Cardwell Family Newborn | Knoxville Newborn Photographer

There’s nothing I love more than walking away from a session feeling like I just took a peek at normal life for a family and getting to share that back with them, showing them all the beauty in that time. Please know that I am not saying perfection, because we all know that our days hold the whole gamut of emotions and feelings, messes, mundane chores and exhaustion. But seeing the beauty and especially the blessings even there, and reflecting it back through photographs to you, is what it’s all about for me. Sharing a beautiful morning with the Cardwell family and their newest baby girl today, where all those things I mentioned were happening at the same time. Here is the result.

If you are interested in sharing a morning or afternoon with me and creating together with your family, I would love to chat. Contact me here and let’s get your session scheduled.

McCafferty Newborn | Knoxville TN Newborn Photographer

Come and be here in the present moment,

Come and be reminded of all that is beautiful and true.

All the things fear wants you to forget.

-Morgan Harper Nichols

A beautiful morning with this precious family seeing them live fully present in this season with their new baby girl. Blessings to you McCafferty family. <3

Johnson Family Maternity | Knoxville, TN Family Photographer

I got to spend the morning with this family on the brink of a big change for them, the arrival of their 4th baby. Those days feel so filled with anticipation and energy, or lack thereof. ha! As mama of 4 myself, I felt the rush of preparation but also the strong and steady tug to sit and savor things just as they are before the page is turned towards the new chapter of our family. And THAT was where this family was on this cool late summer morning. Slow and simple, taking in the time together as a family of 5. Ready to receive the next new blessing. <3 Congrats sweet Johnson Family, it’s been a blessing to witness your family grow. <3

Montgomery Family at Home | Knoxville Family Photographer

“The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance than their simplicity might suggest.” Thomas Moore

I got to photograph this beautiful family at home for the second time several weeks ago. I shot them last spring in the same place but this session felt totally different. They’ve changed, grown closer, been pulled together and are spending their last days in their family home that’s raised them. What a privilege to share the morning with them. Blessings to you Montgomery family.

Life at home during Quarantine | Knoxville Family Photographer

It has been a long time since I did a personal blog post and what better time than now. Like many of you, this time has held so many mixed emotions for our family. So much has changed, yet so much has remained the same. We’ve always been homeschooling but we lost the ability to gather with our friends and family, which bring lots of life to us. That has felt sad but we’ve also gained so much more meaningful time together with fewer distractions and less busyness. We’ve enjoyed the sweetness of having my husband Aaron at home with us. Spending time in the mornings with him reading the Bible and discussing the application with him has been really sweet and comforting. Not to mention how I’ve loved to escape to his office when I felt overwhelmed during the day. lol. It’s been nice to have him here. Although it hasn’t exactly been easy, it’s been nice to enjoy a simpler life these past few weeks. I have thought so much about how it’s felt like a nod to my own childhood. I’ve missed photographing clients but I’ve spent a lot of time documenting the life of my own family during this time. As I put this post together, these photographs were precious reminders of the beauty of this time, my life at home with the children, the simplicity of it all and for that I am so so grateful. I hope you enjoy these little reminders as much as I did. Blessings friends.

I’ve been part of a beautiful group of women over the past few years that came together each month to share some of our favorite lifestyle of our families from the month. We haven’t participated for several months but felt the desire to come together again to share during this historical time. Please make your way around the circle by starting with Kalamazoo Michigan Photographer Sara Rypma and make your way around the circle.

Baby Micah | Knoxville Newborn Photographer

I’ve been photographing this family since the beginning and that always feels like a gift to me. To get to see them blossom into parenthood. To see how the battles and trials and joy filled moments all mesh and melt down together, how it begins to shape them, softening them in the best ways possible. What a privilege to bear witness of a small bit of time with these photographs. Congratulations guys. It’s a blessing to see the parents God is shaping you into.

Cleveland Newborn | Knoxville Newborn Photographer

It’s a wild world out there right now and so much has changed since the last time I blogged. I’ve thought about how to share my work during this time. I’ve wanted to share how I’m struggling because I feel that there is so much power in not feeling alone in the ways that we struggle, but I haven’t wanted to be a discouragement. I’ve wanted to encourage all you mamas that now find yourselves homeschooling your children so suddenly, wanted to tell you that it will all be fine and to extend yourself SO much grace during these days and everyday, as I have to remind myself often, but I didn’t want to be just another voice offering advice in a time when everyone seems to be giving their advice. I do want to share all of these things with you, in time but right now, I just want to remind you of the beauties of home. When we are in the absolute thick of it, which we all are right now, I'll be the first to admit, our lenses get fogged up quickly. It’s a hard job what we’re all doing, some days it feels impossible so we need some reminders for ourselves. I am at home with our children every day and we homeschooled even before this happened, but I still need a reminder (often) about these beautiful and precious days. I need to be reminded to forgive one another(including myself), to have patience with my little ones, to let things be messy, to put on a show when I need a break, to step away from a lesson that is bringing frustration and read a book, to make a meal together and do my besssssst not to get frustrated(lol), to sit down and build a hot wheels track with my 5 year old rather than scroll social media, to choose joy even when I don’t feel like it and to call a friend and cry if I need to. After a week that held so many emotions, last night I lay in bed and scrolled through my camera roll while looking at old photos of my kids and felt the need to remind myself of all these things. God’s grace is new for us every single day mamas and now more than ever, I am clinging to that and I hope you are too.

Grace to you.

xo Bethany

And speaking of reminders of the beauty of home, I’m sharing the Cleveland family with you today that I photographed last month. My time with them was precious and even then, a breath of fresh air for me. I arrived and daddy was wearing their newborn as he sipped his coffee and cuddled their toddler on the couch. It felt like a beautifully simple but sacred time in the life of a family and I was so glad I got to be there for a small piece of it.

Thomas Newborn | Knoxville Newborn Photographer

I had the honor of photographing this incredibly talented mama and her family as they welcomed their first babe into their family this fall. Anne is the creative art director at Altrd State and I probably spent a whole afternoon watching her instastories after her inquiry. Go see for yourself and you’ll understand. She has the most incredibly creative brain and is responsible for the window displays at Altrd State’s retail stores. Seriously seeing what she comes up with is INCREDIBLE. I could have spend the entire afternoon at her session just picking her brain. lol. So, of course I had such an incredible time getting to know her and her husband and of course the star of the show, little Behr. <3 Congratulations Thomas family!

Noll Newborn | Knoxville Newborn Photographer

“There are divine things, more beautiful than words can tell.” - Walt Whitman

Time spent with this family is time well spent. I first met them when they brought their twins home and I’ve been fortunate to see them blossom into a beautiful family. It does a heart good to be around families that love each other in a deep deep way, and these are those people. Congrats Noll fam, you guys are such a wonderful family. <3

Duncan Family Newborn | Knoxville Newborn Photographer

To know them is to love them. I’ve gotten to know this sweet family over the past few years and it was a JOY to photograph them as they welcomed their 5th baby girl earlier this year. Congratulations Duncans, we love you guys so much!

Meek Family | Knoxville Newborn Photographer

I’m completely in love with this session for lots of reasons but mostly because my time with this beautiful family was so natural and honest. Kids playing all around, making coffee, practicing piano while mama fed the baby, warming up supper as I finished up. Just a beautiful piece of their story captured on an early spring afternoon. Congrats Meek family. It was a blessing to photograph you guys.

Geiger Family Newborn | Knoxville Newborn Photographer

“May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.” -John O’Donohue

The Geiger family recently became a party of five and we documented their sweet new family on film. Enjoy this little slice of life. <3

Kicklighter Family >>> Knoxville Family Photographer

I am so happy I got to catch up with the Kicklighter family this fall and photograph them in downtown Knoxville since it’s been a while since our last session together. Gianna is a super talented photographer herself, check her out here, and she and Pat are sweet friends of ours. It has been such a blessing to see them grow into incredible parents to little Norah. Love you guys so much Kicks! Blessings!

Waring Newborn >>> Knoxville Newborn Photographer

Photographing families at home is one of my favorite things, especially when there’s a new baby there. Congratulations Waring family! Blessings to you 4!

Bailes Family Fresh 48 >>> Knoxville Family Photographer

I think every time I shoot a fresh 48 session, I think to myself about how it's one of my favorites. It's just because these sessions hit all the feels for me. I'm so glad I was able to photograph the Bailes family as they welcomed their new little one on Mother's Day this year. Congrats guys!

Pressing in >>> Shields Family >>> Knoxville Family Photographer

Ya'll. This is worth your time. This is my very best friend. We have lived a lot of life together. We've been through good and bad, ups and downs and all the in betweens. She's been a constant source of encouragement in my journey through motherhood. A few months ago we met up at a park to let our children play and I was sharing with her about how overwhelmed I felt during this season, and how dry I felt spiritually. She offered up these words to me as the Lord had been revealing this to her heart during a similar season. It ministered to me so much that I asked her to write it down so that I could share it with some images I've taken of her family this past year. I hope it encourages your heart today to "press in" even in seasons that are filled with trials, sleepless nights, overwhelming joy and tears. I'm praying for you mama's that in these times, we press in to Him. 

Crystal writes......

Some girls dream of the day they get to marry the man of their dreams and immediately start having babies. The first part was true for me. And while I knew I would become a mother someday, the latter was nowhere on my radar. I probably took 15 pregnancy tests the first few years of our marriage because I was TERRIFIED of getting pregnant. Alas, a few years went by, and God was drawing out a very intense desire in me to be a mom. When we welcomed our first son, Shepherd, I was hooked. So in love. I just knew God had called me to be a mom and raise my kids. So since He called me to do this, it was going to be easy right??

Our family has grown to a party of 6 these days. And while I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to tailoring these 4 sweet souls, God has been so good and gentle in giving me wisdom. This season of raising children is a tad bit hard at the moment. Okay, it’s really hard. God took me out of the yuckiest, joyless mud pit several years ago, when He was guiding me through scripture about JOY. JOY was my banner raised high for years. Oh how my heart changed! Last summer, I could tell the Holy Spirit was leading my sail into a new season and some uncertain waters.

Life is hard. Period. We are not promised an easy life. We aren’t used to having to get dirty in the trenches. So what do we do when we feel the storms are too big or trials unbearable. 

We PRESS IN. 

The Lord put those two words on my heart and I immediately went digging into scripture. He lead me to Mark 5: 24-29

24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

My eyes would draw back to those words “came in the press behind.” 

Why did she come up BEHIND him? Why was there such a huge crowd around Jesus? How hard was it for her to get to Jesus?

So let me set the stage for you. Jesus was doing miracle after miracle. He had just healed a man that had been possessed by a legion of demons. Before that he had calmed a raging storm just by saying the words “Peace! Be still!”

Mark 4:41 “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Jesus steps off the boat and was surrounded by a crowd and immediately a ruler of the synagogue falls at His feet, begging Him to come to his home and heal his daughter who is sick to the point of death. 

The original Greek definition for crowd here means “troops of people gathered together without order.” I imagine total chaos. It’s like a huge celebrity of our time in the midst of a crowd with NO body guards. 

Also, the Greek definition for thronged means “to compress, to press hard upon all sides.” 

Jesus not only is surrounded by this large, out of order crowd. They are pressing in on him. Hard! On every side of Him. No doubt everyone was trying to touch him and tell him what miracle they needed him to perform. I can’t imagine the desperation of this synagogue ruler as he was leading, almost dragging and pulling on Jesus in the direction of his home.

So then enters this “woman with a discharge of blood for 12 years”...

I gave a lot of thought about her. God had put her on my mind for days. Scripture tells us she had heard the reports about Jesus.  Did she travel to see him? How far?  We know she had to do some type of travel since she had been ostracized from the community to an area where ceremonially and socially “unclean” people were. 

In Levitus 15 it tells us that when it was a “woman’s time of the month” per se, she was considered ceremonially unclean. You could not be touched by anyone during your uncleanliness for 7 days! Yikes! All your clothes, linens and everything you had sat on had to be washed. If anyone, DID touch you, even on accident, they were considered unclean for an entire day and had to wash all thier clothes and go take a bath. Which, for those days, was a big deal to have to do all that. No washer and dryers!  

There were also “extra man made laws” that society had made her do. She had to be divorced from her husband, she couldn’t live in her home, and she was shunned from all her friends and family. TWELVE years of this no less. The sad part, it wasn’t anything she could help. And God knows she tried over and over and over to find a cure.  

Mark 5: 26

“and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.”

Breaks my heart. 

NO HUMAN TOUCH FOR 12 YEARS. I can’t imagine the hopelessness and loneliness she must have felt. 

I see her waking up and getting out of her “unclean” bed and putting on her “unclean” clothes and walking out of her “unclean” community, and thinking, “maybe, just maybe this Jesus guy will heal me and I won’t have to come back here EVER.” Off she went, head and face covered.

I wish I had a picture of her seeing Jesus for the first time. She saw Him and instantly knew He was worth the risk. Risking the possibility of death. She knew she would have to TOUCH all those people in the crowd to get to Him. “What if they see me? What if they find out I am ceremonially unclean and realize all they have to do to be considered clean again? They’ll kill me!” Times were much different in those days. The crowd could have very well taken matters into their own hands. 

But she risked it all to get to Jesus. 

Verse 27 tells us she came in “from behind.” I meditated on this part of the verse for a while. I’m sure she thought,” I can’t let Him see me. I’ll just touch the bottom of his robe and be on my way.” We don’t know how she got through the crowd. But I had such a vivid picture of her taking a deep breath, covering herself and head up really good one last time, and getting on the dirty ground and crawling her way through the crowd. 

Getting stepped on. Getting hurt. Getting dirty. 

Then…she stretches her arm and fingers out as painful as it would have been, and HE ANSWERED.  She risked all. She fought. She believed. She PRESSED IN. 

So here I am, sometimes feeling like I’m blindly navigating my way through mothering. Homeschooling. Wife-ing. But God is teaching me that if I PRESS IN, He will answer. He heals my soul of despair. He calms my anxious heart. Listen Mama. There will be times God will call you to do something that seems totally impossible. It will LOOK impossible. You might get dirty. It will take RISK. I’m not sure what that is for you. For me, its raising my children in HIM and continuing to serve others, my husband, and handle the trials and storms that come sweeping in from time to time. So this is me. This is where I am. Feeling the need to PRESS IN to Him, no matter what it takes. Sometimes it won't be easy. Sometimes it's messy, and painful and exhausting, but keep reaching out to Him. Take heart mamas, PRESS IN to our sweet Jesus and He will ANSWER and He will give you rest. 

Cece Rose Birth Story >>> Knoxville Family Photographer

I have to start this off by saying that I don't shoot births anymore, haha! But I've had the privilege of photographing all of this family's previous births so it was an honor. 

And oh wow, how this birth made me miss being able to shoot more of these. It's truly a sacred space and unlike anything else I've ever photographed. The anticipation and excitement grows all day long and the love grows thicker and thicker in the room. Seeing a husband support and encourage his wife is just as beautiful as seeing her fall in love with him all over again as she watches him hold their new baby girl. It is the best. But, I'll stop talking now and let you get to the video. ;) Enjoy!

Noll Family >>> Knoxville Family Photographer

"In all the world there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world there is no love for you like mine." Maya Angelou

This family is bursting with life and I love spending time with them each time I photograph them. Sharing a few favorites with you from our session this fall. <3 

Cromer Family >>> Fresh 48

My heart. This session is what my heart longs for more of. It was the most special of days getting to be at the hospital during the first 24 hrs after this sweet 4th babe was born and getting to witness her family meeting her. Congratulations Cromer family!

Cromer Family >>> Knoxville Family Photographer

I immediately clicked with this sweet family when I photographed them last month. Maybe it was the size and ages of their children, maybe it was the chat that mama and I had about this season of life and how we've had to learn to have so much grace for other mothers, because all these babies in, we've realized we don't have this thing figured out and we definitely need grace ourselves! Either way, I had the best time with their gang.

 Mama contacted me wanting to document this sweet spot in their family of 5 before they welcomed their 4th babe and I am so glad I got to spend the evening hanging with them. I wanted to share this before I share their fresh 48 session later this week. Definitely an all time favorite session for me so stay tuned for that...Enjoy!