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…
I am excited to announce that Caroline Maxcy Photography is officially a Preferred Vendor for Once Wed, one of the top wedding resources on the internet today! What an honor to be hand-picked for one of the select few spots! Thanks to my brides and grooms for being so gracious to invite me in to capture your love stories and so gorgeous all along the way! Go check out the listing y'all. You may just see an image or two of yourself.
xoxo, Caroline
Caroline Maxcy Photography's fall has been jammed packed with so much good stuff. So much so, that I haven't even posted a thing on my blog here for you all for coming up on a month now. Eek! The last month has included everything from my very first Art Festival appearance (where I snagged a prize, complete with a ribbon!!), to our fall This is the Day Beginner's Photography workshop where another group of lovely gals scooped up a whole bunch of camera knowledge plus some inspiration and a few new friends, to the Annual Florida Hospital Gala where I got to photograph The Temptations (!!!), to session after beautiful session full of fall family loveliness. And this is where I am going to begin catching up with you all, right here in the middle of my Fall Family Photo Session Season. While I normally wait to the end of the season for a fall family photo recap, after all the Christmas Cards have been posted on refrigerators and mantels across the county, I thought I'd share with you all an extra special session I did with my very best friend earlier this fall in Tampa, FL (complete with captions).
Right smack-dab in the middle of my 20+ Family Sessions I have scheduled for this fall I have found that I take for granted the "excitement" and anticipation in the process of gathering your kin together, getting all dolled up in your best duds, hair freshly combed and praying through smiling teeth that your kids aren't picking their nose as you train your gaze on the camera with your most authentic grin. Come to find out the process is a bit stressful for most families. From the very first decisions on where to go (you can check out my Pinterest board with Location Ideas in Central Florida by clicking here if you don't have a fantastic piece of family property or a park with personal significance already in mind). On to what to wear to put your family in the best light (I'll help you out a little with that too if you want to check out my "What to Wear" Pinterest Board by clicking here!). And then there is the how to keep your kids (and husband) interested, having fun and smiling here and there too during the session. What if the three year old decides to not listen to a single instruction and run about wildly (and they always do)? What if the one year old decides to shove their entire hand in their mouth the entire time (and they always do)? And what if my husband is done with it all after 10 minutes and tells the kids they can no longer get the extra special "bribing" treat of bags full of candy and ice cream and oreos you promised, resulting in a complete meltdown (this may happen from time to time too.)
Here is the thing… this is real life. Your family is not that much different from any other (and yet completely unique all in its own). Everyone has kids that would rather be digging in the nearest dirt pile and a husband that would rather be fishing (or even working!) than smiling at a camera with a strange lady behind it. But you know that this time in life is precious and even if the session doesn't go just as you imagined you are capturing an heirloom for generations to come of a moment in time of your lives right here right now. Every little detail counts, even the hand in the mouth, the digging in the dirt and the knowing gaze between a young mom and dad. You value all of that and I work to make the process as comfortable as possible and capture a lovely story along the way.
So here is my advice to you and the same advice I gave my best friend as we hopped into the car and headed to our family photo session destination of choice, relax, enjoy your kids, enjoy each other, and let's just have some real life, real story fun for the next hour or so (with my camera on hand)...
Now let's begin… Meet the Bachman kids, pre-shoot. (Eek! Those little guys have my heart! And luckily I have a spare room with my name on it at their Tampa home)...
As we sorted through clothing in her living room to come up with the best complimentary combinations my best friend asked "Do you think it is this stressful for every family?" And she went on to say the one thing that was making her a bit more comfortable is that she knows that I know and love her kids. Here is the thing, I may not know and love all of your kids (yet) but if one is a photographer of people you can probably bet that you love people. Seriously it is the diversity and uniqueness of humankind that makes my heart sing and I absolutely love capturing that with my camera. It is why I do it. And I have ended more than one shoot walking hand in hand with a three year old I just meet an hour before. Trust that your photographer is going to take care of you guys, that they are going to use their expertise and knowledge to put you in the best light and that they love the process.
Do you have a lovely home where many memories have been made, a favorite park or fishing hole? Where will your family feel comfortable and the most themselves.
For the Bachman family session we decided on The University of Tampa for our session. It is gorgeous. Right on the water, lovely architectural details, a lush park, overlooking downtown and less than 10 minutes away from their home. The location has been the backdrop for many park visits for their family and is an icon in their family's home town. Perfect.
As we arrived I counted at least five other photo sessions that were going on at the same time! I guess every had the same idea on the fantastic location. But I love out every photographer can see things a little different with new and diverse eyes and every family is unique in its own. I love seeing a new place for the first time and was immediately drawn to the sparkling leaves of the bamboo. So this is where we began.
Ahhh… those Bachman's are gorgeous (seriously, their little guy was on the cover of a magazine when he was a baby.) All of the above photos were captured in the span of about 5-10 minutes, which just so happens to also be the precise amount of time the 3 year old decided was appropriate for smiling and look at the camera with the rest of her family. Haha. We got a few more here and there but had to work extra hard (with lots of bribing and maybe counting to 3 at one point.) I am learning to take advantage of those precious first 5-10 minutes (for the sanity of the parents) when things are new and little ones are up for cooperating to capture the family's desired posed photos up front so we can relax and get the rest of the story for the remainder of the session without the stress of "stand here, look here, now smile!"
The rest of the session was a little like this...
and this...
and this...
Which brings me to my next tip...
Your kids aren't always going to be sitting perfectly and smiling at the camera but seriously is that even real life? If you have kids under the age of 10 (or any age for that matter) the way your session's images turn out is entirely dependent upon your response and reaction as the parent. Like I mentioned to the Bachmans right off the bat, just enjoy your kids and enjoy the process and we will capture beautiful photos along the way, even if your three year old decides to run about wildly or your 5 year old decides he'd rather have candy corn for teeth. I promise.
Next for our Bachman family session we started crossing streets and exploring and making fun of it. And bribing with things like this...
The candy corn photo is probably one of my favorite of the day. It was more than likely not on mom's perfect family session photo Pinterest board but it is pure joy from a little guy having some fun with his treat. He deserved it. He was seriously a champ the entire session. And look at that sparkle in his eyes! Plus I think that dad (and myself) ate more candy corn that day than anyone else.
Yes, I strongly support bribing on family photo sessions. Bribe the kids. Bribe your husband. Bribe the photographer. Hehe. You can bring treats for along the way during the session (like candy corn) or you can make it a fun family night with the promise of going to their favorite restaurant or out for ice cream afterwards. I like ice cream too. I'm just saying.
I also suggest showing your kids (and husband) some of the types of photos that they can capture during the session beforehand. Get them excited about having fun and having some ownership in the session. It's their story too! This is extra important too for your spouse. Let them know what the outcome from taking out an hour of your afternoon will be. Let them see it is worth it!
As I mentioned before I like for the entire family to feel like they have ownership in the session. Ask your spouse for location ideas before hand. They may have a great and unique idea. And I always try to make it an adventure for the kids. I will say, "let's go on an adventure over here!" I ask them to hunt out good photo spots (with a little coaching, of course.) They get really excited about their finds.
We let the three year old pick out our next location and got really excited about her choice. I love her proud grin in these next photos. Yay for more family smiles!
Next we ventured down by the water to explore some more...
And captured some sweet, sunny pics of mom and dad...
while the little ones did a little bit of this… (we called it "grass swimming"). Score for picking a location the kids were comfortable at with room to play!
And then I had them take one last stroll down this gorgeous little palm tree lined path. The excitement you see in the kids eyes may have to do with the fact that I had been taunting them for a full day about an extra special treat I brought for them for after the session, that was in my camera bag… by my side... that they were walking towards. I get excited about treats too.
Enough said.
They got their treats (cookies!) for a job well done and the rest is history...
Until, of course, I decided to dress the three year old back up the next morning and capture a smiley photo (that I only got by making the silliest of faces just to the side of my camera while clicking away. Easy-peasy.)...
I love that Bachman family and I love that they invited me in to capture a bit of their story, every last bit of it. (And if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a peek into our pajama dance party we had later that night in the living room.)
I hope the "Anatomy of a Family Session" helps calm the nerves of my future families set to make their way in front of my camera in the coming weeks. Can't wait to capture your family's authentic story and have fun along the way!
xoxo, Caroline
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...
