420: Creating Emotive Imagery with Storytelling for Newborn and Family Photos with Tiffany Crenshaw

Summary

The Heart & Hustle Podcast - Episode 420 Summary

Title: Creating Emotive Imagery with Storytelling for Newborn and Family Photos with Tiffany Crenshaw
Hosts: Evie McLeod & Lindsey Roman
Guest: Tiffany Crenshaw, Founder of Animal House Photography
Release Date: February 11, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 420 of The Heart & Hustle Podcast, hosts Evie McLeod and Lindsey Roman welcome Tiffany Crenshaw, the creative force behind Animal House Photography. Tiffany specializes in lifestyle newborn and family photography, emphasizing emotive storytelling to capture authentic and timeless moments. This episode delves deep into Tiffany’s approach to creating heartfelt imagery, her methods for client preparation, and her insights on photographing diverse families.

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Guest Background

Tiffany Crenshaw hails from Huntsville, Alabama, where she runs a successful photography business focused on newborn and family sessions. With two daughters and a son, Tiffany balances her entrepreneurial endeavors with homeschooling her children. Her journey into photography was unplanned; initially hesitant to turn her passion into a business, she was encouraged by a coworker to embrace her innate storytelling ability, leading her to establish Animal House Photography.

Notable Quote:
Tiffany shares her pivotal moment:
“I was denying a gift God has given me. … God did bless me with that gift, the gift of vision.” (10:49)

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The Art of Emotive Storytelling in Photography

Tiffany distinguishes her work from the typical posed and contrived photography often seen in newborn and family sessions. Instead of stiff poses and standardized setups reminiscent of hospital catalogs, she focuses on capturing genuine emotions and interactions that tell a unique story for each family.

Key Points:

• Moving away from traditional, posed newborn photography.
• Emphasizing natural interactions and candid moments.
• Creating images that evoke strong emotional responses.

Notable Quote:
“We want pictures to make you feel something, not just follow a standard formula.” (12:11)

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Client Preparation and Setting Expectations

A significant aspect of Tiffany’s process involves thorough client preparation. She conducts face-to-face consultations to understand each family’s unique story and preferences, ensuring that the photography session reflects their authentic selves.

Strategies Include:

• Wardrobe Guidance: Advising clients on clothing choices to avoid matching outfits and instead focus on soft colors and textures that enhance storytelling.
• Home Environment: Helping families select suitable spaces in their homes and reassuring them that a perfectly clean house isn’t necessary.
• Props and Setup: Minimizing props to keep the focus on family interactions rather than staged elements.

Notable Quote:
“I’m here as a documentarian. I let memories unfold naturally.” (24:08)

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Directing Clients During Sessions

Tiffany employs a balanced approach between direction and allowing natural moments to unfold. She positions families thoughtfully to set the scene and then steps back, encouraging them to interact naturally.

Techniques:

• Posing with Purpose: Guiding clients into positions that enhance emotional connections.
• Encouraging Interaction: Prompting families to engage with each other, fostering authentic expressions and connections.

Notable Quote:
“I position them and then let things unfold naturally.” (25:50)

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Handling Awkward Clients

Tiffany shares her experiences working with clients who may be naturally awkward, such as engineers, a significant portion of her clientele in Huntsville. She utilizes specific techniques to ease their discomfort and encourage genuine interactions.

Strategies:

• Redirecting Focus: Encouraging clients to engage with their family members instead of the camera.
• Providing Activities: Giving fathers tasks like complimenting their partners to create meaningful interactions.

Notable Quote:
“I say, ‘I want you to look at your wife and tell her the things you admire most.’ It melts the awkwardness away.” (26:46)

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Incorporating Music and Environment

Music plays a pivotal role in Tiffany’s family sessions, particularly outdoor ones. She curates playlists based on client preferences to create a relaxed atmosphere, enabling families to engage naturally without the presence of the photographer becoming intrusive.

Key Points:

• Customized Playlists: Tailoring music to the family’s taste to set the mood.
• Minimal Stimulation for Newborns: Using white noise machines during newborn sessions to keep babies calm.

Notable Quote:
“Music helps eliminate awkward silent spaces and allows families to connect naturally.” (30:09)

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Editing Techniques for Emotive Imagery

Tiffany emphasizes the importance of editing in enhancing the emotional depth of photographs. Her approach ensures that skin tones are honored, especially in interracial families, and that images maintain a warm, natural feel.

Editing Practices:

• Warm Lighting: Prioritizing warm light to evoke emotion.
• Skin Tone Accuracy: Carefully adjusting edits to respect diverse skin tones without over-smoothing.
• Consistent Style: Maintaining a moody yet vibrant aesthetic that keeps images lifelike and full of emotion.

Notable Quote:
“I want it to feel very organic and true to the stage that they're in.” (34:32)

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Photographing Families with Multiple Kids

Tiffany thrives when photographing families with multiple children, viewing it as an opportunity to capture dynamic interactions and varied emotions. She employs strategies to manage different ages and personalities, ensuring each child feels comfortable and engaged.

Techniques:

• Activity-Based Posing: Incorporating activities like playing football to provide natural interaction opportunities.
• Layering and Framing: Using architectural elements to create structured yet emotive compositions.
• Individualization: Tailoring poses and interactions to each child's personality and interests.

Notable Quote:
“The more the merrier. It’s about capturing the love and story that may not be visible in daily life.” (40:33)

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Posing Older Kids and Teenagers

Photographing older children, especially teenagers, can be challenging due to their self-consciousness. Tiffany shares her approach to making them feel at ease and capturing their authentic selves.

Strategies:

• Relatable Activities: Engaging teenagers in activities they enjoy, such as sports or casual walks, to encourage natural expressions.
• Storytelling Prompts: Asking reflective or humorous questions to elicit genuine reactions and interactions.
• Environment Utilization: Choosing locations with architectural interest to add depth to images without forcing poses.

Notable Quote:
“Having mom share something embarrassing about them makes both smile and connects their present to their past.” (47:06)

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Advice for Aspiring Emotive Family Photographers

Tiffany offers valuable insights for photographers aiming to specialize in emotive family and newborn photography. Her recommendations focus on continuous learning, client engagement, and refining one’s unique artistic voice.

Key Advice:

• Study and Inspiration: Regularly studying other artists and art forms to fuel creativity and technical skills.
• Client Relationships: Building strong connections with clients to understand and capture their authentic stories.
• Consistent Practice: Continuously shooting and experimenting to hone your craft.
• Strategic Portfolio Building: Utilizing model calls to showcase desired styles and attract like-minded clients.

Notable Quote:
“Stay inspired and invest time in understanding what makes your images breathe emotion.” (53:43)

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Conclusion

Episode 420 of The Heart & Hustle Podcast offers an in-depth exploration of emotive storytelling in family and newborn photography through Tiffany Crenshaw’s expert lens. Her insights on client preparation, directing sessions, handling diverse families, and thoughtful editing provide invaluable guidance for photographers seeking to create meaningful and authentic imagery. Tiffany’s passion for capturing real moments underscores the essence of her work, making this episode a goldmine for creative entrepreneurs in the photography industry.

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Connect with Tiffany Crenshaw:
Follow Tiffany on Instagram at @AnimalHousePhotography to explore her stunning portfolio and book your own emotive family or newborn session.

Transcript

[Abbie McLeod]

You're listening to the Heart and Hustle podcast. We are your hosts Abbie McLeod and Lindsay Roman. Welcome back to another episode and this one, my friend, is going to be good. We had the incredible Tiffany Crenshaw on. If you don't already know her, Tiffany is the artist and boss babe behind Animal House photography. She is a lifestyle newborn and family photographer passionate about creating timeless moments that tell unique stories for her clients. As she's developed and refined her craft and voice as an artist, she has taken that knowledge and turned it into education for other photographers that hope to do the same. Running a profitable and joy filled business that serves her clients and more importantly, her family is the heart behind her education.

[Lindsay Roman]

So today's episode with Tiffany we just dived off the deep end into how to create a newborn and family photography business that is not the typical hospital JC Penney catalog like type of nothing cookie cutter. Nothing. Yeah, nothing cookie cutter that you think of when you think of newborn specifically photos or just those stiff posed family photos that just seem contrived. Tiffany is an expert at just going in and getting the emotion and really focusing on storytelling in her images. So we dived off the deep end and went all in on that. She talked to us about how she preps her clients, what to expect, how to shoot in in home sessions and kind of how to deal with their outfits, their house just to really bring forth storytelling based moments. She also dived into posing a lot and editing even. We even touched on how to edit interracial couples. So that was like a little nugget that was a little off topic but still so so good. And she I think also we talked about how to pose specifically the like teenage age 16 year old boy. Yeah. During a family session when like it's really easy to photograph like a five year old girl in a dress running around but like it's kind of a little bit harder. And she gave a phenomenal answ for what to do with high school or just older kids when it is in a family session scenario. This is a goldmind of information you need to listen to this episode. If you are a family photographer, if you are a newborn photographer, if you are a wannabe of either of those two things or even I would argue even if you are a couple photographer or any other photographer, there is so much wisdom to glean from everything that she shared in this episode. So don't go anywhere, click the play button or the continue.

[Abbie McLeod]

I was going to say they're listening.

[Lindsay Roman]

They'Re listening to so don't click Pause and we'll be right back.

[Abbie McLeod]

Let me guess. You're sitting on your couch, feeling lonely as heck and desperately looking for a business BFF who actually knows what you're going through as an entrepreneur. Once upon a time, we were in your shoes and feeling that exact same loneliness.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yep, we were. Can confirm. Before Evie and I met each other and grew our friendship to what it is today, we felt like we were just exhausting every option to find fellow creative entrepreneurs. And it can just be discouraging, spinning your wheels with little to no progress. But I just want to encourage you today, there is hope and your desire for community is normal because you were designed for community.

[Abbie McLeod]

Which is why we've created a freebie for you. How to build community. As an entrepreneur, we give you all of our tips and tricks to finding your people. All you have to do is go to theheartuniversity.com community to download that free guide today. Hey.

[Lindsay Roman]

Hey.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Hey.

[Lindsay Roman]

I'm Lindsay Roman.

[Abbie McLeod]

And I'm Evie McLeod. And we are family and legacy focused serial entrepreneurs and the founders of the Hart University, a business education company with a mission to help you thrive in your business and life.

[Lindsay Roman]

Welcome to our entrepreneur cocktail hour where business and marketing strategies meet faith, real talk and raw in life changing conversations.

[Abbie McLeod]

At the end of the day, we are all in this together, figuring out how to navigate the ups and downs, the messy and the beautiful and everything in between. This is a community where you can come as you are, get inspired and walk away, equipped to build a legacy filled life.

[Lindsay Roman]

You're listening to the Heart and Hustle podcast.

[Abbie McLeod]

Tiffany. Welcome to the show, friend. We are so excited to have you today.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

I am so excited. I've been like, giddy are giddy to.

[Lindsay Roman]

Have you and to have this conversation with you.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yeah, I feel the giddy vibes are all around at this moment.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yes.

[Abbie McLeod]

I love it.

[Lindsay Roman]

Amazing. Okay, so to start off, just welcoming to the show, Tiffany, who are you? Where are you from? What do you do? All the things. Introduce yourself to our audience.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

All the things. Yeah. So I currently live in Huntsville, Alabama and our family actually moved here in March of 2020, so that was crazy. We moved March 1, so we had no idea what we were moving into.

[Lindsay Roman]

So that was right before the chaos.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

It was about 14 days before the chaos. So we packed up our whole family from South Carolina. We had at the time, we had two daughters. We still have two daughters, but they're 11 and 8. And we moved here in 2020 from South Carolina. My husband is a nurse. He's an he was an ICU nurse. So you know that when we moved here, it was just full crazy. And. And since then, we have welcomed a surprise baby boy to the mix.

[Abbie McLeod]

Congrats.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

He's one and a half. So that's also been just a fun. I feel like the last few years have just been a lot of fun curveballs. So.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yeah, I feel like that's God's movie is like, it is fun curveballs. You didn't see some of this coming, but.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

But here we. But here we are. And so we're loving it. I specialize in family and newborn lifestyle photography, you know, and as well as just mentoring photographers, specifically a lot of mamas. And as they're trying to balance business and motherhood and all the things. We're a homeschooling family. So I am well versed in how to have to manage a lot of. Yeah, A lot of different things at one time. And so we're just living life over here, raising kids and, you know, doing business.

[Abbie McLeod]

Oh my gosh.

[Lindsay Roman]

I love it. You're in good company.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yes. Also like Superwoman, I just have so much respect for mothers and who are homeschooling and running a business and running a household. It's just you literally have basically six full time jobs.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

So many full time jobs. Also, I have to show you my mug. It's Wonder Woman. My husband bought this for me like for a couple years ago. So it's really special because he says you do all the things and he's so proud of me. So I just, I love it.

[Abbie McLeod]

I love that so much.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

That's so cute.

[Abbie McLeod]

You got good man there. You can tell just from the single mug gift.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

The single mug, yes.

[Lindsay Roman]

Oh my gosh.

[Abbie McLeod]

I love it so much. Okay, well, we're going to talk today primarily about your specialty and your thoughts on kind of family photography, newborn photography, and specifically emotive storytelling and honest, you know, authentic storytelling. And I said this before we started recording, but I'm so excited for this topic because I feel like this is something. And maybe it's just my perception because I'm much more in deeper on the world of couples and weddings, but I feel like I hear conversations around storytelling and emotions and you know, all of that in your work around couples and weddings. Maybe a bit more than I do in families or newborns. Like that's.

[Lindsay Roman]

I think, especially newborns.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yeah, I feel like it's not like super rare, but it's not as common to hear that really being discussed. And I'm so excited to have you on Tiffany, and your work is gorgeous. Let's just all get that up.

[Lindsay Roman]

Can you please just, like, drop your handle so people can gawk at you while we talk?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yes.

[Lindsay Roman]

Oh, that rhymed.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Golf while we talk. They can definitely over at Animal House Photography. So I'll definitely send that over to peruse around.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yes. Amazing. Okay, so listeners, feel free to pull up Tiffany's work while we're talking. And it is beautiful, and you'll fall in love and see why. We're talking to the expert today on the emotive and emotional and honest storytelling front of families and newborns. So to start, I guess, kind of foundationally, Tiffany, are you willing to share what got you into specifically families and newborns, like that niche of photography, like, what inspired or drew you to where you're at now?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah. Okay, so I'm going to be really honest. I am not one of those that has a story that's like, oh, I always wanted to be a photographer. I actually never wanted to be a photographer, so.

[Abbie McLeod]

See, that's one of those fun curveballs.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah, it's right. It's one of those God things. Yeah. And my sister is actually a wedding photographer and has been for many years. And I just, you know, had no interest. But as I was having my girls, you know, I just. As I think a lot of moms are like, oh, I just want to take pictures of them, and they're really cute, and, you know, I just want to be able to take pictures. And so that's really where it started. And I was very adamant that I was not turning this into a business. Like, this was not going to be a thing. And then, you know, just over time, as I was taking pictures of them, people started asking like, oh, so do you do photography? And I was like, no, I don't. I love it. And I had a coworker, and I. Anytime I get a chance to share about how I started, I always mention her because she approached me at work one day and she said, I just feel like you're denying a gift God has given you. Whoa. And it really humbled me because, you know, when I picked up a camera, really being able to tell stories, it kind of came naturally. In some ways, I think it's the way I see people in real life. It's also the way I see people behind my lens. And, you know, God did bless me with that, with that gift, the gift of vision. And she was right. And so I said, you know what? I will try. Like, we'll just see if this will be a Thing, and it just. It took off, so.

[Abbie McLeod]

Oh, I love it.

[Lindsay Roman]

That's amazing. What inspired you then to specifically kind of go into motherhood and newborns? Like, how did, like, that specific niche come about?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah, I think it has so much to do with the stage of life that I was in. It felt. It felt relevant, you know, it felt like this is what I'm living. And so I feel like I'm able to capture for others what I would want documented for myself. And that's really what. What steered me in that direction of family and newborns.

[Abbie McLeod]

I love it.

[Lindsay Roman]

So good.

[Abbie McLeod]

Okay, let's dive in. Are we ready? Initially, getting started, did you feel like. You mentioned you had this natural, like, innate gift of a storyteller and kind of being able to see people well and therefore being able to tell their story well? Do you feel like from the beginning of your journey with families with newborns that the, you know, the art of emotive storytelling of really, like, honest to them storytelling was just natural from the beginning, or do you feel like that's something that you've continued to work on and improve and you're like, oh, I can look back now and be like, yeah, there were pieces, but nothing like what it is now? Or was that just natural and it just started right away? Does that make sense?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah. So, no, it was not natural. I think I always had in my mind that I wanted. I wanted pictures to make you feel something, but I started just kind of like throwing spaghetti out there and I had no idea what I was doing. So if you go. If you go back and look at my, like, early work, it's a lot of, you know, like, back to school mini sessions with a desk and, like, an apple and pencils or the bunny rabbit, like, at Easter, like, you were doing things right. So, no, it was. I did not have it. I was not it. I might have thought I was it when I started, but I was not. And. And then also with babies, you know, all I knew was posing babies. Like, when you looked at newborn work, it was just like babies in baskets.

[Lindsay Roman]

And things like that.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

The hands lifting up, they're like in these positions. And honestly, that's just what I was like, oh, that's what you do with babies. And I quickly realized one, that I had no skill set in doing that. And that is so important with newborn photography. It's easy to see something on Pinterest and think like, oh, I can do that, but you really need skilled training to do those things. But also, it just didn't feel it didn't make me feel anything. You know, when I looked at some of those pose, they just felt really stiff. They felt cold, if that makes sense. And, you know, I was like, this is not where. This is not what makes me feel something. And so I knew quickly wrapping babies and putting them in things like that wasn't going to be it for me. But I had to take some time to figure out how to get those images that I saw in my mind.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah, that's good. Well, so then how did you begin the process of kind of, I guess, like, introducing emotion? Not introducing emotion, but just kind of going after that style that felt very emotive and storytelling based. Like, how do you. How did you begin? Did you set up, like, when you first started? Did you just do free shoots? Or did you were, like, your first clients wanting things like that?

[Abbie McLeod]

Or.

[Lindsay Roman]

Or was it. Obviously, you said it was a journey because you said, like, the whole, like, apple chalkboard. Yeah. The death.

[Abbie McLeod]

The Easter bunny.

[Lindsay Roman]

Thank you. I'm like, what are the words? My brain is not firing on all cylinders today. But I guess, how did you, like, transition into that? And how did your clients fall? Or, like, did you set that tone forth with the things that you were putting out, and then you started attracting clients that kind of were wanting those things, or did you almost fall into it from the clients that you already had? Does that make sense?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah. And, yeah, it does. So when I started, I really didn't have a huge client base. I was a teacher, so I taught second grade, and then I was a reading coach for several years. And so I was kind of starting from. From really ground zero. I did have a few people because they saw the things I did with my children that were asking, like, oh, can you do this? And so I did a couple newborn shoots. I know that those mamas still love their pictures. I cringe a little bit. I'm gonna be honest. When I go back and look at them, I want to say, I'm so sorry. But you know what? It's their babies. And so any picture of your baby, you are going to love because it's. It's your baby. So. But what I did is I started one being a learner and really studying. Like, I. I studied movies, I studied other artists, I studied music lyrics, anything that would help me to be inspired and to really understand that connection between a mama and her children. My own life, like, just looking at my children, spending time watching them play, taking notes. Like, I really just tried to really, like, figure out, okay, what is it that makes an image make you just like, you know, that. That. That takes your breath away. That feeling like, what is it about pictures that does that? And so I just started studying so much, and I did model calls. I actually just made a little, like, model call guide that helps you, like, learn how to really have a model call. Because when I started, it was kind of like, anybody want free pictures of. And as we know as photographers, that opens the gate for a lot of misaligned models for your business. And so spending the time to really try to have model calls that were specific, like, okay, I am looking for a newborn and a family that has one other child, and letting them know I'm learning. So this is good, you know, this is my time to learn. Are you open to that? And I did a lot of that. And I think as I started putting more of those things out, people started. Started noticing, like, oh, I really like. I really like those pictures. And it kind of started to build from there.

[Abbie McLeod]

I love it. I think that space. I mean, we talk about this a ton in. In any situation as a photographer where you're trying to kind of shift either ideal clients or the type of work you're creating, even if the clients may still align with it. But you're like, they don't even know what's in my head. I don't have any examples to give them. And you kind of have to shift your style in any way, having those free sessions, those creative sessions, as I love to call them, where you have such less, like, your responsibility and. Or demand on you in that situation of like, oh, I have paying client that I must deliver X, Y, and Z, that cuts your creativity at the ankles or at the knees, like, you're just. It's you. There's so much less freedom to do what you need to do. But when you have, like, those sessions where you're like, hey, I'm learning. I'm experimenting. Experimenting with a new style. I want to try this and this. That gives you so much freedom on a session. And then you're able to create this work that's getting you, like you said, Tiffany, like, closer and closer to where you're like, this is. I'm getting there. I'm. I'm experimenting. I don't like doing this. I love doing this. I would love to hear from you, Tiffany, in some of those creative sessions or even just now, have there been any of those things that as you've experimented or noticed, oh, my gosh, this makes a huge difference in creating really emotive work versus more Maybe cookie cutter or like you said, cold. Like leaning a little towards, like, less emotion. It just feels.

[Lindsay Roman]

I'm thinking of like the typical hospital photographers that, like, it feels like, contrived almost.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah.

[Abbie McLeod]

Or staged or however you want to call it.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Right, right.

[Abbie McLeod]

Have you noticed anything that you do or that was a big shift for you, that kind of like, turned corner of, like, getting from point A to point B?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah. So I think there's. I don't know, there's so many things I'm like, oh, gosh. So I think one is setting even expectations with my clients. And I don't know if I'm like, hopping ahead, but just I think setting expectations of what it's going to look like to capture the images that they're wanting. Because, you know, people say they want candid and they want, like, a motive, but then they just look at the camera and smile at you and, you know, show up wearing. Everyone is wearing the same exact thing. Like, if you. If you, you know. And of course that feels contrived and that doesn't feel authentic. Right. Because no one just shows up dressed the same for things. Like, there's just little details like that that I think prepping them for this is how you have those emotive moments, you know, and getting them ready and letting them see images that reflect what it is I'm going to be shooting for them helps, like, so much. That would be one of the things. One of the things with helping get those emotive images really is wardrobe and helping clients with what they're going to wear. Because when you have everyone show up, everybody's matching, everybody's wearing the same thing, it doesn't give that authentic vibe. Right. And so you have to really steer them and you have to help guide them because they don't know and, you know, helping them with choosing soft colors with things with texture, things that are going to help enhance that story is really one of those things that I've noticed has transformed my images over the years. And so all that, like, pre work that we do to prep our clients. Same, I know with weddings and couples, but just a little bit different because now we're talking about families and a lot of multiple people that we're bringing together for these pictures.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Roman]

For newborns specifically, is there anything that you tell your clients to prep as far as, like, what. Especially because it's different than, like, a typical, like, standard hospital style newborn session. Like, what do you tell your clients to prepare for with, like, newborn in mind? Or, like, I don't Know, does that mean, like, I feel like the typical quintessential newborn photographer comes in with like a studio set and a bunch of baskets and it's like, I guess, what do you say to them to like, prep them experience wise for like, hey, this newborn session is going to be not that.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Right? Yeah. And so one of the things I love to do is a consultation with my clients, like face to face. And I know not everybody does that. A lot of people, you know, hop on a phone call or something like that, but I love being able to sit with moms and talk to them because you're able to really hear their story. And it really starts with their story, honestly. And so being able to hear their story, being able to hear what it is they want to get out of this, what they want to remember from their session is kind of the starting place. And then in terms of from my end, the education, I talk to them about their home and how you don't need to rush and clean your whole house. Because I know as moms, we're like, oh, gosh, someone's coming to take pictures. Like, my house isn't perfect. Just assuring them it doesn't need to be. But talking them through, what spaces in your home do you feel like you would want to use for pictures? I talked to them about window lighting and thinking about, okay, where are the windows? Where are the places that we could go that you would want a portrait captured? And I talked to them about decluttering a little bit, like just those specific areas and how when I get there, I don't want them stressing if I see things that are out of the, that are out of place or that are in the way. I'm gonna grab a laundry basket and I'm gonna throw everything in. I'm gonna move it to a corner so that we can shoot. And so just kind of helping them know what to expect, I think also with newborns, letting them know that I'm not bringing a bunch of props. Props. Like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna bring some simple wraps for the baby. I'm gonna bring a Moses basket. But that's really it. The props are them. Like, I want baby in their arms the whole time. I want mom and dad with baby. I want the siblings with baby. And just kind of helping them to see the big picture of this is your story, this is your time with your family. I'm only here as a documentarian. I'm not here to curate your memories for you, but I'm here to let them Unfold and capture those.

[Abbie McLeod]

I love that.

[Lindsay Roman]

That's so good.

[Abbie McLeod]

In that vein of, you know, the. The more candid, you know, just here to document what's unfolding naturally. Do you direct or prompt your clients, both for families and for newborns? Or maybe it's different for those, too. Do you direct and prompt them? And how does that work? Because obviously, I would assume there's some form of direction, but what does that look like? I guess.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah. Yeah. So there's definitely direction. I'm not a documentary photographer, and I know that sometimes there's confusion about lifestyle versus documentary, and they really are very different. Whereas a documentary photographer purely comes in, no guidance, no adjustments, like, they are just a fly on the wall. Lifestyle is a little bit more of me letting those moments happen naturally, but also setting you up for the best outcome. And so what I'll do with families or newborns is I'll position them in the way that I want them to stand for this particular series of shots, and then I will step away from that so I will get them positioned in a way that I know is going to photograph well. It's going to really capture that emotion. The lighting is going to be falling in the right direction, all of those things, and then I'm going to back away and tell them that I want them now to just be present in the moment with their family. So it's me stepping in, adjusting, and kind of setting the scene and then removing myself to let things unfold naturally.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah. Do you ever have awkward clients where, like. Because I feel like some people need more help than others. You're smiling, so I feel like. But, like, as you're talking, I'm just imagining, like, okay, okay. Can we stand? This is a great window light. All right, let's all, like, get together. Let's cuddle. Let's hold your baby with baby. Cozy with baby. And then they just, like, stand there like sticks, and then just like. Yes, like wet. Describe the next moment of your actions in that scenario.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Well, and the reason I laugh is because Huntsville is an engineering city. Like, that's what Huntsville is known for.

[Lindsay Roman]

So you have a special.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Right. So 99% of my clientele are engineers. So they are very awkward people. And they tell you, like, as soon as I meet with them, one of the first things they say is, we're really awkward. I'm like, I know you are. It's okay. It's okay.

[Abbie McLeod]

No worries. I already knew it.

[Lindsay Roman]

Awkward engineers want great family photos too.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Right. And so it does take a little more work. Because they will get in position and then they'll just stare at you and like. And I'm so. I have to constantly say, I want you to look at your wife. I want you to look at your baby. You know, I have to keep kind of redirecting them to take their eyes off of me. And one thing that helps with that is giving them something to do in that moment. And so I might tell dad, I want you to look at your wife while she's holding your baby and I want you to tell her the things you admire most about her and about the way she cares for your baby. And it gives him something to do. It makes mom's heart melt. They're able to just kind of have that moment together. And it might feel a little weird at first, but the more that they start talking and getting into that, you can just kind of see that awkwardness, that anxiety kind of melt away and then just be able to really be in that moment together.

[Abbie McLeod]

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[Lindsay Roman]

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[Abbie McLeod]

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[Lindsay Roman]

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[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah.

[Abbie McLeod]

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[Lindsay Roman]

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[Abbie McLeod]

I have a question. We're getting so in the weeds, and I love it. Do you play music during family sessions? During newborn at home sessions? Is. Is music a part of your workflow to create a specific environment or emotion?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah, so I do play music during family sessions outdoors in the home. I don't play music because I really one with newborns, there's so much stimulation already, and we're trying to get them settled in asleep. And so the white noise machine is like best friend. That's what's playing at the newborn session is like the white noise machine, but for, like, an outdoor family session. I have my Bluetooth speaker. I've already prepped them with a questionnaire to find out what kind of music they like. Now, sometimes, depending on what they say, I might put in my own music if it's a little like, we're not going like, you know, scream, roll, like, anything like that at a family session. But I will put a playlist together, and that also really helps because there's not this awkward silent space between them and me. They're able to just kind of, like, chill. They can listen to music, they can talk amongst themselves, and I can step back and start capturing different angles and the different elements of the story that I'm trying to tell.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah, that's good. That's so good. I have a question about editing. Do you think the editing style impacts the way that the emotion is brought forth in, like, a storytelling image?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah, so I do. And I think editing, but also the settings and the way you shoot to begin with, like, starting, you know, right away. Like I said, I look a lot. Whether it's indoor or outdoor, light is really my number one, like, emotive tool. And so for me, warm light is what really brings out emotion. And if you're in a home, it's shadows. And that contrast between light and shadows is something that really drives emotion. And so setting up my camera initially to really capture things that way, and then When I edit, I tend to be a little bit on the moody side. Like, I'm not full moody. I like color. I like for people to. I'm really particular about skin tones. One reason being just our own personal family, we had a hard time finding photographers. We're an interracial family, and so we have very different skin tones. And I noticed that when I was looking for photographers, I would see either like, really light and airy, very bright photos that tend to wash out people of color, or things were too dark and moody to where me and my children couldn't be seen very well. And so I really wanted to make sure that the way I edit was appropriate for all skin tones. And I like it to be warm, but I also like to really make sure that it's not going too dark, that they're still able to feel like there's life in those images and light. Also when it comes to like skin smoothing and editing, I know that's like a big topic of like, contention between photographers. And I feel like we go through these waves. Like when I first started, everything was like, there was like grain and that was like, cool. But then quickly, like, there was no grain and it was completely smooth skin and like edited. And now if you notice, like, the grain is coming back and I'm actually, I love it. I'm like, here for it. So I've kind of stayed consistent. Like, I. I like skin to, to feel like it's polished but real. Yeah. When it's my in home newborns, I do not edit away things like the little flaky skin that they have. Like, it's something that is so tangibly newborn. And I want when mom looks at those pictures to immediately go right back to that time to where they were wrinkly and little. And that smell. Like you can just, you can immediately, like through a picture, it can take you right back. And so I never, like, smooth my baby's skin. I want it to feel very organic and very true to that stage that they're in.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah, that's so good.

[Abbie McLeod]

I have a very specific follow up question on that and this is just my curiosity.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

I love it.

[Abbie McLeod]

What do you do about baby acne? Do you smooth that at all or.

[Lindsay Roman]

Wait, I have so much. I want to know the answer to that because I always, always happen to just schedule my newborn sessions, like about a month after. Don't do it, guys. About a month after is right when it pops up.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

I was gonna say three weeks. They start, like all of a sudden they just have these like, Massive breakouts. And yeah, I do edit baby acne. I. And mainly it's just because I know it's so temporary and it's such a like yeah, hormonal response that not all babies go through. You know. Whereas like flaky skin, that's a universal like that is a newborn thing. And so I will edit out the, you know, the baby acne and take out some of the redness. Like fairer skinned babies sometimes tend to be really red. So I'll kind of tone that down.

[Lindsay Roman]

That's a nice way to say it.

[Abbie McLeod]

I also feel like there's like such a, like when I think of like the little newborn, like little like flakiness or you know, whatever. I just like, I'm like, oh. When I think of baby acne. Not that I don't still think like oh. But there's just an element that you're like, okay, like it, it's a phase for a lot of babies.

[Lindsay Roman]

It's just like this belongs. But they're 13 year old boy, whatever.

[Abbie McLeod]

He'S doing, like there's, there's a little bit of another feeling around the baby acne that I could see. That was, that's why I was curious when you said like you didn't really retouch baby skin. I was like question baby acne. Is there an exception there? Yeah.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

So that is. Yeah.

[Lindsay Roman]

Okay. I have, I have another specific question based on what you said earlier you about like doing interracial couples. Whether it's not doing. Sorry, editing interracial couples. Do you have advice specifically on editing for like do you find. I often find. I think it depends so much on the light. It depends on the setting. But if, if I just like slap on my preset and start editing 9 times out of 10 again it depends on where I'm shooting. Like it. It roughly covers both skin tones like nicely. Do you find that you have to like spot correct like the lighter one or the darker one? Does that make sense? Like do you have to go in? Like how do you handle that?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah. So usually what I'll do is I'll start with that preset that I use. Whichever one you know, I typically use I have different for in Home vs Outdoor, but I'll start there and then I like to do a lot of masking of subjects individually so that way I can make those like adjustments. A lot of times with the darker skin tones I tend to pull out some of the saturation because they already are naturally have that natural warm glow. It's, you know, it's the melanin. I don't know what to say about it, but it's already there, so I try to, like, tone that down a little bit. But then also sometimes I tend to need to warm up the lighter skin a little bit. And so I like to do masks for my subjects to make sure that both are edited appropriately.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah. That's awesome.

[Abbie McLeod]

I must say. The whole Lightroom, I mean, this is. This is old news at this point, but it still blows my mind after.

[Lindsay Roman]

Like, you can subject or, like, mask select people.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yes. The new. Like, I know this is.

[Lindsay Roman]

Don't say new.

[Abbie McLeod]

I know this is old news. I really do. But when you've spent, like, 10, 12 years without it and then it comes in, even though it's probably like. I think it's like a year.

[Lindsay Roman]

Select their face, select the sky, select.

[Abbie McLeod]

The background, select like, that in Lightroom has genuinely transformed so much of. Of workflows. And I'm sure, as you're talking Tiffany right now about, like, masking specific subjects, and I'm like, that in and of itself is a game changer for that.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah, it really is. I mean, I don't know why it took them so long to do this, but I rarely open Photoshop. Honestly, like, it's, you know, for removal of things. Because Lightroom still doesn't do a great job on, like, removing. It's getting better.

[Abbie McLeod]

It's behind still.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

It's. It's behind, but for the masking. It's. It's so helpful. Yeah. And I think it's just so important for people to spend time honoring skin tones. I think it's not something to just like, stick the preset and move on, like, to really make sure that it's. That it's genuine and that it's true to life, for sure.

[Lindsay Roman]

Well, and it's like, I think skin tones, like, all. It's. It applies to all of the photos. Like, I even think of, like, the colors of the shirts that they're wearing. Or this is maybe more for, like, wedding photographers. I always think about deal. When it's like, bridesmaids colors of their dresses. It's like, okay, is the grooms. Is your edit affecting skin tones or colors so much that they no longer reflect what they naturally look like?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

What they wore.

[Abbie McLeod]

Right.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Lindsay Roman]

Or what they look like. And it's like, it just.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Just.

[Lindsay Roman]

You need to honor. Honor that. So thank you for giving those tips. That's helpful.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yeah, 100%. Okay. I'm curious switching almost, because I feel like we've touched a Little bit on the newborn side of things. And the approach there, switching back to kind of outdoor families. How do you approach a family session where there are multiple kids, maybe some older, some younger, or maybe just families in general, where it can sometimes be a little bit tricky, wrangling either a bunch of kids or there's large age differences or anything like that, where you maybe you've heard, like, photographers, family photographers come to you and be like, how do I do this? Those tricky families, those difficult families where you feel like you're wrangling a lot of varying situations. What are your thoughts in those or tips in those seasons or situations?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah, I actually love families that have a bunch of children. Like, I know some people that gives them hives, and they're currently, like, itching right now just even thinking about having a bunch of children. But I'm like, the more the merrier, because I feel like those parents specifically feel. They come into a session feeling like this is going to be a disaster. Like, that's. That is their. And they'll tell me, if you just get, like, one good picture, I'll be so happy. And I'm like, okay, challenge accepted. Let me roll up my sleeves. Like, you know? And so I think, again, it starts with, like. Like setting those expectations with them that I am not going to make them all sit down and be still. Like, I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to force children to do things they don't want to do. And so if. If your toddler is not wanting to sit and, you know, do this thing, okay, we're gonna go and we're gonna follow their interest. So if they're obsessed with this rock over here, then I want mom to go sit behind them and let them be obsessed with this rock while she plays with their hair, while she rubs their back. And so we're still able to document these moments, but in a way that makes the children happy and makes them feel like this session is something that they want to do. Right. And so I think it starts with setting those expectations for what this is going to look like and what it's not going to look like. I think it helps dads, too, because. Because it's been a long time since I've had a grumpy dad. I mean, like, I know that a lot of photographers are, like, for families, like, oh, dads. I honestly don't experience that anymore. And I think that it's for a couple reasons. I think one price point makes a big difference with that, because when people are Investing in an experience. They're going to show up in their best way for you. And then I also think it's because I'm telling dad, hey, I just want you to play with your children. That's all. I want you to play with your children, and I want you to touch and love all over your wife. And the women are like, eye roll. Like, oh, my gosh. And Dad's like, yes. I get to just like, touch all over and kiss all over my wife in this session. Like, perfect. Sign me up, you know? And so I think setting that stage for them of what this is going to feel like and what their roles are really helps. And then when we get to the day of, I try to start with those more posed images that I know, like, grandma is going to want that Christmas card. We do that. And I tell them, now we're done with that. If I don't ask you to look at my camera, then I don't want you to do that. Yeah, like, we're done. We're done looking at the camera. I want you to play. I want you to enjoy each other. We play games. I kind of have a list of games for families that need more direction. But there's some families that come and they just naturally are playing together. They're doing things. And so my role steps back a little bit, and it's more again, of that, like, documenting versus having to really structure them. But if they're like a full engineer family, like mom, dad, the kids are in training, there are those families that I'm like, okay, I'm gonna put your hands right where they need to go. I'm gonn you over here, and I want you to look at the water. That's just. I just want you guys to look at the water. Okay. And then I'm going to move myself. Rather than trying to make kids always be the ones to move, I'm going to move myself so that I'm photographing from the front, from back. I'm going to get overhead and get those more emotive angles where the child is close. And you see hands, you see them looking up. Like, I'm going to do a360 and move around the scene that I've set them up in.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah, I love that. It's like you have to micromanage every, like, ligament of their body.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yes.

[Lindsay Roman]

Ligament is not the. Not the word that I meant to say. What's like joint? Yeah. No, no. Yeah, maybe it is like, but you micromanage every part of their body to make it look natural, even though it's like definitely not.

[Abbie McLeod]

Well, I feel like some people just genuinely need to be assisted to getting to point A and then they can flow from there. Yeah, it's like getting to the initial pose is so difficult for some who are maybe overanalyzing, which kind of fits the. The engineer category. It's very like black and white.

[Lindsay Roman]

All the engineers listening to this podcast are like highly offended.

[Abbie McLeod]

Or, or they're self aware and they're like, yeah, checks out.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

They know who they are. Okay.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah, they know who they are.

[Abbie McLeod]

Not everyone fits in every bucket.

[Lindsay Roman]

Let's real.

[Abbie McLeod]

So there's exceptions in every situation, but yeah, sometimes too. You just need to get some people to a place where they can. Then they'll be able to relax because they're like, oh, I, I've accomplished this pose. I've reached the pose that the photographer wants. And then somehow they like start shifting and playing with each other or whatever.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Right.

[Abbie McLeod]

And it almost turns into a natural interaction. But you kind of have to help them start on that road.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Right?

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah, right. Or some people need help the entire way, like good old Marvin.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

And that's okay too. But you know what? I love the reveals when those galleries, when we deliver and we do a reveal with them, I love seeing their faces when they realize, oh my gosh, that's us. Like, how did you know? When did you take that picture? Or when did you, you know? And it's just, it's so fulfilling to be able to show them this is what your family looks like. This is the love, this is the story in your family that you may not see because you're in it every day. And because especially as moms, we are so busy keeping everyone alive and just trying to do all the things that we forget to just savor. And so being able to show them what that looks like take is just the best.

[Abbie McLeod]

I love it.

[Lindsay Roman]

That's so good. Do you have any advice on posing older kids or do you shoot older kids too? Like, because when you're saying like cuddles and play with the rock and let's play games, how does that work visually with like a 16 year old boy? You know what I'm saying?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

You had to ask about the, specifically the 16 year old boy.

[Lindsay Roman]

That's that, that's like favorite age.

[Abbie McLeod]

I feel like every photographer out there is like breaking out in hives. Speaking of the family, it's like the.

[Lindsay Roman]

Five year old girl in the little dress. Yes. Get at me all day. But the second the 16 year old boy steps in front of my camera, I'm like, okay.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yes.

[Abbie McLeod]

Oh, Lindsay.

[Lindsay Roman]

I have to, I have to. Our podcast studio assistant, his name is Noah. How old are you, Noah? 15. 15. He's a 15 year old boy.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Sorry, Noah. So sorry.

[Abbie McLeod]

Lindsay's just calling him out. The minute Noah steps in front of my camera, I'm just like, oh, never mind. Noah's wildly offended in the background.

[Lindsay Roman]

I just made eye contact and you just like the dead, like, look. Okay, but how, how would you pose? Like, any family that either is only older kids or there's older kids in combo with the younger kids.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah. And it's funny you asked that because I was going to say, like, one other thing I wanted to talk about was older kids in terms of these emotive sessions because they can be scary. Like, let's just be honest, it can be scary to have to photograph a teenager that is going through some stuff. Right? Like, especially, you know, teenage boys or even middle school aged girls that are trying to figure out their smile. Like, they're a lot of times self conscious. They don't even know, like, how they fit in their own body. And so it can be kind of a hard time. And yes, you're right. You're not going to be like, okay, run in this field with your mom.

[Abbie McLeod]

Hold hands with your mother.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

It's not going to work. So some of it, I think, is location. And when I have families with older kids, I try to be really mindful of where we're going to do those pictures. One of my favorites for older kids is downtown, because it's not this wide open space that they have to somehow fill. You have a lot of the architecture and the structure that can do the storytelling for you. And so you can position them and frame them next to, let's say, a corner of a building. And a lot of times you'll see, in my work, I try to layer people. And so it might be that you have mom on one side and you have son on the other side and they're just standing. They may not even be physically touching, but you're able to document that moment and use the surrounding space as kind of a frame for the story of their relationship and where it's at right now. It might be them eating ice cream downtown or walking, you know, having movement in those pictures with older kids, letting them do something like, like, I want you just to walk with your mom and tell her, you know, what you're most excited about for senior year. Or I want you to walk with your mom and tell and Tell her what's the most embarrassing thing about her? Like just get them to.

[Lindsay Roman]

That's funny.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

And they're like, oh yeah, like I got, you know, and even having mom tell stories about them that make them so embarrassed but also makes them smile because deep down they're still little kids. Like they may have grown bigger but, but they're still little on the inside. And so, you know, having mom share something embarrassing that they did when they were little and getting that eye roll, like mom will appreciate that eye roll because it reminds her of who 16 year old Johnny is right now in this moment. Right. So I think location, I think activity. The last session I did, it was one of my hardest. It was a mom and dad and one 15 year old boy. Okay. So there's not a lot, like you don't have siblings, you don't have, like it's just, it's just three. Right. And so. And that particular boy also was on the spectrum and mom had hesitated to schedule a session because she's like he's not gonna look at the camera and he's not gonna do these things maybe that some other kids will do. And so, you know, reassuring her that. But it's okay. Like what does he love? He loved playing football with his dad. And so we played, we went out to a field, we got football and we played football. Like that was the moments that we, that we captured. And then so much unfolded from, from just those interactions. Putting something physically in someone's hand that they can do so they don't feel like, oh, I'm just standing here, like I don't know, you know, what to do with my body. So I think those are some things that really help.

[Lindsay Roman]

She just like dropped gold and then goes casually. I think those are some things like might help. Yeah, like you just unlocked a lot of people out there. I'm so glad I asked the question about the older 16 year old boy because like, like that you just gave them so many ideas like walking, what are you embarrassed about? Your mom, the ice cream, the, like the football.

[Abbie McLeod]

Like that's just so activities.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah, I feel like.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Roman]

I mean any age I feel like a prop and not like a cheesy prop but like a prop, I. E.

[Abbie McLeod]

An activity to do.

[Lindsay Roman]

Yeah, like something to do. It just helps facilitate, like you said, those storytelling moments that are so effortless and so like rich with emotion and you can just feel them in the image when you see them versus just, you know, and there is a time and place for posed images. Like a wedding day would Be one of them or, you know, a Christmas card. Sure. But, like, there's just. There's such richness and beauty in, like, those moments that you can feel the family dynamic or just like the love of a young boy for his mom or vice versa, you know, and just like, you can feel it in a different way than if they're all just, like, smiling at the camera.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah, right? Yep.

[Abbie McLeod]

I love it. Oh, my gosh, Tiffany, I could talk to you for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours, but I. We also want to honor your time today and all the things. So what would you say to maybe kind of like. Like one of the last questions to the photographer who is either in families or newborns or really wanting to niche down and really specialize in one or both of those who's currently feeling like they're still struggling with getting those, like, true to that family and not just following, you know, a standard formula. What would you encourage them to do? And maybe it's something you already said and just reminding them, like, it's the prep work, it's the communication with your clients, or maybe it's something totally different, but kind of like, last thought, tidbit, encouragement for that family photographer who's like, I want to get to the place where I am so proud of the story that is unfolding in each session for each family.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Right? Yeah. Oh, yeah. So many, so many things. I think one of the things, like I kind of mentioned in the beginning is studying. Studying art in different forms. One activity that I did when I was starting out and I still do, is that I would pick a photographer for, let's say, for the month. And for that month, I would study everything they've done. Somebody that I, you know, I've seen an image of theirs that just, like, spoke to me. And so then when I'm on Instagram or things like that, rather than just mindless scrolling that we, you know, doom scrolling that we all are guilty of, I would go on with the intention of, I am going to spend the next month studying, you know, X, Y or Z photographer, and I'm going to look at all of the angles that they've used. I'm going to look at their lighting, I'm going to look at their. Their client's wardrobe. I'm going to look at the positioning. I'm going to learn inside and out. And I think fueling our inspiration side is just as important as our actual shooting. Because sometimes we may not know how to get to this point, but we can tell if we See it like, yes, this is what I want. And so let me figure out what it is they are doing and how they're doing it. Movies are great. Like finding those scenes in movies that were like, you know, and taking time to notice what was the lighting in that scene, what. What was mom and little girl doing in that scene that made it such a huge thing? What made that emotion come out? And spending the time just with a bucket of popcorn and your notepad and taking note of, okay, this is a scene that I think I could actually help recreate in a family photography situation. And you'd be so amazed at the things that you're able to pull out of different art forms that you, that you're watching or music that you're listening to. And so I think staying inspired is so important. I think also, like I said, the client work beforehand. One of the things that I think my clients come back to me over and over and over again, it's because, and they say it's because they feel like these pictures are capturing real moments of their life and they feel like it's so effortless. But it doesn't just happen just by showing up. It takes a lot of time on the front end. Spending time with them, getting to know their stories, getting to know what season are their kids in right now? Like, what about their kids do they love right now? What about motherhood is really hard right now? What about their child is really difficult right now? And taking time to have them reflect because a lot of times they're like, oh, I haven't thought about that. Like, like, you know, and helping them to dig past, oh, I just want some new pictures. No, you don't. Like, you don't just want some new pictures. There is something on a heart level that you're wanting. And so helping our clients to discover what their story is is going to really help us in the final product of those images. And then I think shooting often doing those model calls, if you look at your feed and you're not happy with it or you feel like, I hear a lot of photographers say, like, I really want these emotive. But only people that want posed are coming to me. And if I spend time on their portfolio, I see all these pictures of everyone smiling at the camera. And so then that's the type of client that you're going to keep attracting. And so spending time doing a model call where you fully have control, you are deciding where it's going to be, what time of day it's going to be, what they're going to be wearing, like, you are the boss of this. Don't let you know, don't let them take charge of this free session or discounted session. But you taking artistic control and then using those images to promote further clients to see, like, oh, yeah, that's what I want. And so it kind of creates this cycle of you pulling in the clients that are gonna value the type of work that you're wanting to do as an artist.

[Abbie McLeod]

Oh, my gosh.

[Lindsay Roman]

I literally. That was just like the clip.

[Abbie McLeod]

That was a TED Talk.

[Lindsay Roman]

Literally, as she was talking, I was like, we need to take that answer and tell Val, our social media girl, to put it on social media so that whatever you just said goes everywhere. That was so good. That was so good in, like, so many regards of just, like, what the purpose is for, why we do this.

[Abbie McLeod]

And how to hone our skill and our craft and the technical, like, study art forms and other photographers and movies and music and paintings and, you know, pay attention to those specifics.

[Lindsay Roman]

Like, pay attention to what attracts your eye or what makes you, like, stop and catch your breath and, like, figure out how you can recreate it with whether, you know, it's light, posing, direction.

[Abbie McLeod]

Communicating with clients, kind of guiding them into what they're ultimately wanting. And a lot of times they don't know how to get there just because they're not in it day after day, the way we are. So kind of guiding them through it and then being like, hey, stay active, keep practicing. Shoot what you want to shoot more of, and then share the heck out of it. Like, that literally was a master class.

[Lindsay Roman]

In like two minutes.

[Abbie McLeod]

Family emotive family photography 101 5. Like, that was so good.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

105.

[Abbie McLeod]

Yes.

[Lindsay Roman]

Tiffany, you have been an absolute joy to talk to today. Thank you for all of your wisdom, for your time, for your just skills of that just sharing all the things that you have to share with our audience and our listeners for anybody that has heard you. And they're like, okay, I need to go follow this girl. I need to hire her for my own family. I need to drive myself to Alabama. All the places where can everyone find you?

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Yeah, they can most connect with me on Instagram over at Animal House Photography. All one word.

[Lindsay Roman]

Amazing. I love it.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

Easy.

[Abbie McLeod]

Tiffany, thank you again for your time and your. Your experience, your wisdom today. We. This was just a gold mine and we are so grateful for your time.

[Tiffany Crenshaw]

A thank you, ladies so much. This was the best.