A few weeks ago I was able to photograph Trand for his senior photos. He is the oldest of six children and is part of a really awesome and loving family. Today he's off to start hiking the Appalachian Trail. How cool is that!? Like, the whole thing! What an exciting time in life. Blessings to you Trand as you embark on this new chapter in life. Enjoy!
I loved meeting this sweet couple and photographing them for their maternity session. We had a beautiful night and caught the tail end of all the beautiful spring trees blooming. I can't wait to meet their sweet baby girl soon! Congrats Johnson family!
I have always loved photography, but after the birth of my first child, I became completely passionate about documenting his life. I wanted to remember everything about him. Not just the big firsts and milestones, but also the beauty in our mundane everyday moments. Even though I wish I was, I am just not a journaler. My photographs are my journal. Several years, 3 kids and thousands of photographs later, I have started my own business with the focus on family and the connections they share. As much as I love having a business and working with clients, I realized after going through my personal images from last year that I had begun to neglect that very reason that developed my love for family photography in the first place, documenting my own family. I had taken lots of photos of my kids but hadn’t really documented our story very well. When I looked through my images when putting together our family year books, I felt like so much of "us" was missing. So, at the start of this year, I decided to do a project 365, where I take at least one photo every day. After the first few weeks I noticed a theme emerging from my images. I started seeing beauty in our everyday moments. They weren’t beautifully posed portraits but rather things that were just happening in our lives. And I realized, these were the things I really wanted to remember. Don’t get me wrong, I think styled and posed portraits have their place. I AM a photographer after all. ;) You’ll even see some of those in my 365, but for the most part, I’m documenting our every day and in the past 3 months, I have taken some of my most treasured images of my family.
I’ve had such an amazing response to this from friends and clients alike and so many questions from moms that I wanted to share some tips with you on how to document your own family. The best part about these tips is that there is no fancy camera required. I am doing my 365 with my big camera but all of these tips can be applied to a DSLR, point and shoot or a phone camera. So, here are my tips for you on how to beautifully document the story of your family...
1. Keep your camera handy
This might seem like a no brainer but I feel like it is really essential to catching those really sweet moments. Most of us have our phone on or near us a lot so that's always a great option. But if you shoot with a point and shoot or a dslr keep it in a central place in your home so that you can grab it quickly. I keep mine on a high shelf in our living room. Safely out of the reach of little ones but I can grab it and be anywhere in our house in a few seconds. So when you see something like this happening you don't have to say "wait a minute! Mommy needs to get her camera!" Although I do say that a lot too. ;) This picture was taken as my husband was leaving for work. She had gotten up and dressed herself just like this and they were giving kisses goodbye. It was so incredibly adorable when I saw it happen, I just quickly grabbed my camera and asked her to give Daddy one more goodbye kiss. 
2. Shoot wide and also go in for a closer look
What I mean by this is to take a step back and take in the whole scene. Usually doing this tells more of the story. When I do this I also like to get in close because it sort of gives you an up close and personal look at what they were doing.
Here are some examples of where I like to shoot wide. I love how it shows how little they are.
And here are some examples of how I like to get in really close to focus on the details of what they are doing or their little features, which we all know, change way too fast!
3. Get on their level.
Changing your perspective can really change the feel of an image and I love to get down on my children's level when photographing them. It kind of gives a more intimate feel and helps you see things from their perspective. Here are some examples of that...
4. Get High- Shoot from your perspective
Again, this is another perspective that really adds a different feel to your images. Of course here we can see more from our perspectives and how we view them. Here are some examples of this...
5. Don't ask them to look at you
We all know this look, am I right? You know, when you ask your child to look at the camera and smile. This is what they give you.
So, just don’t tell them to look at the camera. In fact, tell them not to look at you. Just let them keep on doing whatever activity they’re involved in. Let them be lost in play. Some of my favorite pictures of my kids are ones that they aren’t looking at the camera. It's just so much more special than those fake smiles or crazy faces they make because these photographs are so much more real and genuine.
Like this...
6. Document the mundane
These things we do everyday as parents are what this life is really made of. And when we look back at our images in the years to come, these photos will be the ones you treasure so much because they are your memories preserved. Home haircuts, an afternoon bath after a blow out poopy diaper (ha!), checking the mail, riding on scooters in the driveway, jumping off the couch in this swimsuits in the dead of winter, nursing your baby, your sad attempt at braiding your daughters hair. This is life, and it's beautiful!
7. Make it fun
I can't tell you how many of my clients leave their sessions and text me later that night and say how much fun they had. That is always my goal and the best way to get real authentic expressions and smiles so why wouldn't I want that same thing with my own children. This is a win-win because when they are having fun, they don't mind you taking pictures. Let them jump in the leaves, dance in circles, do flips, run around, whatever they enjoy doing and you want to remember how cute they were when they did it.
8. Get in the frame
This is something I have become much more passionate about this year. Every year, I put together family photo albums and I began to realize I was missing. Like completely. Obviously, I am the one taking all the photos so I'm just always behind the camera. But, I really want my kids to have some photos of us together. Don't you cherish old photos of you with your parents? Your kids will too. So, I've tried to make it a goal to get in the frame with my kids at least once a month. You can set your camera up on a piece of furniture and set the timer or get a tripod with a remote. If you're using your phone, I use the gorilla cam app that has a self timer on it so I can even set up my phone to take pictures and not just holding it out for selfies. I always try to spend lots of time at my sessions focusing on mothers, especially because I know they are usually the one's taking the pictures and are rarely in them with their little ones but you should also make a point to get in pictures with your kids every once in a while whether that be while you’re cooking dinner or snuggling in bed. You’ll always love these in the years to come.
I hope you've enjoyed reading these tips and find them useful in documenting your everyday with your little ones. I wanted to be sure these tips would work for you no matter what kind of camera you use. And just to demonstrate that I wanted to include some iPhone snaps of mine below that demonstrate most of these tips. And finally, if you are interested in scheduling a session with me I specialize in custom photography including in home lifestyle sessions to document these beautiful days for you. You can contact me here if you're interested. Have a great weekend everyone!
iPhone Snaps of our everyday...
Happy Mother's day to all of you sweet mama's out there. In honor of Mother's day, I wanted to share some of my favorite images of mothers that I've taken for clients over the years. Enjoy! Now go call your mama and tell her you love her! :)
"From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61.2 This is totally my verse right now. I feel like I cry out this verse to God all day long. Motherhood is beautiful and it's wonderful but it is also tiring and overwhelming. I feel overwhelmed on a daily basis but I am reminded through God's word that He is so much more than I am and can carry this heavy load for me. "Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22. Today as I was snuggling my littlest one before his nap, my heart felt overwhelmed but in the best way possible. Not in the 50,000-disasters-happening-all-at-once kind of way but in the I-can't-believe-I-get-to-be-your-mom-I-love-you-more-than-anything-ever kind of way. And in that moment, my mind when right to that verse that I cry out all the day long and I said "Lord, My heart is overwhelmed right now, with your goodness." and I praised the Rock who is higher than I. I am so thankful for this gift of motherhood. And thankfully God gives us these little moments to realize what a blessing it truly is. Now to some photos that really have nothing to do with what I was talking about before. Ha! I just had that on my heart and wanted to share with the mamas. :) Yesterday we went on a little day trip to Cades Cove and had the best time as a family. My kids LOVE to be outside and enjoying God's creation so this really hit the spot for us. It was so nice to leave the to-do list at home and just unplug for the day together wandering, exploring and getting our feet wet. I hope you have a great weekend with your family!
Every time I have photographed this family has been magic. They just love each other so much. It's so easy to get those beautiful natural connections with them in their photographs because it's just who they are! I loved getting to photograph this sweet baby girl throughout her first year. It has been so fun to see her grow and get to hang out with her awesome family. Enjoy this family's sweet one year session with their girl.
I am always honored to photograph another photographer but I was especially excited to photograph Rebekah and her family because she photographed the birth of my last baby and I will cherish those images forever so naturally I wanted to give her something she treasures like I do my birth photographs. I knew going into her session that I was going to love her family. And she just "gets me" and what I love to do most, which is photographing families in a more natural and relaxed way. She told me before her session that she wanted their session to be a glimpse of who they are and how they interact as a family. I think we accomplished that and let me just say that I just love who you guys are as a family! Enjoy! <3
Two years ago this month, I received my business license in the mail and Bethany Sams Photography was officially born! I can't even believe it's been 2 years. I am so grateful to all of my wonderful clients that have made this possible for me. It has been an amazing and wild ride and I am so excited for what's ahead. I have never done a session giveaway and I thought since this month marks my business anniversary AND I'm almost at 1000 Facebook fans, I would do something I've never done before... a family session giveaway! Woooohooo! But that's not even all! This fall, I am so excited to announce that I will be working with an incredibly talented and oh-so-stylish friend of mine, Nicole Wise, to offer styling services as an add on to your session. Say what!?! Can you imagine! Someone working with you to style you and your entire family customized to your personal tastes and budget. Sending you personalized style boards like the one pictured 
(Nicole put this together), links to purchase recommended clothing and accessories, hair and makeup, and MORE! It's every mama's dream. Oh yes. So, for this ultimate family session giveaway you will not only get a FULL family session with me but also styling by Nicole and hair and makeup for Mama.
To enter you just have to head on over to my business page on Facebook and be sure you "like" my page, "like" and share the giveaway post and comment on that post that you did so and how many are in your family. The giveaway will close 24 hrs after my page hits 1000 likes. So, get on over there and enter!
Here are a few things to note about the giveaway:
Included is a 1 hour session
30-40 edited digital files with an online gallery for additional print and album purchasing
Personalized style consultation and hair and makeup
The session will take place in August 2015
You must agree to purchase and wear some of the items recommended by the stylist for your session
The session will take place at a predetermined location in Knoxville, TN
This session is not suitable for newborns
Good luck!
Oh my goodness! This little guy is so precious. He was just a doll at our session. I loved getting to chat with this awesome family and catch up since our newborn session. I seriously love my job. Getting to photograph beautiful families and getting to know them and share in the joys (and difficulties!) of parenthood is really such a blessing. I just love getting to hang out with this sweet family and I can't wait to see them again with this little one is a year! Enjoy!
I really can't even believe I'm typing this blog post right now. My biggest little is 5. I'm not even sure how that happened. I will never forget the way I felt when I first had him. I remember everyone telling me that when you have your first child you will instantly feel love like you've never felt before. And, although I did instantly love him like crazy, that fierce incredible love that everyone told me about kind of washed over me like a wave those first few days. I'll never forget holding him in those early days and just being in complete disbelief that he was mine. That God allowed me to experience this precious thing called motherhood. It made me so different. I began to see so many things differently. Especially the love that God has for us. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that you would not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16. That verse really did come alive to me after having a child because I new so much more intimately how special Jesus was to God, but still He gave His life for me and you. I am so thankful for the gift of motherhood. It is certainly the hardest and least glamorous thing I have ever done but also the most rewarding and significant. My children are my greatest treasures. I am so glad that God chose to give me Beck first. It has been so wonderful to watch him grow and see how God is working in his life. He is all boy. Loves to be outside, get dirty, climb trees, hunt bugs. He is so sweet and gently with Reid and fiercely protective over him. He and Ellie are great buds too. I see him beginning to be a leader for them and he is so proud to take on new responsibilities. This year I saw him growing away from being such a little boy. I could start bawling right now just thinking about how he's grown, but I'm so glad I get to be with him every day and enjoy these little years. I say it all the time but it's so true... the days are long but the years are short. Happy Birthday baby. Love, Mommy
I wanted to share some of my favorite personal images of Beck over this past year. Enjoy!
I loved getting to photograph this family again. Their girls are always so much fun! We had the most beautiful spring morning for our session a couple of weeks ago. Can't wait to see you guys again in the fall! Enjoy these sweet pictures of this adorable family. :)
I was so fortunate to get to meet and photograph this little doll last week with her family. Isn't she just an angel? Such a special girl and incredible family. Blessings and prayers for you Luallen family. 
I had a great time meeting this beautiful couple tonight to do their maternity photographs. More to come!
Last week I got to meet and photograph this wonderful family. They were truly such a joy to be around and so comfortable and laid back during our session which I love. Enjoy these photos of this precious family.
My daughter has this stuffed dog that she absolutely loves named Leah. During her rest time almost everyday she dresses Leah up in her (or her brother's!) clothes. It's cute. It's really cute. When I say she dresses her, I mean in undies and all. Well after weeks of this, I decided I wanted to remember how completely adorable this was. So, I decided for the month of March, I would photograph Leah every time I saw her clothes change. I only missed one or two changes but I absolutely love that I have these photographs to remember this sweet little stage in the life of my baby girl. Enjoy!
This family has been with me since the beginning and I am so blessed to say they have become much more than clients but also wonderful friends. I was so excited when they wanted to do their son's one year session at home just like we did their newborn session. I love these sessions because they are just so beautifully real. Being a parent is certainly not an easy job. The hours are long and tiring and we are stretched in a way we never thought possible. But the rewards are incredible. Getting to experience love and life through and with our children is truly a gift. This mama and I were talking at our session about how God so perfectly designed this season of life with little ones. The little years are such a treasure. Enjoy these precious photos with this wonderful family!
A couple of weeks ago, I got to photograph these adorable cousins. We had a blast running around and even playing with some little chicks! I thought this session was the perfect way to kick off Easter weekend. Enjoy these sweet spring photographs of this family! Happy Good Friday!
We had such a gorgeous evening for this family's session a couple of weeks ago. This guys is seriously one of the happiest babies ever! I can't believe the next time I photograph him it will be for his one year session! Enjoy this adorable family session!
Six months is one of my very favorite baby stages and one of my favorite times to photograph babies. They are always so sweet and happy. Mom and Dad are over the moon because their baby's little personality is starting to show and it's just all around so much fun. I had such a great time meeting this wonderful family a couple of weeks ago and their baby girl was the happiest thing ever! Enjoy these photos of this wonderful family!
