welcome, Haven | Nashville lifestyle newborn photographer

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am Adonai, your God, the Holy One of Israel — your Savior.

… Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the East and gather you from the West. I will say to the North, ‘Give them up!’ and to the South, ‘Don’t hold them back.’

Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth — everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

— Isaiah 43:1-7

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welcome, Adelaide | Nashville Lifestyle Newborn Photographer

“To love or have loved - that is enough.

Ask nothing further.

There is no other pearl to be found

in the dark folds of life.”

— Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

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the Farmers | Nashville Lifestyle Newborn Photographer

Return to the LORD your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger

and abounding in steadfast love.

- Joel 2:13

(From the beautiful She Reads Truth print, on their living room wall.)

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the Wheelers | Nashville family photographer

“Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance,

and have faith that in this love

there is a strength and a blessing so large

that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.” 

― Rainer Maria Rilke 

Letters to a Young Poet

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the Dixons | Nashville family photographer

“With you, I can be myself;

With you, I don’t have to be somebody else.

It’s like putting on my favorite pair of shoes.

I like to be with me when I’m with you.”

-Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

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welcome, Caleb | Nashville lifestyle newborn photographer

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 3:3

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eucharisteo Tuesday

6,685. work + worship running together

6,478. mothers who want photos taken during hard seasons

Last night we took family photos with their whole clan. After the nine grandchildren were back inside, and the sun was quietly setting, Andi asked if we could finish with some portraits of her and Josh that somehow acknowledged and honored the difficult season that they’re in.

I’m sorry the past year or two has been a little dark, friends — but keep holding onto one another, and keep looking towards the light. Please see yourselves as others do — full of strength, courage, faithfulness, goodness, and beauty.

“Photography” means “writing with light,” and that’s what I wanted to say to you both with the fading light of yesterday. I hope you feel all of that when you see these photos — but if you need the translation…there it is.

Thank you for trusting me with your portraits, Rays. Bless you.

the Hawkins | Nashville family photographer

“May this our home be a harbor of

anchorage and refuge,

and a haven from which we journey forth

to do your work in the world.

May it be a garden of nourishment

in which our roots go deep

that we might bear fruit

for the nourishing of others.

“May this our new home be a place of knowing

and of being known,

a place of shared tears and laughter;

a place where forgiveness is easily asked

and granted,

and wounds are quickly healed;

a place of meaningful conversation, of words not left unsaid;

a place of joining, of becoming,

of creating, and reflecting;

a place where our diverse gifts

are named and appreciated;

where we learn to serve one another

and to serve our neighbors well;

a place where our stories are forever twined

by true affections.”

— excerpt from “A Liturgy for Moving Into a New Home,” from Every Moment Holy by Doug McKelvey

These were their first family photos as Nashville-dwellers, which is why I chose a section of this liturgy to accompany the photos. I absolutely loved my time with them, and I hope that comes through in these photos.

Bless you, sweet Hawkins.