I don’t have any photos from my childhood with my mom. She didn’t feel good about how she looked, so she chose not to be in the photo. Even now, as an adult, I wonder what it would be like to have photos with her from that age.
I think it’s important that my children grow up with pictures on our walls where they can see me and my husband expressing emotion and love for them.
Do I always feel good about my appearance? Absolutely not. Do I hold my kiddos close and take the photos anyway? Yes. (And I hope you will, too.)
It’s worth it.
“Jenny is just amazing! From the wardrobe, to the hair and makeup guru partner she has, to her studio, she works her magic and despite the chaos of young children, she manages to capture the essence of the moment. I will treasure our pictures forever and I’m so glad I came across her page. She is super responsive, so kind and warm, and puts your family at ease. She is the best!!”
I don’t want you to look at your photos and wish you had been hiding. I want you to feel proud to be in them.
That’s why I have an entire wardrobe for you to choose from, and why I’m happy to bring a professional hair and makeup artist to the studio.
Look, you’re beautiful as you are, and I’ve worn less and less makeup the older I’ve gotten. But I also know I feel more confident for photos when someone I trust has glammed me up, even in just the most natural tones. While the choice is always yours, I’m happy to bring sought after beauty gurus to the studio just before your session to make you feel your very best. Especially when doing your own hair and makeup while holding a 2 week old sounds like the last thing you’d want to do, or even physically can do.
I live just outside of Nashville on a little piece of farmland in Thompson's Station, TN full of horse neighbors over our fences + views of hay fields with my family, including our two children and run my private downtown Franklin, TN portrait studio full time after beginning in 2010. In my free time, I am an avid reader + human, golden retriever & horse mom.
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I would love to meet your family!
Motherhood is a wild, beautiful, hard, and amazing ride and showing my clients the simple beauty in it brings me so much happiness.
Thinking about traveling to TN for a session? Many clients visit from out of state, and I would love to help plan your trip to see me.
Also available for travel out of state.
Will they be accepted for who they are? Will they be loved and celebrated for who they are? I sure hope so.
My studio is a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups, and I wish we lived in a culture where it wasn’t necessary to say that. I believe in fairness, equality, and love for all. This includes continually learning to be anti-racist, denouncing white supremacy and antisemitism, and standing with marginalized people.
1. I'm inspired by soft light, layers and textures in creams and whites, and sweet floral patterns, and YOU loving your babies.
2. I'm a Swiftie since the beginning when I was a young 20's music business Belmont student and I explained to my publishing class she was going to be huge; though I love her newer work most. (hands down a Folklore, Evermore, and TPPD girlie, though some other ones are very close to the top too).
3. Good sushi is my favorite food. Never to be turned down.
4. I have 8 tattoos and didn't get my first one until after I had a baby because I was too afraid. I'm less than adventurous, but also have a shockingly high pain tolerance (ask me about how fun breaking my femur in half was).
5. I'm an enneagram 6. This means I've taken care of worrying about everything enough for the both of us, planned out every scenario and how to deal with it, made a backup plan, I keep safety in mind above anything else, and love consistency. Less fun for me, really great for my clients.
I've been mentoring other photographers for over a decade and love teaching. Here's a little more about my background and my work in the motherhood photography space...
Jenny Cruger established the simple. pure. organic. brand of motherhood photography, creating the idea of organic portraits for maternity, newborn, baby, and family sessions beginning in 2010 in the Nashville area, and went on to train top photographers across the country, including those in Texas, California, Atlanta and beyond, in creating a complete experience for clients from the beginning with planning sessions, studio wardrobes, and intimate moments between moms, dads, and their tiniest loves, to ending with luxury heirloom artwork in their homes.
Since establishing her brand & training similar photographers across the United States, Jenny has been featured in various print magazines, like People Magazine, and online press features. In 2015 Jenny + Allison also established The Motherhood Anthology (TMA), training hundreds of photographers in a monthly membership. In 2024 Jenny & Allison gave their shares of TMA away and while no longer affiliated with TMA, Jenny + business partner in education Allison Craig have founded The Profitable Portrait Society in 2024 - for photographers to continue learning from them.
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