by Savannah | Jan 14, 2019 | Family Portraits, WEDDINGS
When we first started our photography business over ten years ago, sweet Ava was one of the first toddlers we photographed. And now here we are a decade later and she has grown into a beautiful young woman and sweet Nolan has joined the family!!
We absolutely adore the Mooney family and they have meant so much to us over the years. Getting to see their family grow has been a great honor! It means so much to us that all those years ago Leah trusted us to capture her little baby and now we work pretty frequently with Leah as she takes the Memphis Real Estate Market by storm! One of the things we love most about Leah is her drive and passion. You see it in her work, her parenting, and her relationship with her husband Ash. She puts everything she has into her interests and it clearly shows. She is a loving mother and her children are the fruit of that love.
Getting to see Ava grow up has been a treat for us! She has a confidence that few pre-teens her age have and a maturity that will leave you speechless. She carries herself with grace and is tender and loving to her brother Nolan. She has a bond with her dad that is one of the most special things a dad and daughter could share!! It really is hard to believe how grown up she is!
And Nolan! Oh we love this little boy! He is a joyful ball of energy that keeps everyone laughing constantly. His skill of telling stories rivals the great storytellers of old and his face fills with animation as he dives into his tales!! His smile will melt a room and he has stolen Leah and Ash’s hearts! Leah told us of his growing confidence and how Nolan will do what Nolan wants; he’s not afraid to be different and stand out from a crowd. So many adults could learn from this sweet little guy!!
Let’s not forget Ash, what a dad! He not only goes out of his way to make sure that the kids and Leah have what they need but also makes sure they are having the time of their lives! Together Leah and Ash make up a power parenting team and they are so fun to watch with their kids!
Mooney family, we love you from the depth of our hearts!!
Cheers, Savannah and Philip
by Savannah | Oct 17, 2018 | Family Portraits
After the first call I (Savannah) had with Mary in 2017, I instantly knew that we were going to be life long friends!! We first met Mary and John for their wedding last year and since then we have been dear friends and also we’ve gotten to document their family growing through a maternity session and most recently a family session with Baby Larson! Valerie at Annesdale Mansion (who is pretty much Mary and my best friend ever!!) was a doll and let us use the mansion once again for the family session. We even paid homage to one of Mary and John’s favorite photographs from their wedding during the family session 🙂
Mary is the type of bad ass that I hope I am one day. Not only is she an amazing pilot, wife, and dog mom, she is a freaking awesome mother to baby Larson! We regularly get together for lunch or drinks and I’m constantly in awe of her love for Larson. She took an entire year off from flying to give Larson her entire attention during these early months of her life. Watching Mary and Larson together really does inspire me to one day be a mother! I don’t know if I have ever seen a mom who is more caring for her baby, everything Mary does is so that Larson will have the best life possible. Her love for Larson radiates from her! One of the coolest things about Mary is she never lets a conversation wrap up without checking in to see how I am doing; there is a selflessness about her that you want to make sure you have in your own life. Knowing how attentive she is to our friendship, it gives me just a glimpse of the type of person she is as a wife and mother. I also feel deeply loved and encouraged every time I am with her!!
And then there is John! With is devilish grins and laughs. Getting to see him be a dad is pretty heart warming!! It is amazing how babies will change grown men into silly song and dancing fools. But it is all in the name of making sure that their little darling is happy, enjoying life, and feeling secure. Larson is the spitting image of her daddy and when these two are together you can tell them simply love being in each other’s presence!! When John is holding Larson their is a peace that comes over him and you can see it all over his face! He has one of the biggest hearts and you can see him wearing his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Larson and Mary!
And we can’t leave Maddy out!! She truly is the first born in the family and she has been a champ with the addition of Larson. She is one of the sweetest dogs you will ever meet and she is beyond loved by the family!
Mary, John, Larson, and Maddy, thank you so much for first being our friends and also for letting us document your lives!
We love you guys!
Savannah and Philip
by Savannah | May 25, 2018 | Family Portraits
For Will and Mary, Charley and Max are their everything! Their journey to parenthood was on filled with many emotions; Will and Mary didn’t even know if they would be blessed with children and here they are with two beautiful, joyous children!! Being a family is everything for thees two!!
As we talked with Will and Mary we both agreed that we love how much having children has impacted their lives in a wonderful way! For Will, Charley and Max bring joy and perspective into his life. He told us that parenthood is “a journey with great individuals; it is his motivation in life!” Being a dad to Charley has made him more sensitive and he delights in her sweetness and always wants to protect that in her! Mary also shared about this sweetness in Charley and how she is constantly looking out for others, especially Max! She always goes out of her way to make sure Max is looked after. For example when Charley goes to the doctor and gets a treat she makes sure Max gets one too! This tenderness is something both parents want to continually nurtured in their daughter! Charley and Max have a budding relationship and both parents see that they will always have one another’s back as they grow up.
We learned, and saw, that Max is the total opposite of Charley! Where Charley is slow to open up, Max makes instant friends! He is a hilarious little man who helps fill the home with laughter and energy. From waking up to going to sleep, Max is ready to go and constantly singing or laughing. And Charley is there by his side to watch out for him and join in the laughter.
What we loved most about getting to know this family was hearing how the Mary and Will see one another with the kids!! For Mary, Will is an example of what a man is for Charley. Will gets to show Charley how a man should treat a woman! And for Max, he gets to look at his dad and see how a man should act in all situations. Mary loves to watch the kids interact with Will because they both look at him like he hung the moon! They adore their dad and brighten up as soon as he enters a room! Seeing her children feeling secure and loved by their dad helps Mary to feel secure as well!
And Will gets to see Mary giving her all to the children. Mary’s connection with the kids is one of understanding and she is completely in tune with both Charley and Max! Their are so many ways to be a mother and Mary made the decision to be a stay at home mom. This was huge desire of her heart to get to stay home with her kids and it was a sacrifice on many fronts that allowed her to be able to stay home. Mary didn’t want to miss a single moment of their lives, especially after trying for so long to have children. She gets to see the joy in the small things, like watching them accomplish new stages of life.
Will nad Mary want to provide a home of joy, laughter, thankfulness, and kindness. They lead by example in the way they treat one another. A blind date brought them together but the universe knew what it was doing when these two found one another. Their energy and zest for life matches one another and they make an amazing team as they go through life together!
We absolutely adore the Ashworth family and we are so glad we got to capture this stage in their lives!
by Savannah | Mar 13, 2018 | Family Portraits, portraits
“We’re just a happy family!” is what we kept hearing when we talked with this family before the shoot. And this is easily apparent once you meet Shona, the first grandchild of this family. Sudi and Max, Shona’s parents, both have taken on being parents while also taking on their professional careers. And as Supriya (Sudi’s sister) told us, “Sudi is a great mom, and the brightest person I know!” Being a doctor and mom can be challenging, but Brojo and Nima taught their daughter’s to embrace challenges. And it shows. Sudi handles this new chapter in her life with grace. And it helps to have a great partner in Max. She mentioned that one of her favorite things about Max that she has learned to appreciate even more now that Shona is here is Max’s initiative to get involved and to bring the energy to life when they both need it. Max and Shona have a close relationship and it is in large part to Max’s natural tendency to show care.
It was also great to meet Supriya and Richard. As we learned about their relationship, we learned that they give each other freedom to focus on their careers. They are both naturally this way so they understand one another and support one another to get to the next level. Richard is stable and solid in this endeavor. Supriya mentioned how he is so knowledgeable and has a work ethic that astounds her! And this keeps them moving forward to their goals. Is there a better way to show love to your partner than to push them forward? And Supriya clearly brings the fun and energy to the whole family. Her smile is infectious and she is always looking for a way to bring smiles to others – especially little Shona.
And little Shona! This wide eyed, happy boy is the love of the whole family! Everyone told us he was a happy boy, but we were still shocked about how happy he was when we met him. And it is that smile that everyone loves. For Max, it shows him that Shona is becoming his own person and as he babbles and smiles, he sees a boy wanted to communicate that joy! For Sudi, that smile shows an openness he has to the world. He will smile to complete strangers. This innocence is beautiful but fleeting. This are the things we wish our kids will hold on to!
And all of this is a reality because of Brojo and Nima. They can be proud in the family they have nurtured. Their girls are happily married, and growing their careers. They have two sons now in Max and Richard that their girls picked because of their influence in finding the right type of person to marry. And it is clear Max and Richard exceed any expectations they had! And now Shona is starting a new generation. They have a lot to be thankful for and have two generations undoubtedly thanking them for their hard work!
Now on to the photos of this beautiful family (plus the wall art we designed of Shona for Sudi and Max!)
And here is that wall art we designed for Max and Sudi’s home! We love how this metal collage print shows all the faces of Shona!
Cheers!
Savannah and Philip
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by Savannah | Feb 20, 2018 | Family Portraits, portraits, WEDDINGS
We first photographed the Baddorf family when they welcomed Charlie into the family. So when little Millie was born we couldn’t wait to photograph this growing family again! And we really love this family.
Bryan and Rachel are team players. There are no preconceived ideas about their roles or responsibilities. They both just step in when needed to help foster their house into a loving home. And this how they show their love to one another the clearest in this stage of life. When you add a second child, being teammates as parents becomes invaluable! And it doesn’t take long to be around this family to see that Bryan and Rachel’s love for one another is glue for the whole family.
It was also amazing to see Charlie becoming his own, especially as it relates to Millie. When Bryan told us that he was really embracing the idea of being a big brother, we had no idea how true that statement would be! He loves to hold her, talk to her, and help her. He such a sweet boy. And as he grows more independent he also grows more aware of what is important – it is so fun to see that happen before your eyes! And little Millie. She is a face making machine! A happy and cuddly baby. She has the prettiest eyes and softest hair. And she has a family that adores her!
As you can tell, we really like this family and love it when we get to hang out with them and help them celebrate their growing family!
Cheers!
Savannah and Philip
by Savannah | Feb 8, 2018 | Family Portraits, portraits
Little Titus stole our hearts as soon as we meet him! The blonde hair with those blue eyes, along with his calm and fearless personality, is just adorable. And we think his parents feel the same way 😉 When we talked with them before the session we learned that there is so much more to Titus than meets the eye.
For Josh, a strong family bond is important to him. So when he sees Titus light up when he walks into a room it means more than just a cute smile. “That smile means he loves me as much as I love him and he needs and wants me,” Josh said of that smile that can turn bad day into a great day in one second. In these moments he realizes he has something he didn’t always have growing up – a strong family bond.
“To see the way he looks at Josh, he is in awe. This means everything; it tells me we are doing something right!” Julie told us. For her, Titus is becoming this independent explorer. As he found his legs, he found his appetite to know more. While not unusual for a lot of kids, wha tis unique about this for Titus is Julie can see bits of Josh in him. Titus is fearless like Josh. He will take on anything. And I think for Julie, she will be plenty proud if Titus becomes the kind of man she married.
What we relearned through this process was the power of a photograph. We were able to capture that look in Titus’ eyes. The stoic, Josh, even told us he was brought to tears over seeing it. It will soon be hanging in their home as that constant reminder of who Titus is now and what they want to encourage him to continue to be: that fearless, loving boy.
Cheers!
Savannah and Philip
