I am always excited when another photographer contacts me to take their pictures. It is the curse of every photographer who is a parent - you can't take the pictures you want of your family and be in them at the same time. It is hard to act naturally and play with your kids AND try and get a picture of it too!

When Heather Wamble of Yet to Be Photography and Design in Lebanon contacted me about photographing her family, I was flattered and delighted all at the same time.

Heather is a beautiful woman with a joyful spirit




And her husband Mike has one of those grins that lets you know he is always up to something...


And together, they make a wonderful team


I had a lot of fun hanging out with Heather, Mike and their three blonde-headed boys at Fiddlers Grove in Lebanon on Saturday morning, even though it was a little cloudy and a lot chilly!


Photographers' kids generally have a bad reputation because their parents are always sticking the camera in their faces. But Ethan, John Patrick and Luke were ALL very agreeable.


And handsome


This is my favorite shot of the boys


Aren't they a cute family?


This is my favorite family shot!


Heather, thanks so much for trusting me to capture these images of your family. I am thrilled for you because I know exactly how it feels to be in your shoes! The family images that have been created for us by other photographers are now some of my most prized posessions! Hope to ship out the remaining images very soon!

Labels: family

Every day I hear from more and more adoptive parents and I just love that I am able to work with families who have experienced God working in their lives in this way. The Miller's have two precious children - Matthew from the Philippines, and Marli, who has just been home 3 months from Vietnam.

This sweet family has all kinds of fun together. They like to read - Matthew is a great reader. Love the expression on Marli's face as she listens to him read.


They like to build - I think Dad and Matthew were building a monster truck here.


Marli likes to play with her Bitty Baby doll.


They like to hang out together and play in the living room.


We took advantage of the gorgeous day and went outside. Dad got a hug from Marli after he helped her put on her coat.


Matthew didn't need as much help. Isn't he handsome?


They played on the swingset and slid down the slide for a while.


International adoption can be challenging when you think of all the children have been through in their lives previous to coming to their new family. I was so glad to hear about it from all angles as it is something we have/are praying about for our own family. Matthew and Marli love each other, but they have each had their own adjustment issues with each other. In a quiet and beautiful moment, Matthew sat down on this rock and Marli wandered over and joined him. Then after Mom told me the dog steers clear of the kids, as all kids and animals do, the dog just wandered over and got some lovin' from the kids. It was a priceless moment.


Matthew took a chance to play on his granddaddy's tractor for a minute.


And everyone went on a little walk hand in hand.


Thank you so much for letting me have fun with you guys this week. I enjoyed every minute. To view all of the Miller's photos when they are released, Click HERE to register.

Labels: adoption, family, lifestyle

Enjoyed spending time with this sweet family today.

This is Gentry, 18 months old and full of energy. He has a killer smile if you can keep him still enough to catch it. We played a lot of peekaboo today.


Three year old big sister Jaren, kissing on 6 week old little brother Easton.


A little snuggle time on the couch as a family


Easton was wide-eyed for a while and I love this expression.




This is Jaren's favorite dog, Murphy


Mom cuddling with Gentry


Love this one of Gentry's blue eyes


Dad worked the night shift in the Vandy E.R. so he was struggling to stay with us for the session. He volunteered to rock Easton to sleep - and this is what we found when we checked in on them.


Gentry was determined to play with the kitty, Sadie


Another shot of peaceful Easton


Sweet baby toes


Thanks for welcoming me into your home guys. I really enjoyed it. To see the Delk Family's complete gallery when it is released, please click here to register.

Labels: family, lifestyle

The Beckey's are such a sweet family. This is a collage of photos I took of them when they were just a few weeks old.


Look how much they have grown! They are 9 months old and such fun babies.


Tiny twin toes




Mr. Asher


Miss Lilly


You'd never know that Asher was sitting in this chair and just decided to fall forward onto the ground and crawl away...he is pretty brave.


Lilly was more cautious, holding on and enjoying things more carefully.


I love this photo of Amy and Lilly.


Another family shot with the warm sun flare. It was a beautiful Fall day.


Brad and Amy, thanks for coming out to play today!

Labels: 9 months, babies, baby club, Fall, family, turner farms, twins

Last post about Mini Sessions and it is hands down my favorite. I love it when someone allows me total creative freedom, and that is just what Christy did when she brought her girls Audrey & Davey to me for photos.





I cannot wait for you to see all of the images from this session. Click HERE to register and be notified when they are released!

Labels: babies, Fall, family, farm, kids, mini session, turner farms

Here's a couple for the Freeman Family. I met Brea through the Bethany Christian Services adoption forums. The Freeman's just brought home little Mary Elizabeth this month. She is just topping 5 pounds...and every bit as sweet as she looks.




To see all of the Freeman's images, click HERE to register.

Labels: celebrating adoption, Fall, family, farm, mini session, turner farms

Sneak preview for the Shackelford's...these guys don't stand a chance with such a beautiful wife and mom.





To see all of the Shackelford's images, click HERE to register.

Labels: Fall, family, farm, mini session, turner farms

Meet Drew! He was adopted from Guatemala and arrived home to his new family about 5 months ago.


This is one of my favorite shots from the whole day of mini sessions.


To see all of the Vits Family images when they are available, click HERE to register.

Labels: celebrating adoption, d, Fall, family, farm, mini session, turner farms

Sneak peek for the Moore's.


Got some GREAT ones of the kids, but I just couldn't resist this sweet shot of Steve & Karen. As my friend Amanda says, I love love.


Click HERE to register to see all of the Moore's pictures when their gallery is available!

Labels: Fall, family, farm, mini session, turner farms

Little sneak preview for the Rustici Family, who just welcomed baby Sienna a few months back!





Click HERE to register to be notified when their complete gallery is available.

Labels: Fall, family, farm, mini session, turner farms

Our day of Mini Sessions went great on Saturday! The weather was beautiful and I am pleased that so many families came out to play at Turner Farms in Antioch.

Here's a little preview for the Williams Family




Click HERE to register to be notified when their gallery is available!

Labels: Fall, family, farm, mini session, turner farms

Ooh - you're in luck. Had a cancellation today for a slot on Sunday. Email me at alison.bynum@comcast.net if you want it before it's GONE.

The details again, in case you need a refresher...
(Christmas Card) Mini Session is a quick outdoor session for up to 5 people at Turner Farms (my family's farmhouse) in Antioch. You will receive 10 online proofs and you may choose one image to receive a digital file and a copyright release so that you can make your Christmas Cards this year. The dates are Oct 27 and 28.

I have one spot open on Sunday and possibly one on Saturday...again - contact me to reserve your date before it's gone. And to the 15 families who are already scheduled, your info packet will be sent by email on Monday and include your link to pay!

These are the only appointments I will be taking for the rest of 2007 - I have to wrap up all of my existing client sessions/weddings so everyone can have their photos by the holidays!

Now scheduling regular sessions for January and February 2008!

Labels: Fall, family, kids, mini session, turner farms

I had a great time yesterday playing in the rain with Steve, Tiffany, Leigha and Kevin for their family photo session in Murfreesboro. Normally I would have rescheduled the session since it was raining off and on and I hate to put my equipment at risk in the moisture, but these guys are headed overseas to become missionaries in just a few short weeks and I didn't want to miss this opportunity to treat them to a session!

We stuck close to porches and covered areas for most of the pictures. This worked out fine - I love this series. This is my favorite family shot of them.






We braved sitting down by the creek and this is where the rain picked up a bit. It was also really wet so we had to agree on no shots from behind after this one!


Kevin was pretty excited about the swing and he climbed up there and struck this pose - I couldn't resist. What a cutie.


Miss Leigha is so beautiful and she had great ideas for different shots too. Thanks for your help - you were great!


Aww.




A little lovin'






I think this one would make a cool prayer card with the text on the bricks. (When I was in high school, we used to call Stephanie's parents' prayer card a "baseball card" when she would give them to us. Her parents were missionaries in Spain.)


Thanks for hanging out with me in the rain yesterday. I think it was worth it to go ahead with your session! God bless you in your journey ahead!

Labels: family, murfreesboro

Lily Grace is a precious princess and I had so much fun hanging out with her at the Oaklands in Murfreesboro. Lily Grace is three years old and as fun as can be! I used to work with her mom, Susan, at the Boys & Girls Club, so it was great to spend time with her family.

Here's Lily Grace


This one is my favorite from the whole day.


Her adorable dress is from Orient Expressed, one of my new favorite lines of children's clothing.


How about that expression?


Big brothers Matthew and Sean were hanging out, hiding behind trees and trying to avoid grass stains or ripped pants until it was time for them to join in the fun. They are great with Lily Grace. They are proud big brothers.


I cannot believe how grown up they are. I remember when Susan used to bring Sean to the Club asleep in his stroller while we worked on different projects.


My favorite shot of the three kids




Lucy the dog stopped by on her way to obedience school to get in on the photo session


Lily Grace had so much fun showing us her ballet skills. She ran and jumped and twirled and floated around. I used an effect on this one to make it perfect for a giclee print (like a watercolor painting on fine art paper).


Susan and Rob, thank you for letting me photograph your sweet family. You guys are awesome and we love you!

Labels: family, murfreesboro

Boys boys boys. I love them. They are so full of curiosity and energy. They will drop everything to explore new places.

I met the Gibson's last night at my favorite photo spot for a Family Portrait Session. It was fun to see the boys faces light up at the train caboose and the old tractors that they were seeing for the first time. Here's a few family shots...









If you know how I shoot, I am pretty "trigger-happy" so I shoot in rapid fire. Eric was funny. He kept saying "Just one more picture, okay?" like "Lady, aren't you done yet? I have stuff to look at!"

Photos of the boys with Jeff were really important to Jana. So here are a few of my favorite ones.






AND, after several years of marriage and a few kids, I think it is rare for couples to get photos of just them. We were able to entertain the kids long enough for a few pics of Jeff and Jana by themselves.


I think it was right after this shot where they started talking about their recent trip to Las Vegas...apparently it was AWESOME.


My favorite from the whole day. So tender.


Gibson's - thanks for inviting me into your life to tell the story of your family. Can't wait for you to see the rest!

If you would like to register to see the complete gallery from the Gibson Family Portrait Session in Murfreesboro, please click here.

Labels: family, murfreesboro

It's happening.

My wedding clients have started having babies. I feel like a proud Auntie as I watch these wonderful families grow.

Everyone knows Jeremy & Nickie from their first dance below, since it has been one of my signature images since it was shot last July.



Saturday morning, I got the honor of joining these two at their home in Memphis as they woke up their sweet 4 month old baby girl Sydney and got her day started.

We got in a little pajama time


Changing into her play clothes for the day. Sydney was born on my fifth wedding anniversary, which was 3 weeks before Norah was born. It will be so fun to see them grow together.


Hanging out as a family in the den




Sydney is a champ in her exersaucer


Rolling around on the floor with Daddy. This is one of my favorite shots. Sydney can almost roll from her back to her tummy but that arm gets in the way!




A snack break was in order. Jeremy & Nickie were telling me that Sydney always puts her hands up like this when she is taking her bottle.


Another favorite


A little more tummy time.


Since the weather is finally bearable once again, we had to run outside for a minute to play.


This is such a typical dad thing to do...I love it.



Jeremy & Nickie, what a pleasure it was to see you in your home with your daughter this weekend. And thank you so much for the embroidered burp cloths with Norah's name on them - that is too sweet of you to think of her! To register to see this complete gallery when it is available, click here.

Labels: babies, family, kids, memphis

I got to take some pictures of my nephew Hank at one week old on Wednesday. He is already wearing size one diapers, so he was hardly small, but he is still a new baby. He didn't much curl left in him though. Some of these pics look like a 2 month old laying there!



As soon as I saw these stars I instantly wanted to take this picture.


Sweet baby boy. He loves doing this with his lips.


My sister-in-law Shai is one of the most beautiful girls I know. She would never admit it or act like it, but she lights up a room with her smile and sparkly eyes, and her genuine care for others. I could cry now...but Shai I am so thankful that we are "sisters" and that we get to raise these little babies together. I love you! Done crying now.


love this


Jason couldn't wait to read to Hank from the Dangerous Book for Boys


a favorite. Jason loves to nibble Hank's ear...




another favorite




This is a sweet little monogrammed outfit




in his Optimus Prime onesie, inside Jason's guitar case

Labels: babies, family, kids

Just wanted to call attention to my week of productivity! I got SIX sessions edited and released and I want to thank everyone for your patience and show you that there is hope if you're waiting for your own gallery! :) Things are finally returning to normal around here.

I will be contacting everyone who has requested a Fall Session in the next couple of days to set up your appointment. I have limited appointment times for regular sessions, but I will be offering some "mini-session" days that are perfect for that Christmas card photo that you'd like to have.

Also, a reminder that this is a busy time of year for wedding consultations. If you are interested in Bynum Photography shooting your wedding, now is the time to give me a shout. I will be unveiling 2008 wedding catalogs in November and would love to send you one!

Labels: Fall, family, kids, wedding

We interrupt this professional blog to bring you a special bulletin. I have tried to keep the personal blogging on my business blog to a minimum, but I had to break in and show you these brand new family photos by our friend and talented photographer Amber Holritz. She traveled to Smyrna on Friday to spend a few hours with Brad, Norah & me so that we could have some family photos showing what life is like right now. I am posting a few of my favorites, and the link to Amber's blog and the slideshow are at the end of the post so you can link over to both. Please comment and tell Amber how much you love our photos too!

My loves.


Here's a few images of our the "big sisters" of the family.


Funny story. This is Misty, in case you've never met her or heard about her. I have had her since she was a kitten when I was 13. (She's now 15 for those of you who don't know how old I am.) One of my friends asked my brother if Misty was still alive because we never talk about her on the blog. Let's just say, Brad is not a fan of the cat, so she doesn't get included in many activities. But she is alive and kicking and just as "Misty" as ever. This is a typical "I do not care that you put a baby in the chair behind me and now want me to act affectionate for a photo" face.


Love this family shot. We were hanging out in our bed. Which we love.


Hanging out in the same spot. Little more snuggly. Focusing on her tiny toes. Awww.


OK - I have been trying to get a few things done, even though I have a couple weeks left of my official maternity leave. Sometimes Norah sits with me while I do something on the computer. We don't do it every time she is awake, but usually this occurs once a day. I think she enjoys the light from the screen, and occasionally she will point out a photo or two that she thinks you might like.


Norah had a bottle and had to endure the agony of burping. Then she went into sleepy baby mode. Here is that look she gets when it's getting close to nap time.


When she fell asleep, I carefully maneuvered Norah out of her blanket and onto the ottoman for some sweet sleeping pics. Here's one of Amber in action - note the ShootSac.


Since I had not yet attempted to photograph Norah like this, I could not resist picking up my own camera to take a few pictures. I mean, it was her first time...Amber was very cool about it. She said, "Well...she is your baby." I thought this was funny because I always say this to my clients. Never apologize for something you want to do with your own family or child. I mean, they are NOT mine!


It was worth it. This shot is one I grabbed. Amber's beautiful ones are on the Holritz Photography Blog and in the slideshow.


View the slideshow of Amber's favorites HERE.

Amber, thank you for making time to come to Smyrna for this session. We truly appreciate the images from this session. We will treasure them forever. Love to you and Nathan and the kiddos. I think this is why you're hot. ;)

Labels: family, personal

Meet the Couey Family.


Jonathan was a very thoughtful husband and gave his sweet wife Cindy a gift certificate for a family portrait session for Mother's Day. I love it when husbands do things like this for their wives - Cindy says that this is something she has been wanting to do for a while!

We met out at Cannonsburgh in Murfreesboro at 7:30AM for the shoot. It was a great temperature outside - mid-sixties- so we weren't even breaking a sweat to do the photos!

Avery is going into the 5th Grade this Fall. When the Couey's arrived for their session, the first thing I heard about was how much Avery liked my tattoo and then he showed me his guitar "tattoo" on his arm. I am really sad that I forgot to take a picture of our tattoos together - that would have rocked, Avery. But we became friends quickly over our love for ink.

Little Miss Maddie is so pretty - but don't tell her that because immediately she will pull the hairbow out of her hair. It's like "you're so pretty" means " take out the bow." She has the whole family trained already at 16 months old. :) Oh, and before you ask, Cindy made this adorable dress.



Avery is a great big brother. He was so patient with Maddie during the whole photo session. It is challenging to photograph kids in the 12-30 months stage...but when you have great "baby wranglers" it works pretty well. I love this kissing picture right here.


These kids have great blue eyes. I thought these three shots would make a nice storyboard. Click the picture to see it larger. It frames out to a 10x20 and the text is customizable.


Headed over the bridge


One of the best things about photographing at Cannonsburgh is the creek. I love a quick refresher at the end of a toasty shoot. Most kids love playing in the creek at the END of our session, and it is usually a great reward for good behavior! Maddie was so cute splashing around.


Look how she wanted to play in the water, but she had a tight grip on big brother Avery for her security. He was so good with her - did I mention that already?




Jonathan, thank you so much for thinking about your wife and giving her the gift of family portraits. Cindy, thank you so much for sharing your story with me and being so encouraging as Brad and I journey to begin our family. Avery - when I see you at church I hope you won't be too embarrassed to say hi! See y'all soon.

Labels: family, kids, murfreesboro

Tim, Holly and bright-eyed baby McClain came out to Turner Farms today for their family portrait session and McClain's 6 month photos. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Just perfect for exploring the outdoors together as a family!





I picked this shot as one of my favorites because it is such a "dad" thing to do. How many times do you see a dad flip their little one upside down, as mom gasps? So cute.








Holly wisely chose blue as the color theme of their outfits today because it definitely accentuated the blue in McClain's eyes.


His eyes were so yummy that I could hardly stand to back off of them while photographing, but I did manage to pull myself away to catch this detail shot of his little feet in the grass.


McClain smiles big like this when mom or dad start singing "Jesus loves me" or "Jesus loves the little children." He is a sweet soul already!


We were going for a couple tummy shots, but rolling around was much more fun.




Thanks so much Bewley Family! And thanks to Mom for the nice ice water to cool us off between shots!

Labels: babies, family, turner farms

Little Miss Bella is 2 and a half, and such a smart and fun little princess. I met her, her Daddy (Dudney) and "M" (Mears to the rest of us) out at the Belle Meade Plantation for a photo session that was received as a gift from M's sister for Christmas. Here's a few of my favorites...

I really liked how Bella and Dudney were making the same face here.


Love those blue eyes. We were playing peekaboo for a few minutes to catch this sweet smile.




After running around in the grass with no shoes on for a bit, Bella slowed down long enough to let her Daddy put her shoes back on. Little moments like this occur every day...it was a very important conversation.


A few shots with the whole family. M's eyes were beautifully sparkly today too.




Possibly my favorite from the whole day. Peek-a-boo with Daddy.


We bonded over the squeaky toy. That's pretty typical for my clients around this age. :)


I think this is a sweet shot of M and Bella. Precious.




Thanks for hanging out with me today, Fox Family. It was fun!

Labels: family, kids

My grandmother, Marvoline Dempsey, or "Mom" as we all know her by, passed away this morning after about a year long battle with cancer (lymphoma). We had just been told last week that she had about 2 months remaining. She was just tired and ready to go home to be with the Lord.

This is from this Thanksgiving.


And these are both from Christmas.



Mom was a talented seamstress for many years. She was also a great cook. But most of all, she was a good grandmother. The kind that took care of you when you were sick, taught you to sew and crochet about a million times and kept a scrap box just for you to play with under her sewing table, was always was proud of you no matter what, and let you eat ice cream when you didn't finish your dinner.

Arrangements:
Marvoline Dempsey
Woodlawn Memorial Park
660 Thompson Lane
Nashville, TN 37204

Visitation: Thursday April 26, 5-8PM
Funeral: Friday April 27, 10AM

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in her memory to Alive Hospice, who provided excellent care and allowed Mom to remain at home and pass away without pain.

Labels: family

I didn't realize it had been so long since I had shot a maternity portrait session, so I am excited to show some off. These are especially fun to show off because they are of Christy, who has been my best friend since we were nine years old. We were each others' maid/matron of honor in our weddings and we have been blessed to add our husbands and Landon, Christy's son, to the mix and it has worked out well for us!

Joey & Christy are expecting their second child, a baby girl whose name will be Lanie Ann, in mid-May. We are all holding our breaths (ok, I am holding my breath) because I am going to be traveling SO much between now and then, and I am planning to be on hand for some "Birth Story" coverage. So, everyone say a little prayer that Lanie Ann will not be 5 weeks early like her brother, which would put her arrival around the time that I am working on the beach in Belize!

Christy is so beautiful. Of course, she is her own worst critic as we all are, but I just love these photos of her. I have always thought she was one of the prettiest people I knew. I think that is true, even as a pregnant woman.











Landon is a pretty cool 4 year old. He has grown up so much in the last few months and he is going to be a great big brother. He already talks about how much he's going to take care of Lanie. He was patting her and tickling her yesterday.









Joey arrived home from work in time to hop in a few photos as well. He is a proud daddy. Can't wait to see what kind of a softy he becomes with Lanie.









I threw in this little collage of Landon because I love the pictures. He has the best eyes...yum.



Sorry for the long post, but I love this girl. Congratulations Rhyne Family!

Labels: family, maternity

I have only shown you one of the Overby's pictures so far, so I decided to put up a few more. They are just so cool I couldn't resist!

I am in love with this shot of Dick & Leslie. I think it is very common once you are past the no-kids part of your marriage, not to take a picture of just the two of you. Leslie was thinking that their wedding might have been the last time they had professional pictures taken of just the two of them. I think this is a shot that can get them by for a few more years... :) This shot and the next couple were taken on the Greenway in Murfreesboro, just off of the Manson Pike Trailhead.



Dick and Addie were having a little race. Can you imagine how special this image will be to her when she is older? I mean, I love it already. There's just something about a dad and his little girl...



Another shot on this bridge. I like the light in this one. Addie was having fun swinging on the arms of whoever would hold her up.



Then we went over to Cannonsburgh, which you all know is one of my favorite places to shoot. There are just so many options for backgrounds, and if kids have never been there, there are LOTS of places to explore. I find a new place every time I go there...

Here's all the kiddos...I think by the end of the day I FINALLY got the boys's names straight - Left to Right, there's Sarah, Jarrod, Addie, Justin and Jeremy. Whew!


Addie went up and down, up and down...over and over. With two year olds, action shots abound because that is what they are at this age - very active!



OK, so this is my favorite from the day. I decided to crop it to a panoramic image...because I really like the way everyone's shoes are different and it kind of illustrates to me how all of these different people blend into a family. And of course, having Addie out front highlights her new special place in this family that has been woven together by God. I think this would look awesome as a 10x20 or 15x30, with a white gallery mat and solid black frame.



So there's my re-cap of the Overby Family. I will be releasing the complete gallery later this week.

Labels: family

Here's a quick favorite shot from the Overby Family's Photo Session in Murfreesboro today. I know you're already in love with Addie from this photo and these last week. Now we can all be in love with how cute her whole family is, and how much they all love their new daughter & sister. Oh - just wait until you see the rest!

Labels: family

We had the most amazing day with Drew & Sarah yesterday! I won't be doing a full post about their beautiful day until Monday, but I couldn't wait to share this one picture! As soon as I took it I couldn't wait to see it again - when you know you have a killer shot you just know!

I will say - the first wedding of the year kicked my butt and I am so sore this morning. But I am charging batteries and cleaning my lenses in preparation of photographing the Overby Family this afternoon. Should be fun! Check back next week for Drew & Sarah's wedding re-cap and photos of the Overby's!

Labels: family, wedding