Oh Baby Baby | Get Ready for Your At Home Newborn Photos

My new mamas + papas always ask me how they should prepare for their newborn session! Have no fear, after seven years of photographing newborns, three newborns of my own later, I’ve got a hang of it, so I’m here with my top tips to prepare for your newborn session.

Booking your session | First things first, my families typically book the newborn session for 10ish days out from their expected due date. Scheduling a date gets you on my books, but I try to remain flexible for newborn sessions as I know babies come when they want to!

Get yourself ready! I know, easier said than done, right! The newborn stage can truly feel like a whirlwind, but this is where I can step in and help if needed. Feed babe, get them content + happy, and you take time to get yourself ready! I typically find that my new moms like flowy dresses and they also photograph so beautifully! They’re great for feeling comfortable post baby and you feeling comfortable and beautiful is so important for your newborn session. Once you have babe’s wardrobe picked out, set it aside (don’t plan to get them dressed too far ahead as spit up is likely to happen lol). Right before the session starts, you can get baby dressed if you haven’t already. Don’t sweat it if baby gets dressed last minute. Pop the boob, bottle, or Paci in and get babe calmed back down + sleepy right when I arrive! This timing typically works out well.

A fed baby is a happy baby! Be sure to feed babe right before or just as your photographer arrives. A full baby is a happy + sleepy baby, which is perfect for newborn sessions! Whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding, documenting that time is sweet + sentimental, as either way you’re feeding baby, it will only last so long. If you are breastfeeding and are pro-breastfeeding photos, definitely be sure your outfit will make nursing easy!

Keep outfit changes for baby minimal - add in bows, bonnets, and blankets! Newborns are quite sensitive to the cold and typically really dislike being changed. If we keep changing to a minimum during the session, it allows for more photo time as well as keeps babe happy and undisturbed even when we’re moving them around. Playing with different blankets - muslin, gauze, knit add texture and warmth without changing too much! Bows and bonnets are also low-manipulation and can change up the look a bit without waking or disturbing babe too much!

About your home: I always say just tidy up like a guest is coming over! With a new babe, it's all craziness and sleepiness, so if ya gotta shove stuff into a closet right before I arrive, that's fine! Don’t worry about the office or the rooms that are pitch black either! We're going to be taking advantage of the most well lit spaces in your home, as well as your favorite spaces - baby's room, your room, the living room, wherever yall like to spend time. We can even step outside or go to your favorite nearby park if the weather is nice.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM ME |I want to bottle up these newborn days as much as possible. I want to capture every single thing about your baby's first days. I try to encourage natural interactions with my families, holding baby in your favorite way, sniffing their baby smell that only lasts so long, and hanging out on the bed like you would any other day. There are certainly some go to poses I have, but I won't make you do anything that doesn't feel natural or comfortable to you. I'm all about connection. When in doubt, love on each other and your sweet babe(s).

Let’s play your favorite music in the background, brew some coffee, and just truly paint the picture of your right now. I must say, I’m pretty great with babies, I’m a swaddling pro and can help get your baby to sleep when needed. I always say, don’t sweat on my behalf - it’s baby’s world now and I’m here to support you. There isn’t a clock ticking down on when I have to leave. So if baby needs extra care, extra diaper changes, extra feedings - let’s do it!

I’m so excited to document this sweet time - it really doesn’t last long. Which means it’s worth treasuring and it also means that you will survive it. Even on the hardest days. You’ve got this <3

Be sure to check out a recent full blog of an in-home newborn session below, and when you’re ready to book, drop me a line!

5 Tips to Prepare for your Family Session

As a family photographer for the last 7 years and a parent for 3, I feel like I’ve heard and seen all of the craziness that can happen at family photography sessions. I also polled some of my families what they thought the best tips for prepping for a session would be. I hope this blog helps you feel more ready and excited for your session!

1. Bring snacks - nothing too messy (unless that’s your vibe). Snack before the session, snack during the session, snack after the session. All the snacks + plenty of water. A hungry kid is a grumpy kid!

2. Booger wipes! Someone might cry and when they do, it’ll be booger city! These are also great for messy hands and mouths.

3. Bribery can be your friend 😂 Don’t feel bad if it comes out! Kids can feel lots of stress for photos, even when I encourage child-led photos, sometimes there are kiddos who are just hell bent on not being in photos. Bring their favorite candy or toy or talk about their special post photo treat!

4. “If you have uncooperative kids at the shoot, just laugh at it. It’s just a stage and the pics are still 👌🏽” I promise every family, even if you feel like ‘there’s absolutely no way we’re going to get good photographs today’ because the kiddos aren’t cooperating, trust me, I got this! You being upset only makes the kiddos more upset AND then you’ll look upset in photos. When in doubt, laugh, cuddle, and you can always call for a break and snack time! You know your babes best.

5. “Lay your expectations for your family at the door. Just be - that’s where the beauty is”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself. This is truly all I want! No stress, only fun and connection and just being with your family. If you feel stressed, your babes will too, so take a deep breath + remember what we’re here for! I’m like really really good at my job, so you’re safe in my hands <3

5 Small Shops for Your Family Session Wardrobe

My families are often stressed about what to wear for fall sessions and I have a love for shopping, especially with small shops, so I wanted to compile a list of some of my favorite places to shop for family sessions.

Rylee + Cru - Rylee + Cru is one of my favorite shops for my daughter. Their pieces are staples and they have so many options for mamas + kids to coordinate! Who doesn't love that?! Each season there is such a unique + curated collection, I feel like you can’t go wrong! R+C offers a very earthy, organic vibe while also having unique patterns and styles.

Illoura the Label - Illoura is an Aussie brand with a heart for heirloom pieces that are good for us and the environment. Every single piece from Illoura is absolutely stunning and absolutely perfect to keep and pass down to younger babes + the next generation.

August River Co - Similar to Illoura with the organic, muslin vibe, but with tons of options for the teeny babes that makes this a perfect shop for newborn photo wardrobe as well. The organic cotton baby collection is just to die for!

Oat and Co - Oat and Co is amazing for every season but the fall knits are THE BEST. There isn’t much better than sweet babes in chunky sweaters + rompers, so if your session is in the fall or winter, run don’t walk!

SHOP ARQ - ARQ is one of my favorite everyday lifestyle shops for undies, bras, and onesies/tanks for my daughter. I’ve had mamas do maternity sessions in ARQ bras + undies, and then have their kids in matching sets for the newborn session. These pieces would also be amazing for a summertime river session or anything in the summer, really! I really love ARQs relaxed and organic vibe.

I hope this helps on your search for your family’s wardrobe for photos this year! I love to splurge on outfits occasionally, but also truthfully love when my families wear what makes them comfortable and unique. So if none of these are your style, that’s also completely + wonderfully okay! Shop your own closet, shop your friends closets, check out Buy Sell Trade groups for your favorite kids brands, and Mercari. Shopping secondhand is also one of my favorite pastimes, in fact most of my own family’s wardrobes for photos in the last year has been secondhand and borrowing.

Unique and comfortable and what feels most YOU is always best. Always.

Midtown Memphis Engagement Session

Liz + Cartavius are the epitome of chemistry + fun! I seriously had a blast with these two, they were just so excited to be hanging out with and loving on each other. As we romped around Overton Park and Broad Avenue in Memphis, I got to know them so well, which is my favorite thing about engagement sessions. These two cuties will be an absolute joy to document on their wedding day this October.

East Nashville Engagement Session

I photographed this sweet couple, Noah + Taylor in Nashville, TN, as part of a mentorship with another photographer, Kaley from Kansas. I loved getting to shoot this gorgeous couple alongside her. Taylor + Noah were so sweet + playful, their chemistry was tangible, which always makes for a fun + relaxing shoot. Documenting real love like this, so. much. fun. This location was also so perfect for their session, because it’s nestled in the outskirts of East Nashville, with so many different, unique places to shoot along the trails. I honestly forgot I was in Tennessee the whole session!

I’ll be in Nashville next month, April 29 - May 2, 2022, so if you’re a Nashville couple or Nashville family, you’re def going to want to inquire soon! 😘

Chattanooga Wedding | Howe Farms Polynesian & Boho Wedding

The first thing I noticed about JJ + Erin were that they were so affectionate + bubbly. While they were each getting ready, they were both SO giddy + excited to see each other at the altar. They said their vows on a warm June day overlooking the hillside at Howe Farms in Chattanooga, surrounded by their friends + family.

Shoutout to these incredible vendors:
Venue: Howe Farms
Planning + Coordination: Maggie Walker
Florals: Blue Thistle Design
HMUA: Shaina Ramsey / CopyCat Salon
Cocktails: Tipsy Tin

Memphis Engagement Session - Broad Ave with Chase & Hannah

Chase + Hannah are one of those couples that you can’t help but love. They’re adorably in love + SO FUN. They were laughing the ENTIRE session and kept asking me if I was getting any good shots. I laughed and said “You have no idea how cute you guys are!!” I told them that if they’re laughing + smooching a bunch, they photos are going to be amazing.

I had so much fun romping around Broad Ave with them. Broad is a super fun street in Memphis, from Wiseacre Brewery to The Liquor Store (a restaurant, not an actual liquor store lol), to cute shops along the strip, we had a blast! I’m so glad they chose Broad as their session location!

I can’t wait to photograph their wedding this fall at the gorgeous Annesdale Mansion. I know their wedding is going to be just as fun as their engagement session, so I know it’ll be an absolute blast + such a gorgeous day.

YEET. CAN’T WAIT! Check out their fun pics below!!

Midtown Memphis Wedding | Beauty Shop Restaurant | The Okolis

I met Elizabeth a while back because we both volunteered for Streetdog Foundation, a local dog rescue group. She ended up adopting this dog that I was OBSESSED with, Alexandria. So when she and Brandon got engaged & she reached out to inquire about me shooting their wedding, I was ecstatic! I love photographing dog people weddings!! Especially people I know through rescue! It’s such a small world and you just feel super connected with everyone else who rescues dogs. (At least I feel this way, LOL).

Brandon + Elizabeth are such sweet people. They’re super caring and HILARIOUS. Their love story reminds me that life is really all about the love and not the small stuff we worry over. I love these two! Check out their wedding story <3

As always, it takes a team to pull off a gorgeous wedding day, so thankful to have worked alongside these awesome vendors to celebrate Brandon + Elizabeth:
Ceremony: Morning Sun Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Reception + Catering: The Beauty Shop Restaurant
Hair: Cheyenne Harper, Pavo Salon
Makeup Artist: Kasey Acuff
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Groom’s suit: James Davis
Bridal Bouquet: Everbloom Designs
Reception Florals: John Mark Enterprises

// the okolis //

Alycia + Greg | Millstone Nursery Engagement | Memphis, TN Engagement Photographer

Eurotrip August 2018 | Ireland

In May 2018, I decided I was going to travel for the month of August. A photographer in New Jersey, who had just become facebook friends with me posted about traveling for a few weeks and I responded and the rest is history.

Emely and I met when I landed in New York and she picked me up from the airport. The next day, we were off to Dublin. We spent one week in Ireland, one week in Italy, and one week in France! It was such a blast, the food was amazing! I didn’t end up taking my camera on every adventure we went on throughout the 3 weeks, but here are a handful of images from our week in Ireland! When I go back, I’ll definitely be taking more photos, especially of the food!

The Cliffs of Moher were BY FAR my most favorite part of Ireland. It was beyond gorgeous and I wish I could’ve spent more time sitting on the cliffs.

Enjoy! <3

Summertime Love | Zorro + Andrea

Zorro + Andrea are so. much. fun. They kept each other laughing throughout the entire session + I was lol’ing most of the time, too! This was such a fun couple’s session. If you’ve ever wanted photos with your significant other but feel like you have to be celebrating a special event for photos - think again! This session was “just because” and it’s one of my favs!

Check out these two cuties <3