This past year I got to spend many lovely fall afternoons with sweet families across Highlands County and Central Florida. So here it is, a peek into Caroline Maxcy Photography's 2014 Fall Family Sessions.
Prepare yourself for cuteness overload (and prepare your scrolling finger for a workout…)...
The Ashley Family — Lake Placid, FL
This family of three is just the sweetest and Erica, having a bit of a photographer's eye herself (and one of my Highlands Art League Photography Classes attendees too!) picked us out the most gorgeous back country road for our photo spot on the perfectly sunniest of days.
The Price Family — Lake Placid, FL
This family is near and dear to my heart (and is also pretty darn sharp too). Take note parents of youngin's. The Price parents brought along a babysitter for their shoot and the kids and the sitter out with me and my camera first. Light bulb! I got to capture sweet pics of the kids first (with out all the shenanigans that always seem to happen with the parents come into view). And then we got to get some of the shenanigans too!
The Handley Families — Sebring, FL
This multi-family session was actually a prelude to a surprise 60th Bday party for the mom of the bunch. I highly recommend these types of celebrations, so I jumped at the opportunity to capture all the love for my sweet friends. We probably picked the windiest day of the year (seriously I was in my first art festival earlier that day and nearly lost my tent a few times.) But the location was perfectly set up to provide us with some glorious protection from the gusts and the loveliest of light on this clear fall day. What a good looking bunch this is...
The Johnson Family — Wauchula, FL
I meet this sweet family for the first time when I pulled into their drive with my camera in tow and they immediately melted my heart (especially when Mr. Johnson told me his fond memories of my dad being always a jolly man. He definitely was.). I do tend to have a soft spot for those families with three kids (boy, girl, girl in order of age and spread out just the same amount as my brother my sister and I. And all with such room brightening smiles.) We all giggled at the similarities on our drive to the photo spot they picked. What a spot. We had free reign on the most beautifully old Florida pieces of land completely with a lake side hammock and and a giant oak basking in the golden hour sun. Couldn't have been a better day for photos with such a truly sweet family.
The West Family — Sebring, FL
Year after year I get to hang out with this family with my camera in tow for a sweet fall hour or so and year after year I am blessed. These guys have the photo taking down to a tee. They are seriously good at it, only because they are seriously the real deal. So much love between these three and I love getting to capture it.
The Smith Family — Zolfo, FL
This adorable family could seriously be my poster family for what to wear for your fall family session. Year after year I am giddy over the combinations their sweet momma comes up with. And these two little ones steal my heart every time...
The Maxcy Family — Lake Placid, FL
What to say? This family I call my own. When we normally snapped a photo or two in my backyard in early December this year we decided to try to give ourselves time for a full family session. We just so happened to pick the coldest of days to date (hence little Hunter's red nose in most of the photos.) But that didn't stop us from capturing some true snuggly sweetness of some folks that have a very special place in my heart. (On another note: I am super pumped that my 13 year old niece has now decided that it just may be cool to pose for photos and is gorgeous. Insta on call model!)
The Hines Family — Sebring, FL
Oh my this family is just gorgeous and momma Denise always has them looking simply beautiful for photos year after year. I am a big fan of color and she does it just right! Plus you have the two cutest of girls both striking in their own way and simply a joy to follow around with my camera. We meet at the main road and piled in together to bump along across pastures and down winding roads (spotting flocks, literally, flocks of bald eagles and white tailed deer) to our photo location at "the ranch" arriving just in time for the glowing in the golden hour light. I love it!
The Weisz Family — Sebring, FL
I've been a dear friend of this little momma since grade school and I have loved watching her adorable family grow throughout the years. When our Orlando, FL session at their new home got rained out (literally tornado warnings the day we had scheduled) we opted for a day before Thanksgiving hometown session in Stephanie's parent's lakeside backyard at sunset. If the session wasn't cute enough, we were blessed with a spectacular sunset and a perfect lakeside view. Can't wait to photograph the extend Weisz family again next month!
The Spencer Family — Sebring, FL (actually in my front yard)
These guys are my kin (can't you tell by the incredibly good looks?) and my cousin Angie (mom of this crazy crew) was actually my roommate for half my stay at Florida State University back in the day (DO NOT ask her for stories. Seriously though... Haha.) She and I also have been working out together before the sun comes up for few months now in this little group called Boot Camp at our local YMCA and I am so proud of us (seriously, if you know me you know that I am not a morning person. at. all. Big sacrifice.) And the plus side is that you get to eventually look as good as Angie! Then you add in the rest of her cutie-pie family and you get photos as lovely as these… I love this family!
The Gentile Family — Lake Placid, FL
I get to capture this sweet family of three year after year and have loved watching little Savannah grow into such a precious young lady. We also, year after year happen to pick the windiest of windy days to capture our lakeside photos, so we have to get a bit creative and avoid the lake. Haha. But I always love the creative results and the sweetness I get to capture along the way.
The Wheeler Family — Lake Placid, FL
One of the perks of my brother marrying a Lake Placid girl is that I have been able to meet the sweetest of Lake Placid families like the Wheelers. I love these people. Back in May in my first photo session after my dad's passing, I hopped in a car with the Wheelers and their oldest daughter Laura to drive to a gorgeous piece of Old Florida property and capture some seriously gorgeous Senior photos (complete with a Brahma bull) for the Lake Placid High Senior. I couldn't have asked for a more gentle and kind family to be capturing during that time. And this past fall I got to hop in a car with them again, this time in Lake Wales, FL in their very own groves on the outskirts of Bok Tower Gardens (you guys should know how much I love photographing in that place by now) for a session that is just… well… truly gorgeous. You can check it out for yourself...
The Foreman Family — Sebring, FL
I got to meet this adorable family this year for the first time when I pulled into their drive for our fall session. I loved getting those simply gorgeous smiles out of this cutie-pie (which may or may not have been due to a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal I had in my hand while snapping away. (Whatever it takes.) And I love now calling these three my friends. :)
The Rosenberg Family — Sebring, FL
Here we have another sweet family three that I meet for the first time when I stepped out of my car at their home with my camera in tow. And from moment one we had nothing but smiles from their little sweetheart. What pure joy I got to capture and lots of true love I got to marvel at through my lens. Thanks for inviting me!
The Smoak Family — Zolfo, FL
I have known the Smoak family for what seems like forever. So getting to photograph them at their home is a bit like hanging out with family for an hour or so. And these two little guys are going to seriously steal some hearts one day. Seriously. Thanks for having me (and thanks, Phillip for spreading the feed to get the cows in the photo just right.) :)
The Wells Family — Lake Placid, FL
I love that I get to wrap up my fall family sessions with this family of five. I've been capturing the Wells family since the girls were just one year old babes, and I was newly back in Florida. This crew is one of my originals which means they have a very special place in my heart. Last year as I clicked away while the girls oooo'd and aww'd over their momma's belly and the baby that was on the way, their little brother. This year I got to see how love grows. I got to marvel at how two sweet little independent girls have become dotting big sisters and how a little blue-eyed boy brings so much joy to one of my favorite families.
With Much Love,
Caroline