Daddy Daughter

I don't even really know how to begin writing this post. I guess I have always known that as an artist we take what we see in the world around us and we give it form, we express its heart, we give a platform to the stories that are forever being told. And we as artists are called to simply be open, to be observant and to cultivate a spirit of curiosity and reverence. It is such a blessing and such an incredible way of life that my job is to simply marvel at God's creation all around me. To stand in awe and point, saying "hey, look at this over here! Did you see it? Don't miss it. Isn't it just beautiful." This past weekend was full beyond all measure.​

​With my camera in hand I was fully immersed in my cousin Alaina's wedding to the man God made for her, Jeremiah. We moved throughout the day with simple ease and anticipation for what was to come. I marveled at the details of a blushing bride, the wind catching her sash and setting it gently to flight for a spell, the sun dappling through the limbs of oaks and palms, a moment between a mom and daughter beneath it's soft shadows. In a historic hotel ballroom I soaked in the sights of a groom unable to take his eyes off his bride, hands intertwined, tears being dabbed from cheeks, the afternoon sun softly brushing through the curtains and resting on the wooden floor, and the significance of a man laying down his right to himself and becoming a servant husband for his wife. It is exactly what Christ modeled for us 2000 years ago. Christ took the church as his bride and laid down his life for us.

​The next morning I woke before the sun and made my way to a clearing in a nearby state park to gather with a sleepy-eyed group of believers craving to celebrate that sacrifice. Nestled amongst the pines and creation all around us the moon set to my left and the sun rose to a breathtaking brightness to my right as the word of God, the story of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, literally echoed off the trees all around us. All of creation spoke of his love. 

​I marveled at two marriages this weekend. And my heart was full.

​Which brings me to the point of this post. The thing I am trying to grasp onto, to express. As we sat in the ballroom gazing upon Alaina and Jeremiah's marriage journey beginning, there was something, someone, missing. Alaina's dad, my uncle Dennis, didn't make it to walk his daughter down the aisle that day. He found out that he had terminal lung cancer last summer and six months later, on December 9, 2012, he passed away. Just one month earlier, on November 9th I had the blessing to be able to capture a dance between a daddy and his daughter before he became too weak to dance with his girl. Alaina, wearing a borrowed gown from her pastor's wife, her dad, her future groom and family gathered in a ballroom. And they danced while I stood in awe of a dad with his daughter in his arms, the exchange of knowing glances, joy and heartbreak in the the emotions of the family members gathered round, a hand around a waist, a man hugging his bride of two decades in a final dance together, love. Four months later family and friends came together at that exact spot where daddy and daughter swayed to the tune of "My Girl" that fall day in a bittersweet moment where Dennis' daughter became a bride. The below video, my labor of love, was debuted on the wedding day this past weekend to family and friends with not a dry eye in the house.

After the dance in November we ventured outside and I marveled through my lens at a family loving and losing and clinging to one another.​ What a cherished memory. What a bittersweet moment. What a gift it is to be an artist and be there to stand in awe of it all.

It is a gift to stand in awe of his people, in awe of their hearts, in awe of His creation, in awe of the sun rising up over the trees to shed the warmth of its light on us all. The resurrection changes everything. And it is because of Christ's love for us, His laying down His life, that marriage, that we will one day be re-united with my dear Uncle Dennis, and there will be dancing, I am sure of it. 

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Love you Uncle Dennis!​

Though it was online for family to preview we kept the daddy daughter dance video private until it's debut this past weekend at the wedding. On Sunday night I flipped a switched and texted my Aunt Brenda to let her know that she could now share the video with her friends and then I stepped away from my computer. Come the end of the day on Monday Dennis and Aliana's dance had over 15,000 views and I was receiving messages from media agencies across the globe about featuring this story. What a blessing it is to know that my family's story touched the hearts of so many people. And that my Uncle Dennis' story is still being told.

Happy Birthday Sawyer! — Sebring, FL Newborn Photography

When people ask me where I am living now-a-days I typically respond with "I am temporarily indefinitely in Sebring (my hometown in Central Florida) … for 2 1/2 years now." Kind of an oxymoron, I know. I had no idea and no plan for my stay in the heart of the state to be this long. But God knows what He is doing. I don't doubt that. One of the incredible perks of having been around these parts for the past two years is that I have been able to be a daily part of one pretty awesome little guy's life. It has been amazing to watch this boy grow from a prayer in a momma's heart, to a reality and today into an incredibly bright and energetic little guy that melts my heart on a daily basis. And today he turns two. In honor of his birth I thought I would share with you all a backpost from his semi-newborn session two years ago along with the story of how this little fella arrived first in our hearts and then in this world.

Happy Birthday, Sawyer!

Post from July 1, 2011:

Just this past Sunday in church I stood belting out Matt Redman's "Blessed be Your Name," falling into rhythm in the standard "church worship sway." You know, the one that says I would be dancing if I didn't think I'd be tackled in the aisle by someone with a walker and a Southern Baptist disposition. Plus my arms were full with the weight of a baby boy I quickly stole from cousin as she made her way to the seat beside me in the row. And then we hit the "breakout" part of the song, "You give and take away. You give and take away. But my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name." And my thoughts went back to a little shy of one year ago when I sat at the top of a hill overlooking the city of La Misión, Mexico with my cousin, Bianca.

We were in La Misión on a missions trip with Be2Live and about 40 other folks from Bible Fellowship Church. We did service projects throughout the town during the day and at night we retired to our campsite just up the hill from Door of Faith Orphanage to have dinner and sit around a fire reflecting on the day. Each night our pastor, Todd, would randomly call on people to share their testimony and throughout the course of the week we heard stories of heartache, conflict and God's undeniable redeeming mercy and love. This had Bianca and I shaking in our boots. We both happened to be right in the middle of testimony building experiences and didn't quite know how to talk about it... without crying in front of 40 people, that is, (a concept I was much more comfortable with than Bianca.) So we made our way up the the top of the hill to discuss this dilemma one afternoon.

Bianca was struggling with the fact that she was even there on the trip. She had signed up thinking that she was going to be pregnant by the time the trip rolled around and would have to gracefully bow out. She thought, for sure, God would do that for her after everything she had been through. Not that she didn't want to be involved in missions and that she wasn't completely excited about work we were doing in Mexico but her heart's desire was for another child. And being on this trip meant that desire hadn't been fulfilled. Just a year and a half earlier she and her husband and son were preparing for a world with two more youngsters. She had found out she was pregnant with twins before losing them just at the end of the first trimester. I can't even begin to imagine what this feels like. My heart goes out to any woman out there who has lost a child. Watching my cousin deal with the pain the loss of not one but two lives broke my heart.

God, you take away.

And on the hill top a year and a half later Bianca was still struggling with being able to say "Lord, blessed be your name." It was a continued daily struggle when they had gone another year and a half since the loss without a baby. She knew she had to let it go. She knew this couldn't be "the thing" that stood between her and God for the rest of her life. She knew she must give up her idea and plan for her life and learn to accept a far better, yet mysterious, one that she didn't seem to understand. How do you talk about that in front of 40 people around a fire? But somehow she did, beautifully, honestly and without crying (might I add). And it was there on that trip that Bianca, from the darkness, could honestly sing, "my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name."

Fast forward to one month shy of a year down the road. I am swaying and singing in the church pew holding a precious three month old baby boy that belongs to, you guessed it, Bianca. And for those of you doing the math in your head right now, you guessed it again, Sawyer was with us in Mexico on that hill top and around that fire. We just didn't know it yet.

God, you give. ​

Baby Brantley Teaser — Wauchula, FL Newborn Photography

In the past week I have made my way across glorious old Florida backcountry to the neighboring county of Hardee three times and loved every minute of it. The charming place and its folks never cease to impress. Today I got to meet this handsome fella and had to share a few teasers with you all... Welcome to the world Brantley! ​

Tea Party Teaser — Wauchula, FL Party Photography

This past weekend I spent the good part of a sunny Saturday morning with a delightful group of little ladies celebrating the fifth birthday of precious Daveigh.​ In the shade of the trees on the lawn was set a table fit for a princess (or maybe the Queen of England) complete with heirloom china tea cups, vibrant spring blooms, scrumptious snacks and enough little surprises to keep a five year old's smile uncontained. It was the setting of dreams and I couldn't help to share at least a little teaser with you all (with many, many more photos to come).

Katie + Nate — Sebring, FL Wedding Photography

Two years ago (almost to the day) I ran into one of my sister's friends at a local event, the 12 Hours of Sebring Race Gala. Katie, donned in a gown and sash was officially Miss 12 Hours of Sebring that year. (This fact should have given me a hint into Katie's "secret skills" which made her easily one of my favorite brides to shoot but I was still in the dark at this point.) We chatted as acquaintances about my sister who was currently living in South America. As I spoke about my adventures visiting her, Katie's eyes widen. She began to speak with equal parts seriousness and excitement, "Tell me the next time you are making plans to visit her. I would absolutely love to go. Serious." A year and a half later Katie and I are hopping on a plane together, passports and travel itineraries in hand, with 15 days worth of clothing and gear for an adventure in Peru.  

When we landed in Lima Katie (quite the experienced traveler) was ready to hit the ground running exploring the streets of the city near my sister's apartment, the ocean front district of Miraflores. My sister (having a much better understanding of the intensity of our two week travel itinerary ahead of us where we would be up before the sun most mornings trekking all over Peru) opted for sleeping in and relaxing most of the first few days we spent with her in Lima. So I–determined not to miss out on adventure–hit the streets with Katie and my camera. Lima is rich with historical architecture and beautiful urban landscapes. Patterns and colors and textures were everywhere we looked. It was a visual artist's heaven. But I couldn't just photograph the walls around me. I needed "someone" in the image to bring it to life...

"Katieeeeeeee... would you mind going and standing next to that interesting looking gate-thing across the street?" Flashing my sweetest of sweet grins for my new friend.

And here is where the "secret skill" was revealed. Katie would casually stand next to the wall in just the perfect off center spot, gaze off to the side and snap... magic happened. Katie was a model in disguise. The girl could seriously rock a pose and quite effortlessly at that. She became my instant model for the trip and pictures of Katie in front of interesting blue doors, intricate iron gates, ancient Incan ruins and the occasional antique shop flooded my instagram feed. The girl never seemed to tire. We were a fantastic team. 

As the trip trekked on Katie and I, who were once casual acquaintances, became fast friends (let alone super compatible travel companions). And I came to find that the beauty I saw in front of the camera had a heart to match. 

I was already signed up to photograph her upcoming February nuptials and I couldn't wait to get this gorgeous girl in front of my camera again on her big day. Katie didn't disappoint. (Bonus secret: her hubby, Nate, is equally as sweet and awesome in front of the camera too.) These two make quite the gorgeous pair! Just you wait and see in the images below. 

Thank you Katie and Nate for your friendship and for inviting me to capture your glorious celebration of love on your wedding day! And Katie, I am up for our next adventure whenever you are.

First Words

​From the day I knew photography as a profession may be in my life forever.

I've sat down many times over the past few weeks to start this blog post, the first one on my new blog site, and it just doesn't happen. Every time I sat down to write the post it seemed, well just like another piece of business. And this—these photos, this blog, my business—is so much more personal than that. Frustrated I'd step away, to my new Facebook page to observe the goings-on, to responding to potential new clients, to fiddling with and agonizing over my pricing and whether it is working, and of course to editing photos, burning discs and delivering the final products to clients. I'd go on about the business of things while back at my blog I'd wonder when the inspiration from the heart would come... 

It was about six months ago when I really got serious about setting myself up as a "big girl" business, portfolio site Facebook page and all. I did the research, invested the time, hired a professional illustrator for my new branding (thanks Melissa Herboth!), set up accounts, shelled out some money, announced a date and got myself organized and ready to launch a re-vamped photography business. All of this was an act of obedience to where I found God to be calling me, even if I couldn't completely understand why or what exactly it would look like. It had been seven years since my first paying photo gig and two years since I had been dedicating my time to photography full-time, yet I still hadn't established myself. Despite the fact that God was swinging open doors for me time and time again, I was hesitantly walking through them, cutting my eyes from side to side, uneasy about what lied on the other side. I was holding back. 

I remember the exact photoshoot, the exact place I was standing when I knew that photography was going to be in my life forever, when I let go of what I thought was going to be my professional future and surrendered to what God was laying out before me. I was no more than one mile from my home standing in a private park in a neighborhood that I had never been to before. It was a Florida autumn. The wind was brushing through the trees. Spanish moss infused with the afternoon light swayed about. There was a small, glimmering lake to my left and the gorgeous Florida country-side to my right. 

I felt incredibly fortunate, indescribably blessed that this was my job. 

It felt like God himself was in that breeze. I breathed it in, I couldn't help but to smile and it was decided. 

The family I was photographing that day was lovely as always with a story all of their own. Then a year passed. Life moved on. I was growing a business and moving forward, I had already commissioned my new logo, when the same family contacted me again but this time they were no longer a family as we know it. The mom was on the other end of the line in a conversation that started out with a photo request and ended up with a heart cry of the heartbreak of divorce. I spoke words that day on that phone I didn't know I could speak with a strength I wasn't sure existed. My heart ached and kind of rejoiced all at once. 

I love hearing and telling the stories of beautiful young couples, happy families, and perfectly perfect newborn babies. But every story has it's heartbreak. (As a storyteller we know this all too well.) It is part of being human. Yet putting our arms around one another, lifting each other up and speaking hope and love into someone's life is part of being redeemed. When we are the hands and feet and hugs and encouraging words for God it can't help but to feel good. It feels like we are doing what we were created to do more in that moment than in any other. You see, it was there on the phone that day with a heartbroken woman that I realized that me being obedient to God's calling on my life for photography wasn't about establishing a business it was about putting myself in a place, in the exact place God wanted me, to be used in a specific way that didn't necessarily always involve taking pretty pictures.

I felt incredibly fortunate, indescribably blessed that this was my job. 

I hate it sometimes that blind faith is so hard for me. I hate that I doubt. That I hold back. That I walk hesitantly through open doorways on shaky ankles, peering from side-to-side looking for where the pain hiding in the dark is going to lurch at me from first. But God seems to have the grace and mercy for me as I am learning to trust Him to give me little glimpses of His plans sometimes. And that is what He has done for me with Caroline Maxcy Photography. He has given me a little sliver of assurance that I am walking through the right door, on the right path and right in the center of His will on a humble journey with Him by my side.

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Coming Soon

If you have made it here then... SURPRISE! You are getting a sneak preview of Caroline Maxcy Photography's new online presence. This is a work in progress and is set to be fully released and functional by February 14th 2013. Yep, that is Valentines Day and I have big plans for sharing the love and sharing the brand spankin' new Caroline Maxcy Photography with my clients, friends and followers. In the meantime, you can head over to my current blog by clicking here. Go check it out to see my happenings from 2012 and beyond.