Editing this sweet spring time Lake Placid family session today! Oh that sweet sunshine!
xoxo, Caroline
On a Personal Note: I'm Engaged!
It was a very, very good weekend! (insert high pitched squeal here)
xoxo, Caroline
Caitlin + Michael — Sebring, FL Engagement Photography
This sunny Central Florida engagement session with Caitlin and Michael is to die for! Seriously, these two should look into modeling together. But the most photogenic thing about it all is the sweet and evident love between these two love-birds who meet in a Louisiana college library. Then this lucky girl got to capture all the sweetness on "film"! Congrats, Caitlin and Michael!
xoxo, Caroline
Impromptu Portrait Sesh at The Standard — Miami, FL
The Lido Restaurant at The Standard is one of my favorite spots to dine in all of Miami. Every time I wander through their gardens on the way from the valet to this dockside gem of a restaurant overlooking the Miami Beach bay I dream of taking pause one day to capture some photos... if only I had willing models...
Yesterday was the day.
Thanks Edwin and Caitlin for our impromtu photo session at this lovely place!
xoxo, Caroline
Caroline's Top 10 Tips for Better Mobile Photography
I just wrapped up round two of my iPhoneography Class with Highlands Art League, and I'm not going to lie, I may have a little bit of favoritism with this course. iPhoneography is just plain fun, we don't get muddled up with all the settings and buttons involved with a "fancy" camera plus I kind of like the fact that it pushes folks (including myself) to get more creative with the flood of photos we are all pouring into social media these days. Yay for pretty photos! So I thought I'd go ahead and share some tips and tricks I've learned along the way for thoughtful and creative photographic storytelling with my iPhone lens. So here you have it...
Caroline's Top 10 Tips
for Better Mobile Photography
(A.K.A How to Take a Better Photo with your Camera phone)
#1 IDENTIFY YOUR SUBJECT: LOVE WHAT YOU SHOOT
This is a two part tip.
#1 Love what you shoot. Identify what excites you, what takes your breath away what story you long to tell and shoot that. We all can't be Ansel Adams or Anne Leibovitz and they can't be each other. Love what you are shooting and that will come across in the image you capture.
#2 When you are out there taking a photo, take a step back and think about why you are about to capture this image - what is your real subject ? Once you have determined what is making you press the shutter, it instantly becomes easier to show the end viewer what kind of message or emotions you are trying to convey.
#2 FIND THE LIGHT: TAKE A PEEK AROUNd
Light is one of the most important elements of a photograph. Just try to imagine an image without light? Its impossible, right? And the way we work with and use light completely alters not just the quality of our image but also the story we are trying to tell. Hold your phone out in front of you (selfie-style) then spin around the room slowly. Watch and see how the direction of the light source (a window, door, lamp, etc.) changes the look of the image. Can you see it? Lighting changes everything. Sit with the window to your back at lunch next time and see how the light makes your lunch date's eyes sparkle (and it also probably helps to see those cute freckles too). Put them in front of the window and you loose all those details. And it is not just about the direction of where the light is coming from the time of day, the weather and the things the light is reflecting off of, the way the shadows fall all come into play in telling a unique and different story.
#3 USE THE DARK: FIND INTERESTING SHADOWS AND SILHOUETTES
Sometimes the absence of light can be the most compelling storytelling tool. Search for the shadows and silhouettes and let the dark create frames in your images.
#4 PAY ATTENTION TO THE BACKGROUND: SIMPLIFY AND FOCUS
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our subject we are photographing that we don't pay attention to what is going on behind them. If the background is too busy or doesn't add to the story you are trying to tell it can get rather distracting. If you want to photograph your friend and her cute outfit for the day place her in front of a solid colored wall or door. This draws your eye straight to your subject.
Or maybe the background is the story you want to tell. Like the amazing colors and buildings found on the streets of Lima, Peru…
#5 Get Close: Focus in
There is an incredible beauty to be found in the details when you take the time to lean in, shift focus and celebrate the small things. Get close and see what you find.
#6 Step Back: Tell a Larger Story
Stepping back tells a larger story that is oftentimes grounded in place. Your friends happy dance in front of a quaint bed-n-breakfast, the still quiet moment of your pup taking an afternoon siesta on your bed, the limbs of a tree reaching out to shade a bride and groom's closest family and friends on their wedding day… it's all in there. And oftentimes these types of images are not just capturing a scene or a place but also the memory of a feeling you experienced in that place.
#7 Explore Angles: Get Creative
Our viewpoint plays a major role in the story we tell in our images. Photograph a gopher turtle from above and he looks like a wee little guy but put your camera lens all the way on the ground and look up at the fella and he suddenly becomes massive. And a personal favorite of mine is snapping a photo from directly overhead of your subject on a beach cruiser bike, in the winding staircase, in a litter of pups or at the piano with your niece and nephew. Take time to explore angles and determine what works best for your photo story.
#8 Snap Away: click, click, click
If you have even had a photo session with me you know I am a big proponent of clicking away, especially with kids. Snap a few photos of a moment to try and capture that "just perfect expression" then go back and choose which one works best for your story. And keep snapping even after they think you are done. It is oftentimes in those moments that folks relax and you get the real, authentic smiles.
#9 Patiences makes perfect: wait for it
Sometimes I see the photo I want before it gets there; the kids about to leap from the edge of the pool, the sailboat about to make it's way into my view, the baby about to burst into a smile because he thinks it is funny when you cough. I saw it coming. These types of photos don't happen by accident. They happen because you practice patience and you know just the right moment to click. Wait for it.
#10 Be present: celebrate life
All of these images are all little glimpses of life that I was simply present in and paused to capture. The image didn't have to be perfect, but it is a perfect reminder of a moment. I can remember the temperature in each of these photos. The way sun or the night time breeze felt on my skin. The emotion in the air. I can remember it because I lived it. Because I tucked my phone back into my pocket and walked the street, chased a baby on a beach or hopped into a late night pajama dance party with my best friend and her kiddos. Be present. Sometimes the best pictures are captured in our hearts.
xoxo, Caroline
“The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”
A Miami Family Vacation — Key Biscayne Miami Photography — Silver Sands Beach Resort
If you follow me on Instagram you may have gathered that my family stole away to Miami for the weekend to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday (I don't know what may have clued you in, maybe it was the 30+ images I posted over the course of 4 days). I just can't help it! Miami is such a visually appealing city and then you get my gorgeous family up in the mix and it is a recipe for photo overload. Plus my sister calls this place her home so we have a insta-tourguide for places like Vizcaya, South Beach, Coconut Grove, Wynwood and finding the best food. (Side note: Because my sis lives in Miami I have no travel fees for wedding photography in the area. Yay for Miami weddings!)
We opted to stay a hop skip and away from all the hustle and bustle on the island of Key Biscayne and found ourselves the quaintest of retro Miami places, Silver Sands Beach Resort. If you are looking for Miami luxury, glitz and glam this is NOT the place but if you want to step back in time and experience a little bit of vintage low-key Miami this is DEFINITELY your place. It was just perfect for what we were looking for for the weekend. And as an artist it was a dream… the retro feel, the swaying palms, the vintage architectural details, those aqua doors! All weekend long I plotted and planned for the photo session I had worked out to do with my 13 year old niece for a photo class I was teaching. I wanted to walk my class through how I go about a photo session and this place was the perfect setting, put a gorgeous gal up in the mix and voila… photo loveliness. But… as many photo shoots go things didn't go as planned… when we actually got around the the session the 13 year old wasn't up for it (oh the temperamental-ness of being 13). Luckily I have a 19 month old model of a nephew that is always up for photos (or rather, allowing me to chase around after him with my camera while we try to keep him as happy as possible.) And to top it all off I got myself a great teaching lesson for my photo class where I was able to talk through finding light, making compositional decisions, working through challenges, being present in the moment and telling a compelling visual story all along the way in a real life setting. Win!
Here is a glimpse into a low key morning of Miami fun! And to find out more about how I capture these type of images join me for my next This is the Day Photo Workshop or Highlands Art League class. Enjoy!
xoxo, Caroline
Jamie + Cory — Lakeside Wedding Photography — Avon Park, FL
So I have to admit, Valentine's Day is maybe my favorite holiday. Seriously. I adore it. And even though we are a week past the "Day of Mushy-Gushy Over the Top Love" I can't help but to still have a bit of a heart filled high. So today I share with you a glimpse into Jamie and Cory's love-filled lakeside wedding celebration I had the joy to capture last fall. Check out the sweetness and prepare yourself for a heart all-a-flutter over all that gorgeousness and the evident love between these two.
xoxo, Caroline
Stacy + J.C. Engaged — Sebring, FL Engagement Photography
Happy Friday! I am still working on some 2014 wrap up posts for you all with details of all the fun Caroline Maxcy Photography had in the past year. But in the meantime, in honor of the "month of love" I will share with you all this super sunny, super sweet engagement session with Stacy and J.C. from back in December. Don't you just love the way a Florida December looks! I love this state (most of the time)! Congrats to Stacy and J.C. and thanks for inviting me to capture a glimpse of your love! xoxo, Caroline
The Maxcy Family — Christmas Day 2014 — Wintery Colorado Family Photography
For 34 years I woke up on Christmas morning, shuffled to the living room and plopped down in a sea of presents and warmth and lots of family love. No matter how far away my current place in life may have had me living I always seemed to make it home… for 34 years.
Each year was unique in its own. Some years my dad read the Christmas story straight from the gospels. Some years we had cinnamon rolls in the oven, others it was a breakfast casserole. Some years my mom had a camcorder on her shoulder (one of those super-duper heavy ones that recorded on a full sized VHS that I have no idea where they might be now-a-days.) Some years the presents were big and flashy, others they were small and heartfelt and some years they came in the form of cards that let us know a donation was made in our name. For probably 15 years straight I would get a new Precious Moment's figurine (which was not so much fun as a kid but are probably worth a good bit of money now-a-days). And for the last 10 or so years, as us kids have moved on up there in age, our presents have turned from plastic toys and figurines to paper money where my mom and dad orchestrate elaborate hunts around the house to find our "prize". (This literally happened up until last year.) Some years the tree would be in the living room, other years in the family room, and others, when we up and moved down the street, a completely different house all together. And while the details of the scene may have been different year after year there were few things that never changed. Up until this year that is.
For the first time in 34 years I would sit in a living room on Christmas morning without my dad.
When I stood at my dad's graveside back in May, holding a paper with scribbled notes in my trembling fingers I told a story of how the Lord orchestrated a journey over the past few years preparing us in His ever so mysterious and perfect way for just this moment. He brought me back home just four years earlier (which was not part of my plan) because He knew I'd look back and cherish that time I was blessed to draw closer to my dad in a way I never had been before. And He grew our family by three in the matter of an 1/2 hour long lakeside wedding ceremony of my brothers back in the fall of 2012 because He knew we'd need the extra strength to hold us up. And he brought my precious nephew into this world the following summer because He knew we'd need to be reminded of "the goodness of the Lord" in a child's laughter. As I sat back down in the row of graveside folding chairs, fingers still trembling, my brother's 10 year old stepson beside me looked over and grabbed my hand.
From that day forward I can honestly say that my family has grown closer than I think we ever have been before. There is something about the dark, uncharted territory of grieving that draws you close to those beside you on the path out of sheer necessity I suppose. And as holidays and birthdays and the 29th of each month begins its approach we all seem to take a short, tight breath in unison in an effort to someway dull the pain. So after 34 Christmases sitting in my hometown living room on the morning December 25th we decided it was time for a change.
My family opted for a change of scenery all together and we booked a trip to snowy Colorado for the holidays. It was filled with skiing and snowmobiling and two-horse open sleigh rides and hot cider and fireside games of Uno and delicious food and lazy mornings and breathtaking views and lots and lots of snow. On this 35th Christmas morning I woke up, shuffled to the living room of our condo to join my family, exchanged a few small gifts around a tree and headed outside to capture some family photos in the Colorado gloriousness. I mean, you all know it wasn't quite as easy as that. There was a 2 1/2 hour long process of picking out and coordinating outfits (out of what we all packed in our 1 suitcase for the week), a frenzy of primping and hair teasing and baby chasing all while try to muffle the sighs of "some of us" that would have rather been skiing. Yes, even for a photographer herself a family photo session is challenging... Especially for a photographer. :) But in the end we all knew that ultimately capturing this little slice of a moment in time with family was oh-so-important because if we learned anything from 2014 is that things can change in the blink of an eye… and they'll never be the same again.
I miss my dad being in these pictures more than words can explain but I am so thankful for this family that God has given me on this planet right here, right now and that these are the folks I get to walk through this uncharted territory alongside. Merry Christmas, y'all!
If you happen to follow me on Instagram you may know of my journey to setting up this family photo shoot, which involved the exciting hunt for the perfect Colorado photographer, finding not one, not two, but three potentials and having them all be heading out of town for the holidays. Bummer. So I researched and bought myself a remote control shutter release for my camera (like this one here) and captured the above photo and a few below, before I handed off my camera to a willing family member. Win!
Even though the rest of the family began to freeze over and opted to head back the warmth of the condo and ski coats my lovely 13 year old niece decided to humor me a bit more and snap some creekside photos. I already knew that she was a lovely model but when I handed the camera over to her for some rarely ever seen portraits of yours-truly I discovered that she was quite the talented photographer herself. I think I have a photo assistant in the making. Thanks, Lexi!
Photography Classes Back in Session — Highlands Art League Teen iPhoneography and Adult Beginners Photography Classes
Hey y'all! Remember when this happened… Well, the photography photo class fun is happening again. Starting next week I will be teaching photography classes for adults and teens alike through Highlands Art League in downtown Sebring. Check out the details on their website (http://www.highlandsartleague.org/education/adults/) and join me for the next six weeks to learn more about capturing images with your phone and your "fancy camera" too and hone a beautiful storytelling craft along the way.
xoxo, Caroline
