Nashville Quarantine Porch Sessions
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary photo sessions, by Darien Photography, top family photographer in Nashville, TN
Creating ways to stay connected during social distancing due to the response to COVID-19 can be quite challenging! While we are staying home, working from home and homeschooling, we are using Zoom for meetings and any technology available to us to stay virtually in touch with the outside world.
I have a degree in journalism, so I believe that photography is an amazing tool to document our milestones for generations to come. At school we called photography a “witness to our times." Now that we are living through an historic season worldwide, I wanted to use my talent as a photographer to document people staying at home. I wanted to capture their stage in life and find the positive and constant in the midst of chaos and uncertainty.
Therefore, I am now offering Nashville Quarantine Porch Sessions, short sessions taking place at the front yard, porch, by the garage door, or the back yard if I can get access without coming inside the home. I am keeping my distance to more than 6 feet apart and I am not touching anything or anyone.
And what am I finding? LOVE!
Love is the positive and constant that keeps us going during these times! The love between partners, spouses, sons, daughters, grandparents and four legged friends.
I am enjoying all the loving moments that I am witnessing and capturing during these sessions, celebrating birthdays, the class of 2020, updating a family picture, a new home or pregnancy. These pictures will help my clients to tell their life story, and that is what is all about.
The Lantz family’s session was adorable. They are expecting a new baby, so this was a great opportunity to document the pregnancy and update the family photos. We barely missed the rain that Sunday afternoon; in fact, I can see the drops in some pictures, but they don’t need the sun to shine. Their choice of colored outfits really made this session a super fun one to photograph against the freshly painted front door. They were celebrating the kids’s birthdays, only a few weeks apart. A very ad hoc Zoom party was about to start right after the photo session, so the kids were in a “picture perfect” good mood, giving me natural smiles and showing off their favorite toys: Lavender (the baby doll) and his very cool yellow frisbee.
The Yerbich family decided to update their family picture, have 18 months old pics for their cute as can be son, and have a pic or two with the grandparents quarantining with them. Their dog also made the cut! Loved meeting this family and look forward to more sessions with them in the future, they made my job so easy and we got a lot of images in such little time.
The Perez-Hauk session was so much fun. The kids had so much personality and were full of energy, a bit shy at the beginning, but soon warmed up to the idea of being photographed. I loved their outfits and speaking Spanish with them. I particularly liked the mom-daughter-photo by the dogwood, mom’s face has the perfect bone structure, and reminds me so much of a photo of my own mother when she was pregnant with me. So beautiful.
The Djabi family session started with one of those moments where you recognize each other from a long time ago! They also speak Spanish, and we have friends in common. It was great to find out that we are neighbors and I enjoyed spending time with them. Their kids are unbelievably well behaved and cute. Their super-hero outfits were so cool. Mom’s t-shirt quote was my favorite detail I noticed:
“Motherhood is a love story that never ends” So true!
The Abramowitz family moved to their new house when social distancing started. So, this was a perfect opportunity to have a family picture with their new home as the background. We had a limited area to take pics, since the sun was so bright, so we ended up taking most of their pictures in the small shaded area by their garage door, but we managed to have a good variety of shots to document her pregnancy, some nice cuddling pictures with husband, and a playful time with their daughter and dog.
The Breese’s family session started with some photos of them looking out through the front storm door. Their 15-month-old daughter was ready to come out and play, so we quickly moved at her pace. Bryan’s mom came along for some portraits with them too, and I even got a glimpse of Duff, their 10-year-old dog in some pics. Kim has their porch looking so nice: I loved the rocking chairs and her attention to detail (notice the cool pillow in one of the chairs and those little pink boots). The session was coming to an end when I noticed their red vintage VW Kombi. So, I had to bring them there for a few more pics using the Kombi in the background, and I’m glad I did. I know they are going to have trouble choosing their favorites when their gallery is ready!
Caitlin is a senior this year, part of the Class of 2020 that had to create ways to celebrate other than the traditional ones. We had her senior pictures at her home’s backyard and her mom and sister joined the session to document the crazy times with their face masks for a fun photo at the end. Humor always makes things better.
This was the Torres family first family session ever! I am so glad that I was able to be their photographer and capture special moments for them during this time, especially since she is a nurse serving on the front lines. Their son has ASD, so they had his favorite treat handy (the orange popsicle you see in the pics), and I was ready to try to engage him by speaking in Spanish, the language they speak at home. Having that familiar sound was helpful; he warmed up to the idea, and we even shared a few smiles.
The Porter family was a blast to photograph, mom was worried that big brother was not going to be interested at all in looking at the camera, because all that he does is trying to get his baby sister’s attention. But oh boy, he was not camera shy at all! he kept dancing around and calling my attention when I was trying to take a few photos of his parents alone. I loved the spring colors and the easy going vibe on this session. You could feel the love.
One thing I am loving about these sessions is the ability to capture photos of people doing what they do best: loving their family; in the place that they feel most comfortable: home. This session with The Hall family was just pure joy. Mom and dad engaging with their daughter, playing with her and not worrying to much about asking her to smile at the camera. These type of interactions are what I love the most. And if you add to the mix perfect landscape and fabulous seating areas to enjoy it, it is a win-win. I can see why they love spending time outside, it is just beautiful.
The Winfree Family was a lot of fun to photograph. I got to say that photographing families with small children is a nice workout. The kids usually just want to play and I follow them around. This is even harder while keeping a safe distance. But I love any challenge involving colorful tights, sunshine and beautiful smiles!
These sessions have become the highlight of my quarantine life; but this one in particular felt extra special because it was a “Mommy & Me” session on Mother’s Day. Their first photo session since her son was an infant and since she became a widow. Her reaction to her sneak peeks means so much to me:
“I am in tears. I cannot thank you enough. Our family is so small now but you captured it so perfectly. Thank you will never mean how I actually feel for these photos!!!”
And the porch sessions keep coming! I like how they are a good excuse to dress up and have fun in the midst of challenging times. Everyone in the Dominguez family is good looking, they made my job so easy! Family photos would not be complete without the handsome and well behaved furry friends.
The Smith family session was another workout chasing little kids, so much fun! Seriously, capturing the real emotions and kids at move is what I love the most about photographing people. Kids are not always interested in smiling to the camera, it is more fun to play peek-a-boo, run and jump!
There is this magic that happens when you have a kid. Suddenly you are in charge of a human and your world changes forever. But the cliche is true, our kids don't stay little forever, and some memories are too good not to be captured. When you have a photo session with me, I will find the best light, I may give you some direction, but the great moments will happen organically because of the bond that you have with your loved ones. Even in the midst of teething tears or bed time crankiness.
When I have a photo shoot with a family with little ones I usually plan it around the kids schedule, I want them the happiest possible! Well, sometimes that does not happen, it was 6:15 PM, time for a bath and bed routine for this little one, and here I was trying to capture at least one picture where I could see his face, beautiful blue eyes and maybe have a nice one of the three of them. I moved quickly, I was patient, but I had to call it quits when the kid was done with it, hoping that I had what I was looking for. The Gugala’s turned out to be one of my favorite quarantine sessions.
If you have a session with me coming up, just know that I am here to help you. The kids will be excited to be out, they may want to run, play or they may want to cry; just keep your cool like this young couple and love on them while I capture some precious images for you.
I moved to Bellevue almost 4 years ago, and I can honestly say it has never seem as beautiful as it looks to me during these quarantine that I am visiting my neighbors (at a safe distance) for these spring sessions. The Gibson family home is probably my favorite location so far. Their neighborhood has mature trees, beautiful homes and their house has a small creek in the backyard that was a dream setting to photograph, even without water! I am enjoying going through their images knowing that they will look amazing in both color and black and white. Black and white gives them a magical and timeless quality that I love.
