Knoxville Maternity Pictures | Military Couple in Maternity Gown | Michaela's Maternity Session

Maryville Photographer | Maryville College Campus

I had the opportunity to work with this super sweet couple for their maternity pictures! The timing was perfect as they just celebrated Army AIT graduation, so his dress blues were ready to go. We lucked out with a nice, warm February day in the sixties, which was fantastic. Maryville College campus provided us with gorgeous backgrounds, despite it being winter. 

My husband is a veteran, so it's always such a wonderful thing for me to be able to work with soldiers and their families. Plus, the uniform sure looks spiffy in pictures!

Free Maternity Gown Rental 

Finding something to wear for maternity pictures is hard! Not all maternity close are super cute and photogenic, so I'm now offering maternity gowns!

Michaela wore a few of my favorite gowns from my maternity gown collection, both the Aubrey and Harlow gowns by Sew Trendy ( my absolute favorite gown designer!). This HUGE collection ( over 30!) is available to rent for my maternity clients, absolutely free with your session. They're made to perfectly show off your bump while being super flattering for the expectant mama. 

Pink Ruffled Maternity Gown

This is the Harlow gown, a ruffled pink gown fit for a princess. Michaela wore it so well, and I think it fit her personality perfectly <3. Every mama deserves to feel like a princess, it's hard work growing a tiny human. 

Red Slim-fit Maternity Gown

Best Place To Eat in Pigeon Forge | Amazing Burger | The Local Goat

Local Restaurants | Pigeon Forge

Need a great place to eat in Pigeon Forge? Run, don't walk to The Local Goat. It's a fabulous place that just opened last year that I just had the pleasure to experience. My husband and I drove past it a few weeks ago, and the name intrigued me enough to look it up. The menu won me over on their website, so we made a point to check it out.

The service was absolutely wonderful and the food was amazing. 

We started with their Deep Fried Deviled Eggs. While it sounds crazy, I would make the hour drive from my house up there to eat those every day of my life. So. Darn. 

The burgers were just what a burger should be. Perfectly cooked, well-seasoned, and served with tasty fries and housemade ketchup. I'm a super picky burger eater, and I wouldn't change a thing. 

This is the best local place I've eaten at in Pigeon Forge. Five stars from me for sure!

 

Maternity Pictures | Knoxville photographer | Ashley's and Nathan

Knoxville Urban Maternity Session

I'm so thrilled to share Ashley and Nathan's downtown Knoxville maternity session with you all! Ashley looked AMAZING in the maternity gowns she wore so well by Sew Trendy Accessories. These two were fabulous and so easy to work with, and just great together. Trust me, you'll see their chemistry in some of my favorite images. 

We spent the evening wandering through downtown in the 40 degree weather ( although you wouldn't know it looking at Ashley's pictures; she was a trooper!). There are so great urban spots in Knoxville to choose from. 

Maternity Gowns

Ashley wore two of the gorgeous maternity gowns available to my clients for their maternity sessions, both the Samantha and Celine gowns from Sew Trendy. They accentuated her natural beauty and showed off her bump perfectly. 

These might just be on my all-time favorite picture list; they're so incredibly beautiful. 

Knoxville Mom's 4 tips to stay Healthy and Happy

Knoxville School Closures

If you're a busy mom like me, the Knoxville school closures announcement throws you into a bit of a frenzy! I am so glad the little ones who are ill will be able to get some R&R and the schools can sanitize. It also means little germs are running rampant in Knoxville ( I'm a teensy bit of a germaphobe). Seriously, as a busy mommy with two kids, that runs a business from home, I don't have time for my little's to bring home the flu from school. Plus, I work with pregnant mommies, and teensy newborn babies, which I absolutely don't want to expose to anything.  We have a few things we do to help prevent illness and save my sanity. 

 Seriously, as a busy mommy with two kids, that runs a business from home, I don't have time for my little's to bring home the flu from school. Plus, I work with pregnant mommies, and teensy newborn babies, which I absolutely don't want to expose to anything. We have a few things we do to help prevent illness and save my sanity. 

Stay Healthy Knoxville

1. Hand Washing

I know, this one should be a no-brainer, but if you have kids, you know the struggle! I'm constantly on my kids to wash their hands as soon as they get home from school, and regularly throughout the afternoon. 

2. Vitamin C

We started taking vitamin C every day about a year ago ( before that I was bad about remembering!). The kids get chewables and take 500-1000MG a day. In the last year, the sweet kiddos have hardly been sick! A great improvement from the previous year where it was almost once a month. 

3. Elderberry Syrup

I just found elderberry syrup this year, and let me tell you, I'm so glad I did! You can buy it in the store, or make your own ( my top choice because I know exactly what goes into it, and can use local honey for the allergy benefits!). It tastes great, and the kiddos just have to take a teaspoon a  day for prevention, or a teaspoon every 3-4 hours for treatment of cold or flu. I use this recipe https://wellnessmama.com/1888/elderberry-syrup/

4. Stay Away from Germ Factories ( AKA children's Play Places)

Seriously, in cold and flu season, we stay far, far away from Chuck E Cheese, Jump Jam, etc. With Knoxville schools being out, I've even seen some of these places advertising to bring the kids over. I totally understand needing to get well children out of the house, but all it takes is one sick child to go and ruin it for everyone. Personally, I keep the kiddos entertained with crafts and such instead. They're just as happy, and we can keep exposure down to a minimum. 

I hope these help you busy moms keep the littles well!

Knoxville Engagement Pictures | Knoxville TN Photographer | Coope

Knoxville Photographer

Oh what fun this lovely couple was. We braved a chilly, windy day for their beautiful engagement pictures in Knoxville, TN. We met at a lovely garden, with tons of little nooks and crannies to pose in. I just love exploring green spaces, especially while chatting with such lovely people. 

Engagement pictures are always fun sessions! Two people in love, showing it off for the world to see. It's a beautiful thing to share in. Enjoy a few of my favorites from their darling session. 

Downtown Knoxville Photographer | Urban Maternity | Tessa's Maternity Session

Knoxville Maternity Photographer

Oh happy days! I was so excited to photograph Tessa and Joe's maternity session! Photographing in downtown Knoxville is one of my favorite things; combine that with a maternity session and it was perfection! Their maternity pictures look like something off a movie a poster. 

Maternity Sessions

Maternity pictures are seriously some of my favorites! I adore helping the mom-to-be look stunning and capturing the beauty of pregnancy. It's also a fabulous time for me and the parents to get to know each other and chat before their newborn session. 

Tessa and Joe were amazing despite the bitter cold on the day of our session; I know for a fact I would not have looked that good while freezing. They were up for any ideas I could throw their way; their couple pictures are simply stunning!

Maternity pictures really agree with Tessa, she looks beautiful in every shot! It was nearly impossible to narrow it down to just a few to post. Everything about these is perfection. I love that we went with an urban location, it paired so well with them.

Knoxville Newborn Photographer | Baby Session | Jack

Knoxville, TN Newborn Baby Photography

Darling baby Jack came to meet me last week! His sweet Mommy brought him to my Maryville newborn studio for his very first photo shoot. Jack was almost eleven and a half pounds at birth, and super tall! He's a big boy with oh so many adorable baby rolls <3. At first, he made us really work for pictures, but after a little snuggle time, he was the perfect newborn. The Hunk hat fit this little nugget perfectly.  

Next, the little guy curled up on my counting sheep mat; too cute!

I was so excited that little man gave in to a deep sleep! He was the first baby to get to use my brand new truck prop! Now available at Knoxville Newborn sessions with Alisha Bacon Photography. He rocked it!! I love the rustic look on the barnwood backdrop. 

To end our session, we nestled Jack into my rustic wooden bowl to complete his session. What a little champ!

Maryville Family Photographer | Cake Smash First Birthday | The Armstrongs

Maryville Photographer

I was beginning to think the weather was completely against me getting to work with the Armstong family! We scheduled in the middle of this bit of a rainy season we're having here in Knoxville, and had to move the session, not once, but twice! I'm so thankful they were willing to hang in there with me for their beautiful family pictures. Well worth the wait!

Maryville Family Photos

We chose Pearson Springs in Maryville for this family session, the weather FINALLY cooperated, and did so beautifully. I couldn't have asked for more gorgeous lighting! Their three little ones were just darling! There were all about playing and smiling; I love when children warm right up to me <3. There was a definite chill in the air, but they powered right through with those bright eyes and grins. It usually takes me way longer ( and a lot more silly noises) to get three littles looking my way. 

First Birthday Cake Smash

Fast forward to my studio for the cake smash! I LOVE cake smashes, but sometimes the babies don't share my enthusiasm. Little miss was a bit unsure about her cake, but in the end gave in and gave it a few good smashes. 

Cake Smash | Knoxville, TN Photographer | The Loy's

Knoxville Child Photography

Meet the lovely Loy children that I had the pleasure of photographing! These two little ones sure did give me a run for my money, but the end result is so worth it. The weather was perfect and the Knoxville garden backdrop was beautiful. 

First Birthday Pictures

This sweet girl is turning one! We took some beautiful portraits of her to document her at this age. Her gorgeous red hair looked so adorable in the perfect lighting we had. I can't get over how cute her Knoxville child pictures are! Babies this beautiful start my baby fever! 

Of course, we also had to sneek in a sweet mommy-daughter picture <3

Knoxville Cake Smash

Next, we had some cake smash fun! Little miss was happy to dig right into her sweet icing and make a mess. I think we might have had just as much fun watching her. The faces she made were priceless!

Toddler Pictures

Sweet girl's brother took a bit longer to warm up, so his pictures waited until the end. Once he was ready, he was one of the most smiley, happy boys out there! He ran and played while I chased after to catch a few great pictures. We had a blast playing on my airplane prop!

Maryville Photographer | Family Photos | Farm Session

Photographer in Maryville, TN 

The Napier's sessions was such a fun one! This lovely family invited me to come photograph their family session on their Maryville farm. If you know me, you know I am farm ( and farmhouse) obsessed, so this was right up my alley! Exploring their beautiful property made for a wonderful afternoon. 

Part of the farm had the perfect mountain view for Smoky Mountain family pictures! I could look at that view all day long! What an amazing spot for pictures.

Pet Photography

Their three beautiful children were absolutely lovely to work with ( as well as the fur baby!). We had quite a few laughs while they worked so hard to wrangle the pup into their sibling picture. Poor pup just wanted to run while we insisted he sit for still. What you don't get to see, is that literally 3 seconds after this shot was taken, pup bucked all three of them off of him and made a run for it!

Rustic Family Photos

The property was so perfect! It even had all kinds of darling, rustic buildings for us to use as backdrops. It really injected a ton of personality into the Napier's pictures. 

Knoxville Newborn Photographer | Baby Pictures | Maximus

Newborn Photography Knoxville

Just before Christmas, sweet, baby Maximus came to the studio! He was one of the sweetest, most snuggly babies ever! Snugglies the wee babies is the highlight of my week. 

Naked Baby Newborn Pictures

There's just something so wonderful about the classic " naked baby" newborn pictures. It allows you to see all their little rolls and features so perfectly; they'll always be some of my favorites. As always, we used wraps and posing to keep little man modest, while still showcasing how tiny and perfect he is. 

Newborn Prop Pictures

Props are addictive! Especially the really fun, themed ones. I love to grow my collection for parents to choose from whenever I can. Maximus' Mommy chose some adorable ones for their session; I'm so excited to share!

Family and Newborn Picture

A portrait with your brand new baby is so special, and this family nailed it! They posed so naturally with their new baby, it was beautiful. I absolutely adore this one of the three of them together. 

Christmas Tree Pictures | Knoxville Photographer | Mylie and Lila

Knoxville Christmas Pictures

Sometimes you just find the perfect spot and have to do some pictures! Thankfully my littles are pretty awesome at spur-of-the-moment photo sessions while driving around Knoxville. When you find Christmas trees and beautiful light, you just can't say no. 

Christmas pictures are still in full swing, although we're on the cusp of it being too late. If you're hoping to use your pictures for gifts and Christmas cards, I recommend booking your session in October or early November next year so nothing's rushed or stressed ( Who needs more stress in their lives?). 

Tree Farm Children's Pictures

This little " tree farm" on the side of the road made me so excited to nab a few shots of my girls. I adore the results from our ten minutes there.  

My girls always cooperate better if a silly face picture is promised, and I'm alwasy happy to make it happen for them. 

Knoxville Photographers | Sunflower Maternity Session | The Jones Family

Knoxville Photographer

A maternity session in a huge field of sunflowers, it doesn't get much better! This maternity session just aligned perfectly! We were all set for a different location, but on a whim, I asked Katie if she'd like to switch to the sunflower field that happened to be in full bloom. As luck would have it, sunflowers were her favorite flower! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect session. 

The heat and humidity has been KILLER this year in Knoxville, but you would never know looking at them! They were real troopers enduring the swarming bees ( who were thankfully more interested in the flowers). It was 100% worth it for the final images. 

Maternity Pictures in Field of Flowers

Aren't they just the sweetest?? Seriously, I had the hardest time choosing pictures for the blog, they're all so cute!

Maternity Photographer Knoxville

There was the most adorable little path next to the flowers that we took advantage of as well. I love the simplicity of it. 

Maternity Portraits

Pictures of just the mom-to-be are some of my favorites! Katie looks so beautiful in these, that I had to include a few in the blog. 

Knoxville Photographer | Family Photography | The Bennett Family

Knoxville Family Photographer

The beautiful Bennett family invited me out to their lovely property for their Knoxville photography session. It was the perfect setting for their family, and they were so gracious to allow me to explore and ask questions about their land ( we hope to build a small farm in a few years, so I love to soak in everything I can on the subject). It was a great session, full of laughter and smiles; even the littlest one did beautifully. we played in a field of flowers, and walked through the woods. I can't imagine a better afternoon!

Rustic Family Pictures

The Bennetts home had so many beautiful spots for portraits! My favorites came from their field in the back with pretty, rustic fence posts and flowers galore. 

While posed pictures are beautiful, and usually end up as stunning wall art, I myself love a good candid! Catching real moments of love between a family makes my job all the better. 

Just Mom and Dad

A grouping that gets overlooked the most, is pictures of just Mom and Dad! I really love sneaking a few in to family sessions. Family portraits are super important, but sometimes it nice to have one of just you and spouse at that stage of your life. Plus, they're so adorable! One day their little ones will look back on their love story as something to aspire to. 

Knoxville Child Photography

These two sibling were AMAZING together! Little miss was the best big sister and did a great job helping with these poses. She was very loving and patient and with her baby brother, which allowed me to take some beautiful pictures of the two of them <3. The flowers were the perfect setting, plus the beautiful kids; perfection! 

Gatlinburg Family Pictures | Pigeon Forge Photographer | Melanie's Family

Cades Cove Family Pictures

Extended Families are the best! When Melanie contacted me to capture her fun family while they were all on vacation together, I was thrilled! I love getting to be a part of these big families while they visit the Smoky Mountains. Plus, Smoky Mountain pictures are to die for! Sharing the natural beauty I experience on a daily basis =). I seriously can't tell you how much I love being a Gatlinburg photographer!

Big Family Picture in Cades Cove

Of course, we had to get a picture of all of the family together with the mountains! No stay in Gatlinburg would be complete without it! They are such a lovely bunch, and such pleasant company!

Candid Smoky Mountain Picture

So much of my work is beautiful, posed portraits, which are GREAT, but sometimes the candids are my very favorites. This sweet little family had fun playing in the field and we got some candid fun on camera with the stunning Smoky Mountains in the background. oh, and that light!!

Gatlinburg Family Pictures

Now it's time to share a few more of my favorites! We took so many awesome pictures that it was super hard to narrow them down for a blog post! 

Gatlinburg Photographer | Child Photography | Make-a-Wish Colten

Knoxville Child Photographer | Lumberjack Session

A few months back, I was contacted by the Make-A-Wish foundation after they found me searching family photographers in Gatlinburg TN to do a photography session for a very special little boy named Colten. Colten's wish was to be a lumberjack and where better to be a lumberjack than the Great Smoky Mountains! The Make-A-Wish Foundation made all the arrangements for Colten and his family to travel to Gatlinburg and make this dream come true.  They made sure he got to see the brand new Lumberjack Adventure show in Pigeon Forge, TN, supplied his lumberjack outfit, and even sent the family to enjoy Dollywood! 

Gatlinburg Photography in the Mountains

Colten was just a bit reluctant at first for these pictures, and unsure if he wanted to wear his super-adorable overalls, but once he warmed up, this little guy was a ham!!! He looked so proud of himself in these poses! I cannot even begin to tell you what a joy he was. We took the first few in just jeans until he was ready for those darling overalls. Chopping railroad ties must be a ton of fun!

Smoky Mountain Pictures

Everything perfectly aligned for these images, we had a slightly overcast day with beautiful lighting, which made the Smoky Mountain backdrop perfect!!! I couldn't ask for better conditions. Colten was the perfect model, in the perfect location to be a lumberjack. 

Pigeon Forge Family Photographer

At the end of the session, I had the honor to photograph Colten with his whole family who made the trip to Tennessee with him. I cannot even begin to tell you how grateful I am for the opportunity to provide these memories for this sweet little boy's beautiful family. As a Pigeon Forge photographer, I see a lot of families here on vacation and I adore being able to capture their trip, but this one is my very favorite <3. 

At the very end of the session, Colten gave me a hug and chatted away to me for a few minutes on the front steps of their cabin. I asked his mom to snap a picture for me on my cell phone. It might not be a great quality picture, but it's a wonderful memory.

Child Photographer | Knoxville Photography | Bren is Two!

Knoxville Photographer

Bren is two!!! I can hardly believe this little guy is already two years old! We moved back to Knoxville when this little guy was just 5 months old, so it hardly seems possible that so much time has gone by!

Knoxville Child Photography

Lately, I've been getting really into custom, themed children photography sessions for Knoxville. They are just too cute and so much fun! Let me tell you, the kiddos have a blast! The best part?? When the kids are having fun, we get amazing pictures, PLUS a fun memory. They can be anything they want and have a chance to dream big, and see their dream come to light. 

Airplane Children Pictures

We spent the evening turning Bren into an airplane pilot! He flew his little plane all over the place. He laughed, he cried ( totally how most toddler sessions go, lol!), and his awesome Daddy had to roll around in the grass and play fight to get some of these big smiles! The end results are 100% worth the 100 mosquito bites, and hour of acting like a fool for adorable smiles. 

Believe or not, there was a 10 minute meltdown prior to this picture, but then he Dad came to the rescue! When I tell you your toddler is normal when they don't want to take pictures, trust me!

Could anyone resist those grins?? There might have been some off-camera sword fighting with grass stems going on. 

These are just pure perfection and make me want to do these custom, super-fun sessions every day!

Lifestyle Maternity Pictures | Knoxville Photographer | The Franklins

Maternity Photography

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing the Franklins! I'm not sure I've ever had the pleasure of meeting a more lovely couple. Our Knoxville maternity session was scheduled for a week where it rained nearly every afternoon here in East Tennesse but they didn't let them get them down! Instead, they invited me into their lovely home for indoor, lifestyle pictures! Their beautiful house was perfect for a lifestyle session; so light, bright, and open.

Lifestyle Maternity Couple's Pictures

I LOVE when dads are so involved with maternity pictures. I totally get that most men are not a huge fan of pictures ( I mean, I can't blame them. I'm not a huge fan of being in front of the camera myself!), but it's wonderful to have the images, with Dad included, to look back on later. Jeff was awesome, and his love for their little girl is written all over his face in their pictures. <3 <3 <3 <3. He's going to take some awesome new dad portraits when their little girl arrives! 

Seriously, these two needed hardly any guidance to nail perfect posed, or beautiful candid images. 

Uli had a ton of great ideas, and we did our own spin on this one. I couldn't be happier with the results! What parents aren't completely immersed in these books???

You would never know we were battling dreary, drizzly weather that day. 

Lifestyle Maternity Mom-To-Be

Uli was radiant! We did some beautiful maternity poses of just her in their home as well. They are simply stunning. Maternity pictures don't get any more gorgous than these. 

Outdoor Maternity Pictures

Despite the AMAZING pictures we were able to take indoor, I desperately wanted to take a few pictures of Uli outdoors on their property. So, the next week, I went out for a quick mini session. Beautiful trees, fields, and wide open blue skies what more do you need? 

Knoxville Photographer | Maternity Photographer

Knoxville Photographers | Newborn Photographer | Stella Rose

Knoxville Newborn Photographer

Oh how I adore my time with sweet babies! This beautiful girl was no different; she was the sweetest thing! Plus her parents were open to all of my fun ideas for her session! I snuck in lots of baby snuggles, which might just be the best part of my job. 

Outdoor Newborn Pictures

I just love the outdoors ( especially our beautiful Smoky Mountains!!!), so I was over the moon when Stella's Mom and Dad agreed to let me take her outside for a few pictures. We got to break out one of newest props and she did amazing! It threatened to rain the whole time, but held off until just after we finished. The result is perfection!

Lace Basket and Floral Wreath Newborn Pictures

Next, I used a beautiful, delicate basket for miss Stella decked out in light purple. It was beautiful! Stella rocked every pose I could throw at her. And that sweet teddy bear? Just perfect!

Floral is on my top ten list of favorite things! I love working some floral setups in my girly newborn sessions. Little miss was wide awake for these and oh-so cute.

Knoxville Newborn Pictures

We ended Stella's session on the beanbag with beautiful colors that match her nursery. I adore how her dark hair looks on this vintage teal! She's a little doll <3

Knoxville Photographer | Newborn Photographer

Sleeklens Portrait Workflow Review | Knoxville Photographer

Knoxville Photographers

Hello! Fellow photogs, this one is for you! I got my hands on a great Photoshop workflow ( or action set as I've always known them as) for portrait photographers! From the time I installed the Sleeklens portrait workflow, it's been super easy to use. I spent quite some time playing with the different actions, all of the bases, and artistic additions. I absolutely love the look they give to my images and I'm thrilled to be able to use them going forward for my sessions. They take practically no time to apply and there's something for all of the "feels" I want to give to my images, from bright and airy, to darker and moody. 

Check out this awesome before and after! I used several different actions from the Sleeklens workflow, and it only took a few minutes to get a gorgeous picture! I love the warmth these added with ease! This edit took less than 5 minutes, which is so important for busy photographers!

Overall, the Sleeklens workflow is a worthy addition to your own photography workflow. I wouldn't change a thing about them. 

Check them out for yourself here

BEFORE

AFTER

I've been able to edit several types of images with these and I've yet to find a type of portrait session that they don't work for! They lend a polished look to beautiful images.