Hello 2023!

Hello 2023! I don’t know about you all but 2022 went by super fast. I have made a change, I have decided to no longer offer boudoir sessions. As much fun as I have shooting them and editing them, realistically my space for boudoir isn’t awesome.

I will do location boudoir sessions if asked about it but I won’t be offering or advertising for studio boudoir sessions any longer. There are so many amazing local boudoir photographers who specialize in boudoir and have an amazing studio space to shoot them in.

I would love to have my own little space to shoot them in but my studio doesn’t give me that space.  I will refer all you amazing people who are interested in boudoir to other local photographers who will be able to capture your vision.

ALSO

This year I am 40, so for the entire year of 2023 I am going to offer a little something different.  Buy 1 full session; get your 2nd full session for 40% off.

This of course is not valid on other promotions/sales such as holiday themed sessions that are already discounted.

It has been a while, hasn’t it?

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all good, a lot has been happening in the world the past few years, especially with Covid 19. I have not written a blog or an update in a good while. I wanted to let everyone know that I am still here! I have been not as “active” due to working on my mental health but was still doing sessions here and there. There have been some changes, which I am now just mentioning.

Not too terribly long ago I started going through a “rebrand” in the sense of changing my business name. I was Crystal Arroyo Photography, but I have been divorced since 2018, I figured it was time to change my name due to a new serious relationship, with possible marriage in the future.

I am now Crystal Lynn Photography; I just changed my last name to my middle name. Which honestly I should have done when I created my business, but lessons have been learned!

I have spent many months changing Arroyo to Lynn with anything affiliated with my business.  It has been a process, more complicated than I expected but I continue to push forward.

I am still at the same location, and currently going through a small studio remodel. I am not doing anything that will cause issues with doing studio sessions by any means. I am just trying to make it more aesthetically pleasing and way more functional for me to work in. I am very excited and cannot wait until it’s finished.

With all that being said I have been feeling really good. Focused just like I use to be, feeling normal per say.  I have been diagnosed with PTSD, severe anxiety and moderate-severe OCD and have been seeing my lovely therapist for about 3 years now.  I also have a med management therapist who I also adore and I am completely grateful for both of these women.  

For anyone who has been following me since 2012, you all have seen my daughter Caidence.  My little girl has become a little woman, and she is now 15 and a Sophomore in high school  ::faints::  My baby boy Bentley isn’t a baby anymore but a 6 year old and in First Grade and amazes me every single day with how smart and witty he is. Both of my kids keep me on my toes for extremely different reasons.  They keep me young but at the same time cause my hair to change color, haha.

This year I turn the big 40, which is a milestone for me. I also have spent this year realizing that I have practically lived half my life already. It has gone by so fast. I feel way too immature to be turning 40 in December.  I have chosen to take measures to make the other half of my life amazing. This is why working on my mental health is a huge priority. I want to be the best mother I can possibly be to my children. I am creating the best version of myself and a way happier version of myself.

I could continue to ramble but that may be best for in person

I am excited to announce that I have purchased two new Christmas backdrops. One has arrived and I am waiting on the other so I can start booking. I am aiming to start booking Christmas sessions starting early October and continue through December.

I want to thank everyone who has followed me, supported me, and watched me grow into the photographer I am. The best years are coming and I am happy to share it all with you.

With much love,

Crystal Lynn Arroyo

A lot has changed

A lot has changed in my personal life. The major change is that my husband walked out on me when I was 8 months pregnant back in June of 2017. It was pretty much abandonment, he is not helping to support his children in any way. We were together for 12 years. The stress caused me to go into natural labor 3 weeks early and I ended up with an emergency c-section. I have a beautiful baby boy now, he is perfectly healthy and happy and resembles me. He was born July 7, 2016 at 37 weeks and now he will be 7 months old in February. Though I do wish we could of been a family of 4 finally after 3 years of trying for another baby. I would not trade my son for anything. He was worth it and I love him to pieces. With that being said, he is the reason I am no longer currently offering weddings or homecomings. He is breast fed and I am very happy of my accomplishment with him being EBF. My mother gives him a bottle of breast milk while I am working and I am okay with him having one bottle and that is it. It is a lot harder to be on call with a baby, though my mother whom I live with helps out a lot with babysitting my children. As many of you already know, we moved into a new house off the exit so my husband can get to work easier since he works in Nashville, but since he has decided to leave us, we are again planning a move in a year or so once we fix this house up to sell it. I will be staying local of course, just a better house with land hopefully.

Beams/Clark Wedding

I had the pleasure of photographing my first wedding! I had such a great time and enjoyed every second of it! The wedding was beautiful and the colors were gorgeous! I am a fan of coral and the Bride maids colors were coral! The wedding was at The Russel House in Springfield, TN. It was beautiful, the venue was completely breath taking. I highly recommend The Russel House, they were very professional and provided everything! The bride was even more breathe taking! I can’t say enough good things about the experience!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Beams!

I am a graduate!

A blog post is long overdue! So much has happened, mainly that I am now a graduate! I officially graduated with the Art Institute Of Pittsburgh March 26, 2014! I am loving the “no homework” feeling. I walked with the Art Institute of Nashville on June 20th, so I had two official graduation dates. I am proud to say that I now have my Bachelors Degree of Science in Photography! Now I don’t believe having a degree makes anyone a photographer. I believe practice and mistakes and learning and growing make you a photographer. In school I learned about everything that is photography, the past the present, different genres, such as advertising, editorial, photojournalism, editorial, fashion, media. etc. When you are a photography student you just don’t go in learning about portraiture. I honestly only had 2 portraiture classes and those two classes did not make me a portrait photographer, though it did give me the passion for portrait photography.

With my degree I am able to work in any aspect that deals with photography, if I wanted to. Though I believe my future will stay with my business, but I also want to become certified to teach and become a photography teacher. I’d like to start out small and see how I like it before I become a full blown professor, if that were to happen at any time in my future.

I am just excited to finally be done, for those who don’t know I enrolled in July of 2009, and traveled all over, with never stopping or taking a break, so I am proud to finally say I finished even though it took me 5 long years and I proudly have my degree hung up in my studio!