Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona at golden hour is nothing short of magical. Add in a gorgeous bride and groom and 60 of their closest family and friends bathed in the warm desert light and you have something like a dream. Sheri + James said their joyful, tearful “I dos” earlier this month canyon side and I had the honor of being there to capture it all.
Here we are in the heart of a frigid winter (even for us Floridians at times) and I’m dreaming of warmer days. So why not share a peek into Alexa and Jordan’s seaside Sanibel Island wedding from this past summer. Revisiting these images is like a treat! I can almost hear the lull of the waves and the rustle in the palm leaves and nearly feel the sweet summertime sun on my skin…
In reflecting on the last year I took some time to note things that had given me life or drained me in the past. (It’s an effort in aiding in decision making for this “decision fatigued” gal right here. And the idea is all thanks to Emily P. Freeman and her “The Next Right Thing” podcast!) Something that undeniable breathed life in to my work and inspiration was the process of shooting creatively with film. (You can check out my past blog post about the process and love affair by clicking here and here.) So I set out to spend more time behind my film camera pointing it at beautiful things and lovely light by marking down a few “inspired styled shoots” in my calendar. This is the very first of them…
Anna Grace’s Senior Session at Dark Hammock Legacy Ranch was nothing short of a dream…
Here's a little sneak peek from Saturday's little lakeside wedding. These two are seriously the sweetest and they couldn't have picked a better day for their lakeside celebration. Congrats to Jamie & Cory, the brand new Mr. and Mrs.!
xoxo, Caroline
Jamie and Cory's lakeside wedding in Avon Park, FL with Caroline Maxcy Photography
Bok Tower Gardens is this magical little place nestled in the middle of Central Florida. For a photographer, it is a dream. Yet every time I wander its sunlit paths with a camera in tow or sit in the shade of a tree on a hill, or marvel at the view from "way up high" on one of Central Florida's highest points (at a whopping 298 feet above sea level!) I am taken back to my childhood. As a kid Bok Tower was a go to outing for a day with sure fire entertainment and lots of fresh air. We feed squirrels peanuts out of the palm our hands, we rolled down the massive hills and we may have from time-to-time turned our little ears to the Singing Tower in all his chiming glory all the while with the Florida breeze in my hair and a cousin or two by my side. So when Jamie and Corey opted to venture there for their engagement session a few months back I jumped at the chance. With their little guy in tow we strolled the paths of the nearly empty park one evening and did all the things one does when strolling a garden, ya know, and all the while I witness through the lens of my camera, sweet memories in the making...
xoxo, Caroline
Just a little peek at the loveliness that was Emily and Josh's wedding at the Charles Ringling Mansion in Sarasota, FL this past weekend. That day and these two were equally as breathtaking…
xoxo, Caroline
Becky and Dan's springtime wedding at Sebring's Chateau Élan was lovely from start to finish. From my first meeting with these two (who meet online via eHarmony last year) I knew their day was going to be something breathtakingly beautiful. But the thing I was most surprised about with these two has how truly incredible "chill" everything and everyone was throughout the entire celebration. It could have been the impeccable planning by wedding coordinator Gini Beth Henderson or it could have been the way the Chateau Élan makes putting on a wedding seem effortless or it could have just been the way we all worked so seamlessly together for the day. But after spending one of the most important days of their lives with these two (and potentially the most stressing too) I believe it is just who Becky and Dan are. They are sweet and generous and beautiful and truly "chill" to the core. And everything about their day reflected this. That is what you want your wedding celebration to be. Well done Becky and Dan (and your families too) and I wish you all lots of love and joy in a lifetime of marriage together!
xoxo, Caroline
Credits:
Photography - Caroline Maxcy Photography
Second Shooter - Sarah Sandel
Brides's Hair & Makeup: Alia Frisco (of The Studio of Health and Beauty)
Wedding Planner: Gini Beth Henderson
Bouquets: Hobby Hill Florist
Wedding & Reception Venue: Chateau Élan
This past Saturday was glorious in a million ways. Not only was Amanda and Mike a super sweet and easy going (and totally gorgeous) bride and groom, their families were warm and welcoming and the day was relaxed and joy filled. The "iffy" weather forecast ended up surprising us all at just the perfect moments with unexpected beauty. The sun peeked out right in the middle of the post ceremony bride and groom portraits and just in time to shine some sparkly light in everyone's happy eyes. And during the 20 mins of the day when it did so happen to rain cats and dogs, what did we do but sit the groom and his groomsmen down at the lovely little hotel bar to capture some of my favorite unexpected photos of the day. Thank the dear Lord for these little, unexpected, delightful gifts on a day were all that really mattered at the end of it all was that two sweet hearts became one.
xoxo, Caroline
I'm back! For those of you who don't follow me on Instagram you may not have even noticed I was gone. For those of you who do, you are more than likely all too aware of my recent travels. Hehe. Over the course of the past few days I have been from one corner of the US and back again with a whirlwind Washington trip in between (and about 40 Instagram photo posts too.) My dear friend from grad school, Lauren, has lived in the delightful city of Seattle for just over a year now so I figured it was high time for a trip and I couldn't have hit it at a better time. Lots of sun and perfect outdoor activity temperatures made for a stunning trip (and lots and lots of gorgeous photo ops.) And with my busy as ever fall photo season coming up, with a handful of super exciting weddings and a fall family photo calendar filling up, this artist needed some time to step away for creative rejuvenation to launch me into the season with a joy and excitement like none-other. Mission accomplished.
Not long after getting into WA we hopped on a ferry to the San Juan Islands and spent a full 24 hours soaking it all in from our home base of Orcas Island. The next few days were spent in a sunny Seattle complete with hiking to a driftwood and pebble covered beach, oysters on the water and watching a glorious sunset on the sandy shores of Golden Gardens (while eating pie, yes, pie on the beach.) I have a whole slew of "big girl camera" photos to sort through but in the meantime you can check out some of my favorite iPhone/Instagram photos from the adventures below. And if you so happen to want to have the opportunity to follow my everyday life adventures including trips like this head on over to my Instagram by clicking here and come on along.
xoxo,
Caroline
Caroline Maxcy's Seattle and San Juan Islands, WA Instagram photo favorites.
Oh just some squishy baby newborn sweetness on the blog for you all this Friday… Welcome to the world Charles!
xoxo,
Caroline
Sarah Sandel and I are excited to announce that registration is officially open for our fall This is the Day Beginner's Photography Workshop on November 8th from 10:00-3:00 in Lake Placid, FL. Reserve the date, head on over the the website by {clicking here} to get all the info (and register too!) and then get ready for a day full of hands on learning in a retreat style workshop at the quaintest little artist's cabin on the lake (complete with lunch, sweet treats, coffee and lots of chocolate… lots and lots of chocolate).
And in case you have absolutely no idea what the This is the Day Beginner's Photography workshop is, let me explain…
In a nutshell our Beginner's Workshop is designed to better acquaint folks with their "fancy" camera and the power it holds in order to better capture their everyday lives. You see not everyday is a "sit on a vintage quilt in a field of tall wispy grass at sunset and giggle at each other occasionally drawing your attention and grins in the direction of a lady with a camera" kind of day. Everyday is baseball games, impromptu tea parties and lazy days at the beach. They are dance recitals, steer shows and sitting on the back porch at sunset. They are orange blossoms in bloom, babies first grins and sunrises over the lake. Everyday is that gloriousness that God has granted each and everyone of us called this life, your life, that only you get to live and see and experience and remember.
Fancy cameras aren't meant to pull you away from all that, fiddling with foreign settings and innumerable combinations of f-stop, shutterspeed and ISO. They should be pulling you into it. What we hope to do is enable you to be more comfortable, more natural, with your camera in your hands, capture the moment by taking a better picture up front and then set the camera down and get out there and live it! So take a day with us. Come on. Let's hang out together, learn a bit, laugh a bit too and then head back to our lives and start celebrating that everyday that has been uniquely entrusted to us.
For those of you "visual learners" below is a little glimpse into our Spring Workshop complete with technical training, composition and lighting basics as well as hands on learning...
For those of us in Central Florida there may not be too much of a crispness in the air quite yet (and we may have a good long while before that happens) but school is back in session, football season is in full swing and "pumpkin" flavored everything has hit the market (written while clutching my warm mug of Pumpkin Spice coffee). So what does that mean? It's Fall Y'all! And with that comes one of my absolute favorite times of year as a photographer. It is when families gather in the most beautifully coordinated duds, brushes tucked in back pockets and promises of ice cream have been discussed in the car ride over (if the kids are good, but seriously aren't they always?). It is fall family session time. That time when you not just get a gorgeous photo (or five) to include on this year's holiday card but you also get to capture this sliver of time in your family's lives, when a year from now you will miss the roundness of their cheeks or the way they were missing those two front teeth. And every year I get all sentimental about how the kids I had in front of my camera 12 months ago are growing up (*tear), how they call me Aunt Carrie from time to time and how we get to wander about for a bit (sometimes hand in hand with a two year old) at gorgeous family farms and parks and fields while I capture the most precious of images. If you haven't got the picture, I love this stuff and while I already have a few sessions in the books for the coming months I am looking forward to the many, many more family's I will get to meet and spend time with while capturing cherished memories this fall.
Caroline Maxcy Photography Associate Photographer Sarah Sandel.
With all this fantastic fuss about fall I am so excited to tell you about the "official" new addition at Caroline Maxcy Photography: starting this fall, Sarah Sandel will be working as an Associate Photographer with CMP! You may know her name - she's photographed families and couples around our community for over five years and is the co-inspirer behind This Is The Day Workshops. She and I have worked together on countless weddings and projects over the past three years and we're delighted to have her on board in this capacity.
What this means for you, dear reader, is that CMP is able to handle even more clients this fall! As our Associate Photographer, Sarah will be responsible for photographing the limited number of mini sessions that CMP offers as we prepare to enter the holiday season. Her creativity and fresh look on families and children is a perfect fit for us and the best part is that we're able to collaborate on each mini session: Sarah will be meeting with and photographing families and the post-processing will be completed by myself (that's me, Caroline), so you get the best of both worlds! Fresh images created by Sarah, processed by Caroline with the classic CMP look you've come to know and love. But don't take our word for it - you can see for yourselves with the image gallery below!
Images by Sarah Sandel
Processing by Caroline Maxcy
So here are the details that will help make your fall session the best yet!
If you're looking for a full and leisurely session, designed to tell a larger story and capture a large number of images, you're probably wanting to book a Fall Complete Session. During this 60-90 session, Caroline captures your story from cover to cover and all the little details in between. You can relax and meander and share the laughs and stories that your family is made of while capturing framable family memories along the way!
If what you're looking for is more compact, designed to capture select images of your family at this time of your lives, you probably are in the market for a Fall Mini Session! During a half-hour mini session with Sarah, you can look forward to telling the happy little story of your family and capturing images perfect for holiday greetings, family albums, and that big empty frame on your mantle!
You can [click here] for more details on what's included in the CMP Fall Complete and Mini Sessions and to book yours today. We can't wait to meet your family and capture your happy story this fall!
xoxo,
Caroline & Sarah
Bride's, if I could ever urged you to pull out your pen and paper and take some notes it would be right now. Lisa and Trevor's Sebring, FL wedding was delightful to the core. From the truly gorgeous getting ready and reception location at a family friend's log cabin home, to the private "first look" complete with a foot washing, to the unique and unexpected wedding ceremony where the bride and groom stepped out of the limelight to participate in a time of worship with their wedding guests, to the "throwback" to the post ceremony Receiving Line (you just don't see this that often anymore and I can't seem to fathom why not?), to the sweet and quaint afternoon soiree with the bride and groom's closest family and friends covered in delightful details handcrafted by the bride. Take note. But what I really wish you all could take note of is how, by calling the bride a dear friend of mine, I was able to watch this relationship grow, covered in prayer, and consistency and lots of love. The way their wedding day plans changed again, and again, and… yes again for a whole handful of reasons, before it landed on this beautiful celebration of the pair. And that's ok. And the way these two, grounded in their faith never lost sight of the marriage they where building on the foundation of the Lord (even in the haze of big day planning.) Thank you Lisa and Trevor for sharing your day with me and allowing me to capture all this sweet love!
xoxo,
Caroline
Thanks to the bride's super talented cousin, Jason Davies, they now also have the incredibly gorgeous wedding film to commemorate their day! Check it out by clicking below...
Wedding Film by Jason Davies
Credits:
Photography - Caroline Maxcy Photography
Second Shooter - Olivia Fryer
Videography - Jason Davies
Brides Attire: White by Vera Wang
Bride's Jewelry: Highlands Jeweler
Brides's Hair: Britney Lewis
Bridesmaids' Attire: Victoria's Secret
Groom's Attire: Brooks Bother's
Wedding planner: Bride & Aunt
Wedding coordinator: Michelle Cathey
Caterer: Chef Mac at the Palms
Cake: Kip Drummond
Bouquets: Hobby Hill Florist
Wedding Venue: Bible Fellowship Church
Reception Venue: Private Home
