More Than One Portrait Session: A Photography Studio for Every Stage of Your Family’s Life

A family who visited our studio for Santa portraits last year recently reached out to schedule family portraits. As we talked, I realized something that surprised me. They had no idea we photographed families!

They knew us from their Christmas experience with Santa and Mrs. Claus, but they didn’t realize that family portraits are one of the things we do all year long. They also didn’t know about our high school senior sessions, pet portraits, professional headshots, or the beautiful outdoor spaces surrounding our Franklin studio.

It got me thinking about how families first discover us, and how easy it is to know a photographer for one particular experience without realizing everything else they offer.

Because at Misty Westebbe Photography, we’re not just here for one portrait session or one occasion. We’re here for all the different chapters of your family’s life.

A Little Like Having a Family Doctor, But With a Camera

Think about your family doctor. You don’t necessarily need to find someone new every time your family enters a different stage of life. You have someone who gets to know you, understands your history, and is there as your family’s needs change.

I’ve always loved the idea of photography working in a similar way.

Maybe we first meet when your children are little and you’re bringing them to see Santa. A few years later, you’re ready for a family portrait to display in your home. Before you know it, one of those little ones is graduating from high school, and you’re back at the studio for senior portraits.

Along the way, you might welcome a new grandchild, adopt another fur-baby, or need an updated professional headshot.

All of those moments are part of the same family’s story, and we love being there for them.

Your Family Is Always Changing

One of the beautiful things about family portraits is that your family never stays exactly the same.

Children grow up. Teenagers graduate. Adult children get married and begin families of their own. Grandchildren arrive, and suddenly there’s a whole new generation to include.

Sometimes a family portrait means gathering parents and young children together. Other times, it’s three or four generations coming together, perhaps for the first time in years.

We photograph families of all sizes and ages, from young children to grandparents and great-grandparents. And when everyone is together, we can create different groupings, including the whole family, individual households, grandparents with grandchildren, siblings, and couples.

Those portraits become especially meaningful as the years go by, because they represent the people who make up your family during that particular season of life.

From Little Ones Visiting Santa to High School Seniors

It’s hard to imagine when you’re watching your little one talk to Santa that one day you’ll be scheduling their high school senior portraits.

But those years have a way of moving along!

Our Santa and Mrs. Claus experiences and our spring duckling portraits are often how families first discover our studio. They’re fun childhood experiences, and we love welcoming families back year after year.

But those same children eventually grow into teenagers with their own interests, personalities, and plans for the future.

High school senior photography gives us an opportunity to celebrate who they’ve become. With our indoor studio, gardens, wooded trails, and other outdoor settings, we have so many possibilities for creating portraits that reflect each senior.

And because we’ve often known their families for years, it’s especially meaningful to see those children grow up.

And Of Course, There Are the Fur-Babies!

For so many families, the family portrait wouldn’t be complete without the dog curled up at their feet or the cat who seems to run the household.

Pets are a big part of what we do at Misty Westebbe Photography.

Some families come to us specifically for portraits of their dogs or cats. Others want their pets included in their family portraits, and we love making room for them.

We photograph pets individually, with their people, and as part of larger family groups. Our private two-and-a-half-acre property gives us beautiful outdoor spaces to work with, and our indoor studio offers additional possibilities.

Whether we’re creating a portrait of your entire family with your fur-babies or celebrating the personality of one special pet, they’re all part of your family’s story.

Your Professional Life Is Part of Your Story, Too

Something else families don’t always realize is that we photograph professional headshots.

The same parents who bring their children in for portraits are also business owners, executives, real estate agents, entrepreneurs, teachers, and professionals who need photographs for their work.

Maybe you’ve started a new business, changed careers, received a promotion, or simply realized that the headshot you’ve been using is several years old.

You don’t have to search for another photographer.

Our Franklin studio is fully equipped for professional headshot photography, with studio lighting, backgrounds, and the ability to create a variety of looks depending on how you plan to use your portraits.

It’s another way we can serve the same families we already know.

A Studio That’s Here When You Need Us

There’s something to be said for having an established portrait studio you can return to.

I’ve been a full-time professional photographer for more than 20 years, and over that time, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph families through so many different stages of their lives.

Our Franklin property is both a fully equipped indoor portrait studio and a beautiful outdoor setting, with gardens, wooded trails, stone fences, and spaces we’ve developed specifically with photography in mind.

That means we can create very different portrait experiences without families having to start over with someone new each time.

Just as importantly, we get to know the people we photograph. We learn about their families, their personalities, and what’s important to them. When they return, that relationship continues.

Of course, every portrait experience is a little different, but the care, planning, and attention we put into our work remain the same.

You May Know Us for One Thing, But We’re Here for So Much More

Maybe you first discovered us because of our Santa portraits. Maybe it was a pet photography project, a friend’s family portrait hanging in their home, or a professional headshot you saw online.

However we first meet, I hope you’ll think of Misty Westebbe Photography whenever another chapter of your family’s life deserves to be photographed.

From childhood experiences to senior portraits, from welcoming grandchildren to gathering multiple generations together, from fur-babies to professional headshots, we’re here for so much more than one occasion.

And one of the greatest joys of doing this work is having families come back, year after year, and allowing us to continue telling their stories.

One family. So many chapters. A portrait studio to grow with you.

Misty Westebbe Photography is an award-winning, full-service portrait studio located in Franklin, Tennessee, serving families, high school seniors, pets and their people, and professionals throughout Middle Tennessee. Our studio offers both indoor portrait photography and outdoor settings across our private two-and-a-half-acre property.

Ready for your next portrait experience? Explore our portrait experiences or schedule a Discovery Call to talk about what you’d love to create.