06/12/2026
I never thought family portrait sessions would be my speciality and favorite thing to capture. When I started capturing memories over a decade ago, I honestly found these types of sessions to be a bit stressful.
I would worry anytime I couldn't get kiddos to sit still and give perfect smiles for their parents. I was a little overwhelmed by the natural chaos that sometimes comes with family sessions no matter how well you plan. I would beat myself up everyone walked away feeling drained.
But one day it hit me...why was I trying to manufacture picture perfect poses and control every moment when there's so much beauty in simply seeing a child be a child and parents enjoying time with their little one.
So I changed my approached. If your kiddo is ready to explore, let's all get moving together. If they're going through a phase where the ground feels scary to touch, holding them for snuggles or tossing them on your shoulders for a bit of fun is always an option. When your little one is feeling overwhelmed and just needs to take a breather, it's okay for us to have a moment to reset. That means we all probably needed one anyway.
I've found so much joy in connecting with your families, learning your little quirks, capturing those candid moments that can't be coached and bringing out the best in everyone along the way. Suddenly, family sessions became the highlight of my week, everyone (including the kids) were actually having fun, and the images we captured felt like they had a bit more heart in them.
And now I'm totally in love with capturing families. 🤍
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Gatlinburg family portraits
Smoky mountain photographers
Pigeon forge photographer
