We had the privilege of shooting an amazing session for the Boonstra family this past Saturday and had an absolute blast! When we shoot sessions like this we really like to get to know the family (Sandy, husband Jerry and their two amazing kids Luke and Jackson) as best we can so that we can be sure to incorporate their personalities into the shoot. So to do that, we went and spent some time with the Boonstras a few days prior to the shoot just getting to know them a bit.

We found out that their oldest son, Jackson, loves to play soccer (and is super good at it!) and has been playing since he was 3. The youngest son, Luke (aka Rock Star) also plays soccer, but loves to play the guitar as well. So we  really incorporated those things that they all love into the shoot and came away with some great images of the whole family!

First up is Luke. We decided to shoot some edgy photos of him with his suh-weet Gretsch electric guitar!

This is a cool detail shot of Luke holding his dad’s 60′s Gibson acoustic.What a sweet guitar! I am so jealous!!

We can’t forget to include Boo the dog!

This is me showing Luke some of the shots that we were taking. It is always good to let them know that the pics are not lame-o (as most kids his age would assume:))!

Here is Jackson in action!

Too bad these guys aren’t seniors.  These could be their senior portraits!

Next up is Jerry the dad. His dedication to his boys and family is unbelievable, and he has gone to great lengths to be a consistent part of their lives which is so evident when you meet them. This shot is of Jerry and his very first truck that he got when he was 16 years old. This truck means a lot to him and is a big part of his life. One day he is going to have this truck completely re-done and I (Zach) have first dibs on getting to ride in it!

Here is the family all together!

After the casual photos, it was time to get into wedding attire!  Some more cool shots that Jody grabbed of the two boys. Studly!

See if you can guess which one of us took what shot on this next collage. Is Jody’s shot on the left, or the right? Hmmm… And ladies, he is only 12, so don’t get any funny ideas. ;)

Then out came mom all dressed up and put them all to shame!! She looks amazing doesn’t she??

Here is a shot of Jody in the set up that the next picture was taken!

Then it was off to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church for the vow renewal… our couple in waiting!

Here is Jody getting the shot!

A reading from some of the scriptures.

Here are the boys holding candles that represent their parents. Aw!!

This is me just before the the couple took their “first walk” together. Even though they have been married for 16 years, the Greek Orthodox Church blesses all marriages when new people join the church just like they would for a real wedding.

We are so glad that we were able to share in this special day with you guys.  We look forward to hanging out more in the future (and yes, we are defenitely putting together a men-only viewing session of Running Down a Dream…)!

Awhile ago we did a little peek into a family shoot and we thought we would share a little bit more photos as well as about the Family. Meet Nathan & Jenni Oates & their adorable children.

We have known these guys for almost 2 years now and they have been such a blessing and encouragement to Zach and I. Nathan & Jenni have an amazing story of devastation & hope that involves the loss of their 3rd child, Hosea, their first son. Their honesty, faith and story of healing is a testimony and a real encouragement.

Not only are they an encouragement in an emotional and spiritual sense, but they also are a very health & green conscious family which inspires us to take better care of our own bodies as well.

Nathan & Jenni work with Shaklee which is the leading natural nutrition company in the United States. (To the left: Shaklee on Oprah).

Jenni struggled with anorexia in high school rendering her body unable to fully re-coup even after years of eating correctly again. Shaklee changed that for her. Nathan’s brother had inoperable cancer in his eyes with the only option to find the best nutritional company and pray that it worked. One and a half years later his cancer is fully gone and no trace of it has come back in the last 10 years.

Nathan & Jenni told us, “Once your life has been changed by something, you want other people to know about it. So that’s what we do… we take great products and then share them with other people in hopes that their lives will be changed too.” To read more of their personal story visit their blog.

The body is a powerful tool and sometimes just lacks the right oomph that it needs :)

I (Jody) grew up with my mom very into taking natural supplements and she always swore by Shaklee. She would tell me that tests were done with Shaklee stacked against other supposedly nutritious other supplements and vitamins and Shaklee tested the highest for the vitamins actually going in and STAYING in your system instead of just going out the other end if you know what I mean :)

Not only does Shaklee do vitamin stuff (like my professional lingo?) but they also do health weight management, healthy beauty products, and healthy home products including pure air and water systems.

There is such a huge movement to GO GREEN and be healthy, and Shaklee makes that easily possible for the average person.

To find out more about Shaklee, visit the site, and if you’re looking for great, constant info on healthy living, check out Nathan & Jenni’s Creating Healthier Lives blog. If you read back far enough you might even see our lovely mugs :)

This evening and Friday the 24th, Nathan & Jenni are hosting A Healthy Home Makeover with food & snacks and great info about life & health. If you’re interested in attending, contact them via their contact page on their site and you’ll be in for a treat!

Hope you all have an amazing weekend! We are shooting Rich & Amy’s wedding this weekend in Belle Meade with one of the coolest coordinators in Nashville & we are PUMPED! Can’t wait, Amy & Rich!!!!!!

This is Amy at her Birthday party a few months ago :)

Shaklee

This past Sunday we did a Lifestyle Session for one of the kindest families. You may remember Mel who we did a promo shoot of a little bit ago who is also a photographer (The Velvet Trunk). Well, her parents and twin sister (I’ve always wanted a twin!) came in town from Texas, and we shot at ‘em with our Canons. :)

We hit a few different spots around downtown Franklin and had such a nice time. Her sister is so sweet and kind just like Mel, and her parents are really wonderful. They have been married 40 years and they are so in love!

Check out some of the shots we captured…

A little behind-the-scenes shot I took while Zach was shooting with the strobe…

Don’t they look so happy together? :) What a great example for those of us who are practically just starting our marriages….




No behind-the-scenes shot on this one, but this was taken by me when I was shooting the sisters. I was shooting with just the natural surrounding light and we wanted to make sure their eyes looked nice and bright (got to love a good catch light) so Zach grabbed the reflector and “popped” some light on them. Yay teamwork!

Next we had a wardrobe change and headed to downtown Franklin and then off to Carnton Plantation to make use of their field! :)

Group Photo!

Thank-you guys for making the shoot so enjoyable for us. Hope you had a safe flight back and next time we’ll fly out to you guys!

Earlier last week we had the blessing of doing a Lifestyle shoot for an amazing family we know. Meet Nathan & Jenni and their precious kids!

Natural beauty is power!

Doesn’t she make you want to burst to the seams in a smile?

Nathan & Jenni are truly an amazing couple and they have a great family. We love these guys and will try and share more images later – there are so many great ones!!

Great news! Zach and I are finally back in Nashville!! Who knew when we left last week for Thanksgiving that we would be coming home 9 days later instead of 4! Yes it was a slight inconvenience, but we cannot complain! We had such a relaxing and fun time! My aunt and uncle were so great to us and went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable, had great food, drinks we like, and even rearranged their work schedules to let us have a car for a day, and not to mention Uncle Rich driving 2 times to pick us up and then drop us off 1.5 hours away from their house. They were so wonderful and if they lived closer I think we’d be over there every week :) Thank-you Aunt Julie and Uncle Rich!

We went by the shop to pick up our car yesterday… the great mechanic James replaced our water pump, head gasket and thermostat, and our car doesn’t overheat anymore! Woo hoo!

This is the outside of Jame’s garage taken with the ‘ol point and shoot (Zach wanted me to direct you guys to check out the “sweet” slogan on his business card below!).

This is our busted water pump. See the fin that I am holding on the pump? Yeah, there are supposed to be like 7 more of those helping the water cool the engine…

So between sleeping in, eating great food, watching TLC, and playing Wii, we actually did some work! We did a Lifestyle Session with the Fischbeins – neighbors of my aunt and uncle. They were such nice people and we are so glad we were able to shoot their family!

Aren’t they cute together??

It was nice to be somewhere different for a few days and it was great to be with all the family, but are definitely glad to be home! As Dorothy said… “There’s no place like home.”

For those of you who don’t know, my (Jody’s) maiden name is Brouillet. Pronounced just like the desert – Brew-lay. For the first time since Zach and I have been married all the Brouillet gals were finally together at the same time!

Of course Zach and I were supposedly on vacation relaxing from work but we couldn’t resist pulling out the cameras and taking a few shots! I think eventually we started getting on Zach nerves because we all were being so picky with what photos we liked and didn’t…. ha ha…. that’s girls for you!

This is my younger sister Kelly (22). Gentlemen she is single… Come to us first if you are interested in pursuing. If you are somewhat of a creep – don’t even think about it.

Here is all of us!

Mom, Jacq (27 and married, sorry fellas…), Jody, Kelly

Why am I the only one in this photo who looks goofy?

It was great to be with my sisters all together again and with our mom! Awww…. good times… Yay Family :o)

Monday was really great! We got up in the morning, got dressed, and then Jody’s Aunt Julie gave us her car so we could get out and about! We headed over to Bear Rock Cafe to get some stuff taken care of and enjoyed some great soup and sandwiches.

A few days back, while Jody’s aunt and uncle were occupied, we took a few photos of the girls as a gift for their hospitality and wanted to share them!

This is 15 year old Lauren.

This is 13 year old Sydney (named after the Aussie capitol where Julie & Rich used to live).

and the two of them together!

Stay tuned for more sweet shots from our holiday vacation!

Ah, what a great weekend! The first shoot of the weekend was a family Lifestyle Session with Hadiel & Brandon and their adorable and energetic son, Eli :) Check out some teaser photos of the day…

If you are interested in having your own Lifestyle Session with us – contact us via our website for more information! It’s not too late to have photos taken in time for the holidays!

On Saturday we were a part of Alexis & Abdul’s wedding at CJ’s off the Square and we cannot wait to post some photos of that and brag some more on the ladies who run CJ’s! Keep your eyes peeled for those in the next few days!!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!!!