Gretchen Shaw Photography

The Capdevielle Family

05.04.21

Though these photos were taken a few months ago, I couldn’t go without sharing. I started off 2021 with this sweet family. They are in Memphis for a season and hope to be able to go back home soon. I’m grateful for the opportunity to capture this season of their lives. During this session and even in my editing I was struck by the juxtaposition of beauty and pain. How we shouldn’t and can’t ignore the pain or pretend it doesn’t exist, but through it the beautiful things are more evident and meaningful because they scream the truth that there is beauty, and hope, and redemption, and that one day ALL will be made right. I look forward to that day with you!

Enjoy!

The Oliver Family

04.05.21

Love these people! Always a joy to photograph good friends! This was no exception, of course. And it was an added treat because we had the idea to have the session at our kids’ school! I love New Hope Christian Academy and both of our kids go to school there…”Mr. Chris” (as we call him…it’s weird, but my husband is weird and he comes up with nicknames for people and somehow they stick…..Chris’s kids will sometimes even call him “Mr. Chris”) Anyways, Mr. Chris works at New Hope! One super cool bonus of New Hope is they have this amazing farm that the students frequently visit and help maintain. I actually had not explored it before this session and I was BLOWN AWAY with just how big it is (especially in the middle of the city) and how many different plants they have growing in it, AND how beautiful it was. So, so fun! I’m hoping to be able to do more session there in the future.

Enjoy!

Baby Ford ~ Newborn Portraits

03.09.21

I love any chance to capture the first days of a little new life. I drove out to Millington, TN to a vaguely familiar farm house. It was the perfect backdrop for these photos. I met baby Ford and his parents for what I thought was the first time. I later remembered that I had not only met Mary (Ford’s mother) before, but had been out to her parents farm house years earlier for a crawfish boil. That random day years earlier, ended up being a day I’ll never forgot. My husband, and I, and our 2 month old baby actually got in a bad car accident on the way back from this crawfish boil. I never drive on interstate 51 without thinking of that day, and it was really weird that I thought of our accident on the way to this session, without knowing I was going to the same place we were at years earlier on that memorable day. I’m sounding really dramatic. I don’t have any remaining trauma and me and my family were all fine and recovered easily. I just thought it was funny that I didn’t even realize it at the time of this session.

However, baby Ford was a rock star and a pleasure to photograph! Enjoy his sweet face!

The Smiths

02.22.21

I had to share my favorite mother & son duo on the blog! I love photographing these two! I mean, talk about some beautiful faces! Isaac is just the cutest and I felt like I was just a fly on the wall watching these two play and interact with each other. Isaac’s mom was a genius and brought this parachute that they like to play with together. It photographed well! (Especially with the Broad Ave. colors behind it)

Enjoy!

The Pitzel Family

02.08.21

Mud Island I think became my 2020 favorite spot to shoot. This light is sooo dreamy! I could have stayed all day….if the sun didn’t eventually set. 🙂 I’ve loved getting to photograph so many new families this year. The Pitzels were no exception. I loved getting to capture some sweet moments with their son. I remember the days when we just had one and (though I love my other two) it really was a special time I wish I could go back and visit from time to time. Enjoy these sunny pics!