McVeycations

Senior Girl {Alexa} – Nashville Senior Photographer

Senior girl with dog - Gallatin Senior Photography

Senior portraits! I’ve found a new love! Previously, I’ve focused on maternity, newborn, and family photography, but this year I had the pleasure of photographing two 2017 seniors, and it was a blast! I only wish this kind of portraiture existed (or that I knew about it) when I was a high school senior! Then again, that was before digital cameras and Photoshop. Now I feel old!

This is Alexa, a gorgeous, sweet girl with piercing blue eyes and an adorable Husky puppy named Emma. When I was planning the session with her mom, I asked if she had any hobbies or interests that she wanted to incorporate into her session. She couldn’t think of anything at the time, but I was pleasantly surprised when she showed up with her dog, and it made for some great shots!

I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Alexa. The world is her oyster, and I know she can do anything she sets her mind to!

Autumn Baby Girl Pregnancy {Nashville TN Maternity Photographer}

Expectant couple embracing in front of autumn leaves - Nashville maternity photographer

When this gorgeous mama-to-be contacted me about shooting her maternity session, I had the perfect spot in mind. A few days prior, I had gone to a local park with my boys, and saw it in a way I hadn’t seen it before. I knew it would be the perfect place for a beautiful session. From the creek, to the awesome trees, to the stunning couple, everything about this session was magical! And guess who is making her arrival today, as I am typing this! Yep! Elizabeth is currently in labor, and baby Ansley could be born at any minute! I can’t wait to meet her and photograph her newborn session!

Adorable Big Brother {Nashville Maternity Photographer}

Family of 3 with expectant mother - Nashville maternity photographer

I absolutely love shooting maternity sessions! There aren’t many things more special than anticipating the arrival of a new baby. But if there’s something that can make a maternity session even better, it’s incorporating the new big brother or sister into the photos. That was certainly the case for the Singleton family! Their little boy, Carter, seemed so excited to take on the role of big brother, and to have a little playmate in his new baby brother. The way he hugged and kissed his mama’s belly was adorable, and I’m sure is a great indicator of how sweet he’ll be with the new tiny addition to the family when he finally makes his appearance. The beautiful flowers at Madison Creek Farms made a gorgeous backdrop for this family’s final photo session as a family of three. I can’t wait for their newborn session!

Waiting For Baby Girl {Nashville Maternity Photographer}

expecting mother and father in flower garden - Nashville Maternity Photographer

This mommy and daddy-to-be are SO excited to meet their baby girl, due in October. During our pre-consultation, I mentioned the gorgeous Madison Creek Farms, a flower farm in Goodlettsville, TN as a backdrop for her maternity session, and Aspyn loved the idea! It was so hot and humid that afternoon (not to mention the mosquitos!), but the setting sun made for some gorgeous lighting. Aspyn and Taylor were such troopers the entire time, and they brought the cutest little cowgirl boots to incorporate into the session. We even got a few photo bombs from the farm’s friendly chickens and cats! I can’t wait to meet and photograph their newborn baby girl in a few short weeks!

Samantha’s Baby Shower | Hendersonville, TN Photographer

Baby Shower - Hendersonville Tn Photographer - Southern Daisy Photography

When Steve and I got married back in 2011, almost none of our friends were married and/or had kids. It’s been so fun to watch relationships grow from dating to engaged, then married. And now, we have the pleasure of watching our friends have kids of their own! It’s about time, you guys! Haha! Last weekend I attended a baby shower for my friend Samantha, and was asked by the host and my dear friend, Jenni, to take some photos while I was there. I normally don’t photograph parties and events, but since it was for a friend, I made an exception.

The shower was early in the day, so we were provided with an amazing brunch spread! Even though I’m in the middle of a 21 Day Fix program, I still splurged a little and had one of the delicious chocolate frosted donuts. Shh, don’t tell anyone!

We also played a baby shower game where everyone wears a clothespin and is instructed not to say the word “baby.” If you catch someone saying it, you get to take their pin. As you can see from the bottom of this post, I won the game by taking 8 pins! Haha! I’m so competitive when it comes to baby shower games.

My friend, Jenni, did such an amazing job hosting the shower at her beautiful home. All the decorations were so adorable, and the food was delicious! Her co-host, Darilynn, unfortunately had to stay home sick , so we made sure to Facetime her so she could see how everything turned out. It certainly was a great time with an amazing group of ladies! Congratulations on your little baby boy, Samantha!

Beautiful Sisters {Hendersonville, TN Family Photographer}

family of 4 in field of wildflowers - Nashville Family Photographer

I love shooting family photos. Knowing the art that I am providing has the potential to be passed down from generation to generation gives me goosebumps. I also think that family photos have the biggest potential of being printed and adorning the walls of my clients’ homes, which is my ultimate goal. Digital files are great for sharing on social media, but prints are where it’s at! I shared a graphic on my Facebook page yesterday that said “Your family portraits look better on a wall than on a disk in a drawer.” And it’s totally true. Who knows what the digital storage technology will look like in even ten years!? CDs are almost obsolete. My laptop doesn’t even have a CD slot, and other medias such as music and movies are being downloaded from iTunes or straight from your TV. My point is, technology is always moving forward, but physical prints will last a lifetime. I’m hoping, in the near future, to base my portrait sessions mostly around prints and heirloom products, and have digitals be an afterthought.

Wow! I really went off on a tangent there! Now, back to the purpose of this post — to showcase the adorable Cox family! Nicole and her family were referred to me by her sister, whose family photos I had done just a few weeks before. (Did I mention that I love referrals?) She and her husband we so sweet, and their two little girls were some of the most adorable I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing! I can’t wait to work with them again!

Happy Family of 4 {Nashville Family Photographer}

Hendersonville TN Family Photographer - Southern Daisy Photography

I love my church. We have an amazing kids program, as well as special events and programs for men and women. One of these programs I’m involved in is called iMom. Once a week during the school year, I meet with a couple hundred other moms like me, and we are fed spiritually, emotionally, and sometimes physically! It’s an amazing time to connect with other women who are in the same stage of life as me, and to make and develop many new friendships.

At the end of last semester, we held a drawing, and a few lucky women won various gift cards. At the last minute, I decided to give away a mini photography session in the drawing. So, I ran up to the front with my little piece of paper scribbled with the details of the session, and sweet, beautiful Laura was chosen as the winner! I hadn’t met her previously, but I’m so glad that I finally had the opportunity to spend time with her and her adorable family, and provide them with a beautiful family photo session. I think I’ll make the photo session giveaway an annual thing from now on! Especially if it means I get to hang out with such amazing families as this!

Barnett Family | Hendersonville, TN Family Photographer

This sweet family drove about an hour to have me take their family photos. Amber, the mom, is in my local Facebook moms group, so that made this session extra special! I love it when I can meet one those moms in person, after talking to them for so long on social media. And how about Richard’s beard?? I’ve got to admit, my husband had some major beard envy after seeing these photos. It is seriously impressive!

Their children, Max and Marlowe, were so adorable, and they made my job so easy! I hope you enjoy these photos of this incredible family.

Reagan’s Newborn Session {Hendersonville, TN Newborn Photographer}

Last week, I posted Reagan’s Fresh 48 session and her mommy’s Maternity session. Today I’m happy to share her newborn session with you! Reagan was so excited about her newborn session, that she didn’t want to miss a thing! The only time I could get her to stay asleep was when she was wrapped up, so that’s how I had her for most of the shots. I wasn’t able to pose her as much as I normally would, since she would wake up as soon as I would unwrap her, but I’m still thrilled with the shots we did get. And of course her mama looked as gorgeous as ever!

5 Years Ago…

Today is our five year wedding day anniversary. I say “wedding day anniversary” because Steve and I were actually married at the courthouse about a month before our actual wedding. We wanted our church small group leader to officiate our wedding, but he was not an ordained minister. So rather than having him get ordained just for our wedding, we decided to just get legally married ahead of time and have our wedding, just as if we were actually getting married that day. I think it all worked out perfectly!

Our wedding was held at the beautiful Historic Cedarwood estate, and our amazing wedding photos were taken by my sister-in-law Stacey Pentland, who is a renowned wedding photographer in the San Francisco Bay area. Here are some of my favorite photos from our special day.