rails at the top of the circle, and the handles that stick off of the side. Be sure to leave the brackets near the bottom on! If you think you can live with these on your prop, then this step could be skipped. Personally, I wanted them gone so the prop had a cleaner look to it.
Next is the most time-consuming step; painting. Collect your plant stand sides, large wire shelf, wooden topper, and hula hoops and apply primer. I recommend two coats to cover the bright colors. Let stand until the pieces are dry to the touch. Add thick coat of white spray paint to sides, hula hoops, and the wire shelf. If needed, apply a second cot of white paint. Allow to fully dry before you move on, as not to smudge the pieces
Once your plant stand sides are dry, tape off the metal, except for the wheels using the painters tape, careful to cover anything you don't want to be gold in the final product. Apply gold paint to both sides of your carriage wheels. Also add a coat of gold paint to the wooden topper. Allow to dry about 20 minutes, and then add second coat of gold paint to wheels and topper.
Remove tape and allow to dry for 24 hours before moving on to the next step.
It's time to get the basic carriage together!! Gather your plant stand sides, wire shelf, zip ties, and scissors.
Sit stand sides upright, with wheel sides out. and place the large wire shelf on the brackets towards the bottom . Secure the shelf with four zip ties on the corners of the shelf. Be sure to to tighten them down as much as possible to make it secure. Once the shelf is firmly in place, pull the circular top portion of the shelf together, forming a pyramid out of the frame, and secure together with a zip tie. This gives the carriage base mush more stability than if you leave the plant stand sides straight up and down. Trim all of the zip tie ends using your scissors, leaving as little as possible.
Woo-hoo!!! Your basic carriage is now complete!!!
Oops! I forgot to trim my zip ties before this picture. This is what it should look like at this time.
Now it's time to bust out the hula-hoops. Using scissors, cut each hula hoop, so that it's no longer a full circle. Place one end on either side of your shelf to see how big your carriage will be when you attach the hoops to the base. Trim each hula hoop as needed (keeping them the same size). I trimmed around nine inches off of each one to make it a size I was happy with.
Once you've trimmed them to the appropriate size, you'll need to select a drill bit that will make a large enough hole for a zip tie to easily fit through. Drill a hole through each end of all three hula hoops. You'll need to make sure the drill goes through both sides of the hollow hoop.
Attach the hoops, using zip ties, the one end( short side) of your carriage. One hoop next to each wheel , and one in the middle. Attach the middle hoop straight across, to the middle of the opposite side and secure with a zip tie. Criss cross the remaining hula hoops so that you fasten them towards the opposite wheel on the other side of your carriage and fasten with zip ties.
Your topper isn't on yet, this is just for criss-cross reference.
Keep your drill handy, with a drill bit that will make a large enough hole for the screw of your wooden topper to fit through. Gather the hula hoops, find the middle, and drill a hole though all three hoops. Insert your topper's screw through all three hoops, and secure tightly with nut. Trim off zip tie ends from your hula hoops.
Your beautiful carriage is now together, and you're just about done! This is the perfect time to touch up any paint scrapes may have occurred during assembly.
The last step is optional, but I highly recommend it, as the plastic hula hoops are quite prone to scrapes. Apply a coat of clear top coat to the entire carriage.
Ta-Da!!! You're done, ad have an awesome prop to show for your hard work! You can embellish it how you'd like and use different fabrics as your cushion to change up the look.
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial, check back for more!
Rachael's Maternity Session | Knoxville Professional Photographer
Sweet maternity portraits taken in Knoxville's most beautiful garden. Knoxville photographer serving the greater Knoxville area, incluing Maryville, Farragut, and the Smoky Mountains.
Knoxville Maternity Photographer
Meet the lovely Rachael!! An absolutely stunning mom-to-be! I am super excited to share her maternity session with you all, especially since I'm also gearing up to meet her sweet baby girl tomorrow! Her Mommy has such great ideas, I just know her newborn session will be perfect <3.
A fabulous couple in the gorgeous Knoxville Botanical Gardens; I couldn't ask for more. They're connection and love for each other is so strong and beautiful, it absolutely shines through their portraits. I had such fun taking their maternity pictures.
