Nashville Family Photography | Fall Family Session — Fowler Family

A Fall Tradition at the Fowler Home

I've photographed the Fowlers every year since their wedding at East Ivy Mansion — I just haven't always kept the blog caught up. You can revisit that East Ivy wedding post, or their son's two-year session and daughter's newborn photos, also shot at their home. Last fall's session is the one I'm finally getting around to sharing — a five-year-old and his three-year-old sister, both faster than they were the year before.

I'm a Nashville family photographer, and I genuinely love photographing the same families year after year. Families like the Fowlers are exactly why I keep coming back to it. By now I know their front yard almost as well as they do — where the light lands in the late afternoon, which corner the kids gravitate to, where the dogs like to sprawl out.

Why an In-Home Family Session in Nashville Works

Everything a family actually needs is already at home: a place to grab a snack when someone hits a wall, the dogs who settle in faster with no new smells to distract them, the porch steps that have shown up in every one of these sessions. Nobody has to load two kids into a car or coordinate a "somewhere pretty." The Fowlers' front yard is already pretty, and more importantly, it's theirs.

That's the real advantage of an in-home session — it doesn't just document what a family looks like, it documents how they actually live. Their own front yard tells you more than any park backdrop could, because it's real. It's where their actual memories are made.

Nashville Family Photography with Pets

A Fowler session always included two of my favorite dogs, Hamlet and Ophelia — the same two who made a cameo at Megan and Beau's wedding. It wasn't a real session unless one big ol' Bernese Mountain Dog was sitting on my feet at some point, and just as often, one of the kids climbing over them instead.

I knew Hamlet was sick at the time. I didn't know Ophie was too. Looking back, I didn't realize this would be one of my last times photographing them together. That makes these photographs mean something different now than they did when I took them. It's the clearest example yet of why I photograph families at home: you're documenting exactly who was there, in the place where they actually lived their lives together.

Interested in a Nashville Family Session?

If your family has a tradition worth documenting — or you're curious what a session at your own home could look like — I'd love to talk about it. You can see more of my work on my Nashville Family Photography page.

FAQ

And since a few questions always come up when people ask about sessions like this one —

What's included in a family session?
Every family session with Erin Lee Allender Photography is up to an hour, either in the family's home or a location Erin helps guide them toward. It includes all the final edited, high-resolution digital images with consumer reprint rights.

How far in advance should I book?
Fall books up fast for Erin Lee Allender Photography, especially with returning families who want their spot on the calendar year after year. Reaching out at least a few months ahead is recommended.

How long does it take to get my photos?
Turnaround for Erin Lee Allender Photography is up to two weeks.

What should we wear?
Erin Lee Allender Photography recommends keeping outfits simple and coordinated rather than matchy — solid colors and soft patterns photograph best, and comfortable clothes mean happier kids and dogs.