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…
This weekend I got to hit the road through beautiful Old Florida countryside to meet up with the Abney family at their home in Palm City, FL for a sunny morning family session. And today is Parker's 3rd Birthday! So I thought I would share a sneak peek from our session, just for Parker (and his super sweet mom and dad too). Happy Birthday, Parker!
A sneak peak from my sunny shoot with the Abney family in Palm City, FL this past weekend.
In the midst of an adventure filled summer, right smack-dab in the middle of a two day break between a week long youth service camp and a week long missions trip to Mexico I got to escape on a lovely little family session with the sweetest of sweet (and super photogenic) families, the Foster family. You may recognize Justin and Amber from their gorgeous August wedding last year. I love repeat clients, especially ones as charming and photogenic as this pair. Our session took us from the tree lined roads of Highlands Hammock State Park to the family's very own blueberry farm for a little bit of sunset berry picking. It was lovely and such a sweet breath of fresh air.
Editing this session has gotten me all inspired and pumped for this year's Fall family session season which I have already started booking up. If you are interested in capturing your family this year in an artful, authentic and imaginative way contact me and let's get you in the books!
I seriously love weddings. If you happened to make it over to my "about" page you would find that you could probably catch me tearing up at lease once at every wedding I photograph. Yep, I am a full fledge softy when it comes to love stories. But I am an extra sentimental person when it comes to the love stories of those near and dear to my heart, my family. Last year I sat across the table from my cousin Alaina and her fiancé Jeremiah (JJ) at a local coffee shop and gushed at their love story. Jeremiah's best friend is Alaina's older brother Zach and they had hung around each other a lot, but JJ still remembers the exact place he stood when his eyes were open to Alaina. He remembers telling Zach, "your sister looks beautiful." I think Zach probably squirmed a bit. :) Then he waited... and watched the way she interacted with people... the way she worshiped the Lord and... he fell... head. over. heels. And earlier this year, he made her his everlasting bride. Tear.
Here are a few glimpses into that beautiful day at the Kenilworth Lodge in Sebring, FL. Congrats Alaina & JJ!
You may remember my "Daddy Daughter" post from early April about the bittersweet side of Alaina & JJ's celebration where I filmed a daddy-daughter dance in November with Alaina and my uncle Dennis just a month before he passed away from terminal cancer. Check out that post and video by clicking here.
At last night's photo shoot at Highlands Hammock State Park... we were on our 3rd rain reschedule, literally almost got struck by lightening, had to take a 45 minute rain delay, stumbled upon a giant wild hog (on foot!), almost got carried away by mosquitos and could have used a canoe for 99% of it... but you wouldn't have been able to tell any of that by the contagious smile and beautiful images we captured of this joyful, charming and all around gorgeous gal. Happy Senior Year, Christian!
Christian's Senior Session at Highlands Hammock State Park.
Caroline Maxcy Photography happily hit the road this past weekend for the destination wedding of Courtney and Dustin. These two are a genuinely laid back pair and opted for an intimate gathering of their closest friends and family at Honey Lake Plantation in Greenville, FL, five hours away from both of their home towns (and mine too). So we all ventured out just a few miles from the Florida Georgia state line to celebrate this sweet pair at this gorgeous old Florida property covered in giant oaks dripping with spanish moss, ancient cypress forests, miles of wooden fences, meandering roads and it's very own shimmering lake. I just returned on Sunday and am, of course, sorting through the hoards of gorgeous photos from the weekends festivities involving everything from a mid-morning skeet shoot to an hour long bridal portrait session in the most gorgeous of opulent white ballrooms. But I couldn't help but to let these few sneak peeks slip out... Enjoy!
After spending two weeks away from the professional photo side of things doing ministry in Mexico and my own community, this past week and a half has been full on business. I've been returning inquiry emails, keeping up with current clients, booking weddings (include my first 2014 wedding set for March in Raleigh, NC), and gearing up for this weekend's upcoming destination wedding at Honey Lake Plantation in Greenville, FL. There is a five hour drive ahead of me today, but I couldn't leave without sharing with you all a little bit about my process involved in getting ready for a wedding. While wedding blogs, my fav photographers sites, Pinterest and such provide a sea of inspiration which encourages me to challenge myself to look deeper and stretch farther to capture the true essence of a bride and groom's wedding day; there is always something so refreshing and inspiring about taking a look back at my own wedding photography experiences, remembering the excitement of the day, the beauty in the unexpected and the genuine love that spilled over all along the way.
Chelsie and Corey's Zolfo, FL wedding just this type of wedding. Thoughtfully planned at Chelsie's family's ranch, perfectly crafted with exquisite details and overflowing with evident love between the pair this wedding was rich with detail and charm. It was gorgeous to say the least and I have spent the past week immersed in the images from their day as I wrapped up editing these photos. From a gorgeously sunny, breezy day, to joyful flower girl that wants to stand just ahead of everyone else, to a surprise round or two on a go-cart track, to the sun setting over a happily married at-ease pair of newlyweds; it is never a bad idea to approach the day with a vision, ideas, hopes and a plan but to hold it all lightly in open hands ready to embrace the authenticity of the moment and the unexpected delightful surprises along the way.
Not that anyone is holding their breath for my blog posts but I know that it has been a bit of a long while since I last shared with you all. This summer has been wonderfully full. And while I have been booking and photo shooting all the long the way from a family session at a blueberry farm, to a beautiful baby bump, to my very first boudoir session, to a vintage guitar with a story, a good chunk of my summer has been filled with some incredible opportunities for ministry (my other full time, volunteer, job).
Mid June I loaded up a handful of youth girls in my car on a Sunday night and didn't leave their side until that Friday. We had our Summer Youth Camp, entitled "Be" right in our home town of Sebring, FL where we learned to serve and love our neighbors, being the "hands and feet" of God, right in our backyard. The week took us everywhere from the basketball courts of an inner city neighborhood to singing in the halls of nursing homes and I was the 24/7 mom to an incredible group of young women walking alongside them all along the way. But that is a whole post all on it's own that'll come at a later date...
With just two days to catch up on sleep and laundry I hopped on a plane with another group of incredible youth kids to journey across the US then across the border to spend a week in the Gaudalupe Valley of Mexico. On a missions trip lead by Phil and Mindy Steiner of Be2Live we served and loved on the kids of Casa de Paz orphanage in El Porvenir, Baja California, Mexico. While my head and body is still exhausted from the trip my heart is full and I hope to share more about all of these experiences soon (after I get a little caught up on all the photo work I have been neglecting over the past few weeks). In the meantime I wanted to share with you a glimpse into my Mexico experience through a video I pulled together for a presentation in church this past weekend. This was a seriously quick edit but definitely gives you a feel of the work God allowed us to be a part of for a time.
Snuck in a few pics of my gorgeous and glowing, expecting sis-in-law this weekend before we were run off by the rain (oh, Florida summertime). Less than two months now until I get to meet my nephew!!
Caroline Maxcy Photography / Lake Placid, FL Maternity Photography
Last but certainly not least for my Class of 2013 Seniors I share with you all images from my session with the lovely Madison (and crew). Madison reminds me a lot of myself in high school keeping herself busy as a bee with a whole slew of activities on and off campus. But one thing that is evident about this girl is that she seems to always carve out time for the most important things in life by cultivating family ties and solid bonds between friends.
When I pulled onto the family horse farm for Madison's session, six people and a pup poured out the door to join the shoot. One friend was there to simply help with styling and props, two others were there to actually hop in a shot or two and mom and dad were there... well because they evidently adored their daughter and it would have been physically impossible for them to stay away and hold back their proud ooos and ahhs. When the sun dipped below the horizon before we could wrap up all our planned shots we had to finish things up on another day where two completely new people, Madison's boyfriend and brother, joined the shoot. Between Madison's friends and family (and pup) there were seven folks joining Madison on her shoot to celebrate, honor and love this incredible girl during such an exciting time in life. Thank you Madison (and crew) for letting me into your world to capture a bit of the love you all share! And good luck Madison in what the future holds for you at The University of Florida and beyond!
xoxo,
Caroline
As the oldest of two Colton is the first born through and through. Focus, determined and talented, with a quiet confidence about him, the guy seems to excel at most anything he does. He makes news on the baseball team, shines as the lead singer in his church youth band and makes his momma all around proud as he grows into an incredible young man. I could expect nothing less of him in front of the camera on our two part shoot from the ball field to the 10 acre family homestead. He was a natural and knew exactly what he wanted out of his senior images where his focus, determination and complexity shines through.
Every once in a while I convinced Colton to flash that genuine smile of his but it wasn't until his full grown golden retriever, Yeller, piled onto his lap at the end of the shoot that the "boy" broke through. How can a boy (or man, or anyone for that matter) hold back a grin with a giant, happy-go-lucky dog trying to fit in their lap?
Thanks Colton for being such a gentleman and for allowing me to follow you around with my camera for a bit. Goodluck in what the future brings!
