When my mom asked if we could do a Knoxville family photography session with her and my daughter, I said absolutely. My daughter is the first grandbaby and it’s been so incredibly special watching her bond with my mom.

Naturally, I was excited for this Knoxville family session and even more stoked that she wanted wall art for her home.

Knoxville Family Photography Session Planning

We took our time over the planning process together and I’m so glad we did. I walked her through a visualization exercise I’ve been learning to help me create images that are not only beautiful, but meaningful.

I asked her to imagine she could only hang one photo on the wall. I pointed out that she’ll look at it every single day and I let her know it’d be an investment to get high quality prints on her wall. All this to say, it needed to be something she really valued and loved.

She told me that she wanted a picture of me, her, my sister, and my daughter on the beach.

My daughter doesn’t do well in the car and a beach trip really wasn’t feasible. I’ve known my whole life that my mom loves the beach, but I never fully knew why. So we dug into it. She said because it’s peaceful and she finds herself in awe of God’s creation there.

I loved that.

We don’t have a beach in Knoxville, TN…but we do have MGM Lavender Farm. Lavender is known for it’s peaceful scent and MGM is so beautiful. It’s easy to stand in awe of God’s creation at golden hour.

I asked some more questions. What would we be doing? She said she likes traditional portraits, but has started to realize that she really loves candid portraits where we’re all in the moment together.

My daughter moves a million miles a minute, so I knew photographing us all together was going to be tricky. I suggested we bring a book to read to her. And then I remembered the white wicker rocking chair in my moms house. Mom told me it had been a family heirloom that she had painted before I was born. She rocked me and my sister in it when we were just babies and it seemed like the perfect addition to our session.

We built out from that vision. Every decision was made to convey peace and honor family.

Raiding the Client Closet to Style the Family

We all chose dresses from my client closet in a pastel color palette. My mom brought a book that was my favorite when I was my daughters age. She also wore multiple pieces of family jewelry from those who have already passed – including my dad and her mother.

All these intentional choices make these photos mean so much more than just pretty pictures.

This was the first time we took family photos since my dad passing in 2021 and they represent a lot to me and my family. Peace following tragedy. The joy of new life. And honoring family tradition.

Our Lavender Field Knoxville Family Session

Unfortunately in the Summer, golden hour is past bedtime for my daughter. I decided to attempt a double nap day to keep her up late and somewhat happy.

My plan worked. My daughter was tired, but not overly cranky the evening of our Knoxville family photography session. When we arrived at MGM Lavender Farm, the owner, Greg, greeted us and offered to haul the rocking chair from our car to the field for us on his four wheeler.

I set up my tripod to capture the dream photo of everyone first using an interval timer. Then I took my camera back in hand to photograph my mom, sister, and daughter as I normally would. My sister was kind enough to take some photos of me and my daughter too.

It was a beautiful evening and the photos came out just as beautifully as we’d imagined.

Finished Artwork

No session really feels complete until I see it in print. We designed a stunning acrylic five-piece for my mom’s living room wall and an album with all of her favorite images. I’ll update with photos when they come in!

***PHOTOS OF FINISHED ARTWORK COMING SOON***

Book Your Knoxville Family Session

I’d love to work with you to figure out what will be not just beautiful, but intentionally meaningful, to you and your family. Reach out here to learn more.