08/20/2026
I’ve started this post in my head a hundred different times, and I’m still not sure there are words big enough for everything this season has held. 🤍
But after a lot of prayer, a lot of conversations, a lot of uncertainty, and ultimately a whole lot of TRUST… our family has decided to say yes to where we feel God is calling us.
Somewhere along the way, I think life got louder than it was ever meant to be.
Social media has been such a blessing in my life. It has helped me build a business, connect with incredible people, and share so many beautiful parts of our lives.
But I’ve also realized how easy it is to get caught up in the constant pressure to do more, have more, achieve more, book more, make more, go more—to always be chasing the next thing instead of being grateful for what God has already placed right in front of us.
And I think God has been working on my heart about that for a while.
I don’t want to spend my life running a race He never asked me to run.
I don’t want to look back one day and realize I was so busy building, working, scrolling, comparing, planning, and rushing that I missed the life God was giving me right in front of my eyes.
My babies are growing up. Time is moving whether I’m ready for it or not. And more and more, I find myself craving a life that is quieter. Slower. More intentional.
Not necessarily a life with less purpose—but a life where my purpose is in the right place.
I want to sit on the porch longer. I want our kids to have room to run and explore. I want evenings that aren’t dictated by what needs to be done next. I want to be present with my husband and my children. I want to serve God, love people, create when He gives me the opportunity, and stop feeling like I have to constantly prove that I’m doing enough.
Because maybe a successful life isn’t one where we managed to do it all.
Maybe it’s one where we were faithful with what God gave us and present enough to actually enjoy it.
So, with grateful hearts and a whole lot of faith…
We’re moving to Alabama. 🤍
This decision hasn’t been about chasing something bigger or better. If anything, it’s been the opposite.
We’re ready to slow down.
More time together.
More room for our children to just be children.
More quiet mornings and evenings at home.
More presence.
More gratitude.
More of the quality of life I truly believe God intended for our family.
There are still so many unknowns, and strangely, I have peace about that.
Because if there is one thing God has taught me over the years, it’s that I don’t have to know every step when I know Who is leading them.
And that includes Chelsea Odom Photography.
This business has never felt like something I built on my own. From the very beginning, I have prayed over it, trusted God with it, and watched Him open doors I never could have opened myself.
He has brought families into my life who became so much more than clients. He has allowed me to document babies growing up, marriages beginning, families changing, and some of the most precious moments in people’s lives.
I could never adequately express how grateful I am for every single person who has trusted me with those memories and supported this little business that God grew far beyond anything I ever imagined.
And now, I’m choosing to trust Him with it all over again.
I don’t know exactly what photography will look like in this next chapter. Maybe He will rebuild it in Alabama. Maybe He will keep doors open here in Tennessee. Maybe it will look completely different than anything I could plan for myself.
And for once, I’m okay not having all the answers.
I’m not moving with a perfectly mapped-out plan.
I’m moving in faith.
I’m trusting that the same God who has provided, guided, protected, and blessed us in every season before this one is already ahead of us in Alabama.
There is a part of me that is emotional about closing this chapter because Tennessee has been home, and so many people here have loved our family and supported my business in ways I will never forget.
But there is also such an overwhelming excitement in my heart for what’s ahead.
We’re not running toward the next big thing.
We’re choosing to slow down enough to hear God, follow where He leads, and enjoy the life He has so graciously given us.
So here’s to a new chapter. 🤍
To Alabama.
To slowing down.
To our family.
To trusting God even when we can’t see the whole picture.
And to knowing that whatever He has planned for us—and for this business—will be far better than anything I could force or plan on my own.
And to all of my Tennessee families—this doesn’t necessarily mean goodbye. 🤍
As we settle into this next chapter and I begin to see what God has in store for Chelsea Odom Photography, I’ll continue sharing updates here. If and when I’m back in Tennessee with opportunities for sessions, this page will be the first place I share availability.
So stay close. 🤍 I have a feeling this isn’t the end of photographing so many of the families I’ve grown to love—it may just look a little different from here.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” — 2 Corinthians 5:7
God has been so, so good to us.
And we’re ready to see what He has waiting on the other side of this yes. 🤍
