Nash Bash!-Family Portraits-Memphis, TN

Meet Katherine, Ann Bennett, Elizabeth, and Stephen Nash.

These 4 siblings have been part of my life here in Memphis since I arrived…and actually even before that.  My husband was a family friend of theirs for a while before I appeared on the scene.  He often received text messages and calls inquiring about this new girl in his life.   I was even intimidated sometimes that I wouldn’t meet up to a 11 or 14 year old’s standards.   Well, things turned out pretty great and I have really enjoyed spending time with all four of these guys.  

The business is beginning to pick up a bit, and I have many people to thank for that, and this family is included.  They have been a big support and great encouragers as I began this journey. 

Taking these photos was actually the kids’ idea!  They wanted to surprise their parents with some updated portraits of themselves for a special occasion.  I thought it was a great idea and was more than happy to help!  

Here’s what came out of my camera…

-gretchen*shaw 

 

Baby Clemens-Newborn Portraits-Memphis, TN

Baby Clemens…how cute is she!

Since being here in Memphis, there has been one little girl that has shown up often on this blog.  Well that little girl now has a sister.  So that makes 2 little girls that may show up often on this blog!

This was my first newborn session.  I really enjoyed it, but I learned some things.  A newborn session is a lot different from any other kind of photo session.  I thought, because she’s so small and just a baby, she would be easy to control and photograph exactly how I wanted.  WRONGO! She was completely in control. She ate when she wanted to eat, she slept or didn’t sleep when she wanted, spit up when she wanted…whatever it was…I was on her time schedule.   But it was great.  It’s kind of a freeing feeling knowing that you can do what you can to make her comfortable and get some good photos, and that’s it. 

I can’t get enough of baby Clemens, though.  She’s so funny! Her parents sometimes refer to her as a warthog because the sounds she makes are unreal! Lots of grunting going on.

It’s exciting to see how much she’s grown already and I hope to see much more of that for years to come.

Enjoy,

-gretchen*shaw

Isabella and Brook-Children Portraits-Memphis, TN

I am so excited to share these photos with all of you somewhere out there!

Meet Isabella and Brook. 

I met these sweet girls and their parents through a mutual friend we have here in Memphis.  It’s truly been a blessing to get to know this family and to see how they interact and enjoy each other’s company.  It makes me excited to have a family some day.  And Brook and Isabella were so much fun to work with.  They were shy for about 10 seconds and then we just had a blast.  We walked around the park, enjoying all the trees in bloom.  At one point I think the girls thought I was taking them on a nature walk instead of a photo shoot. 

I really had a lot of fun with these girls and capturing all their fun and beautiful expressions.  These are 2 sisters that just have so much fun together. 

I loved this photo shoot for lots of reasons and one of them is because I felt like I found my niche.  I love working with kids and love working out doors surrounded by beautiful scenery.  These girls were just being themselves.  I wasn't forcing them into any super specific pose. Their expressions were their own. This is the kind of work that I would LOVE to continue to do, and maybe only do! I guess we’ll see what happens!

Hope you enjoy!

-gretchen*shaw