I have been shooting this stunning mama's older two children for a couple years now.  She's always ready capture those two in photos, but it took a little convincing get her in front of my lens!  She did a portrait session, which meant is was in my studio and I had my amazing hair & makeup gal, Brittany, there to take her elegantly from look-to-look.  

Like a lot of women, my pregnant mommy felt a little awkward and wasn't sure how the maternity photos would turn out, but she was totally game and did all the things I asked!  When she finally saw her photos, she said, "Oh, wow!"  I LOVE when that happens!

Personally, I think she puts Beyonce to shame in that last black and white shot!

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Oh, the Lee girls!  They were so fabulous for this shoot!  I like to refer this type of shoot as a "Stylized Outdoor Lifestyle Photo Shoot / Session."  WHY, you ask?  WELL...because it's a lifestyle shoot in the sense that it was about connection and play and love (and not so much about portrait-style posing and forced smiles), but "stylized" in the sense that they had a very purposeful look of vintage-style dresses and flower crowns.  And, really, it all works amazingly well in this divine cotton field, yes?  100%

(CLICK HERE for info on doing your own outdoor lifestyle session!)

At first the younger sister didn't want to have much to do with me and my camera.  She was a little shy - and I had zero problem with that.  No need to force anything!

But I quickly discovered that she couldn't help but laugh hysterically when she looked at her sister!  Ah ha!  A place to start. :)

Part of why I love these girls so much is because they are simply beautiful, and they both represent fleeting times in a child's life.  The older one has her grown-up teeth in and it reminded me completely of myself when mine came in - and how many young kids appear when they are small and all their grown-up sized teeth come in.  She was self-conscious, but I only saw one of the first phases of life as it peels away the layers of childhood to reveal, piece-by-piece, the building blocks of adulthood - and how beautiful that looked on her. 

Her younger sister, still free in the full-on childhood phase, felt safe with her sister and shy with me.  But opened up eventually, because I'm patient like that.  And I have two girls of my own, so I felt an automatic connection, as us mamas tend to do. 

Taking care of each other.

I could tell she also had a level of maturity that her age was bringing to her.

Ah, ha!  There it was!  I got a little personality thrown my way. :)

And can we just talk about this unbelievable field for a minute??  And the light!  And the dresses and crowns and beautiful girls!  OMG, the stars aligned for this photo shoot!

Oh, those eyes. 

You don't need to see someone's face to capture something special.  Our body language often speaks louder than our words.  I just loved these two little goofballs holding hands!

Twirling.

So, I like to think I'm pretty good with kiddos, no matter what their disposition.  I love that she flashed me that giant smile - and without the comfort of her sister nearby!  Totally winning as a photographer, here.

"So we're running just as fast as we can / Holding on to one another's hand..."

There it is again! That smile!

HAHA!  TOTALLY warmed up by now!!

It was almost impossible to get these girls out of the cotton field.  They were having a BLAST just playing and being together and doing it all in a super cool environment.  Thank you, girls, for simply being you that night!

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Hey, I'm Liza Hippler and I'm a lifestyle and portrait photographer located in Franklin, TN.  I serve the Middle TN and surrounding areas including Brentwood, Nashville and Spring Hill. I would love to talk with you about creating a divine photo shoot for you and your family. For real.