LOVE these two! Victoria and Ben braved a super hot Austin day, but you’d never know it from the photos–they are so joyful and in love!
Archive for June, 2012
More England, Please!
June 26
Two of the BEST weeks of my life were spent in England with my husband this year. You can read more of my ramblings on our travels here: {Breakfast & Blogs} {English Countryside} {Happy London Birthday} {Streetside Fashion}
But, this post is dedicated to the styled editorial shoot I photographed while in the UK. *sigh* You know you love your work when you want to work on vacation. Truly, creating beautiful images fires me up in a way that nothing else can.
More England, please. :)
From the warmest place in my heart, I want to thank Abby and the Style Me Pretty team for featuring this shoot on their blog.
Father of the Bride
June 20
My favorite part of being a photographer is paying special attention to the moments between moments. You know what I mean? Those moments of anticipation, those moments of quiet, those breaths right before–when you know your life is on the edge of a sweet new place. I was so touched by this little set of images that were photographed right before Whitney’s dad walked her down the aisle.
I can only imagine the feelings and emotions behind this photo. I love the contrast of the quiet hallway and the light flooded chapel.
These next two images are treasures. Aaron captured these beautifully.
Falling off a treadmill and other fears
June 18
It’s old news for those of you who were “A” team volleyball players in middle school, but my life has entered a radical new stage. Gym going. Every day.
This is a giant step for me. I’m not afraid to admit it: I’m one of those “my-athletic-career-ended-on-the-7th-grade-volleyball-C team-in-shame-and-embarrassment.” A.K.A not athletic. I had a bit of redemption in college though, and cultivated my love for dancing, gymnastics, swimming, and *sigh* yoga. But once I graduated out into the real world, where you have to PAY for a gym membership (really?!) I didn’t invest much in my physical fitness.
Then I realized that neglecting that area of my life would eventually cause other areas of my life to suffer. I read a book at the beginning of the year that challenged me to live with all areas of my life in harmony. This quote changed something inside me:
“We are quick to buy into programs that promise to help us make money, lose weight, or strengthen our relationships. Eventually, we give up on these programs when they conflict with other aspects of our lives. You may notice how an intense focus on one area can actually be detrimental to your overall well being. It might seem easier to treat the critical areas in our lives (career, social, financial, physical, and community) as if they are independent and unrelated, but they’re not. They are interdependent.” -Tom Rath, Wellbeing
So in truth, if I let all the areas of my life exist in harmony with each other, I’d greatly improve my well being. Challenge accepted. Oh wait, physical fitness too? What’s a pale white girl to do? Get over your fear of awkwardly falling off a treadmill and join a gym. :)
SO proud to say I’ve gone to our gym, Pure Austin Fitness, every day since joining two weeks ago. Why every day, you ask? Well, I just know that if the gym becomes a place where I’m familiar and comfortable, I’ll be more likely to continue going. So I committed to going every day for the first month. And I’m loving it so far and happy to report there have been no awkward falls off a treadmill…yet. :)
All this fitness talk has got me thinking about the Olympics. Can’t wait, London 2012!
Carriage House Design Co. Austin Tx
June 14
I’m so proud of my friend Clare. She is rocking Austin with her letterpress & design company Carriage House Design Co. I love her eye for clean designs and her passion for the art of letterpress. The other day, I had the honor of visiting her adorable studio and taking photos of her gorgeous letterpress work.
First, a little behind the scenes as we set up our plan for the shots…
…And the actual product photos. Clare is drawn to natural elements and simplicity, so she brought in a wooden board for us to shoot on, and a baby succulent. Love!
Will & Mallary’s On-Stage Proposal
June 11
Few things fire me up like photographing a proposal. I can’t help but return in my mind to that place where Aaron proposed to me. I love tapping into that moment when I’m photographing a proposal–I can remember the intense joy I felt, all the way down to my toes–and it gets me GIDDY for the couple in front of me.
Photographing a proposal always comes with a rush of emotions, for me, but the rush of Will and Mallary’s proposal was multiplied exponentially–BECAUSE WE WERE IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. Will proposed to Mallary on stage at the Foster The People concert in Austin last Tuesday. It was an absolute joy to be involved, and I’ll never forget nervously/excitedly weaving through the band members on stage to get the best angle. I love the images below, and the Johnny Cash + June Carter feel to them.
My super talented husband shot their proposal on video, and you can view it here.
Will and Mallary–Thank you for inviting Aaron and I to document this incredible moment. I am so happy for you–giddy for you is more like it. :) Enjoy this sweet time, and just know, it only gets better. :) Xoxo, Caroline
English Countryside Styled Shoot
June 6
My husband and I traveled to London earlier this year, and while we were there, I photographed an English countryside shoot. The photos just makes my heart beat faster–what a dream come true to photograph in such a beautiful place! You should have seen me at this shoot. I practically jumped up and down after every shot, squealed every other shot, and might have done a happy dance a time or two. Words can’t express how grateful I am that this shoot happened–honestly it almost didn’t.
Long before our trip, I reached out to stylist after stylist, but they either weren’t interested or simply didn’t respond. I was frustrated and time was ticking–but I was D E T E R M I N E D to photograph an English countryside styled shoot. Finally, the day came and we left for our trip with no concrete plans.
And then. Then a dream team came together a week before, and made this shoot HAPPEN! There’s a part of me that still can’t quite believe it! From the bottom of my heart, I want to hug and thank Jillian Manger + Naomi Kenton, the two main ladies who were responsible for making this shoot a reality.
There’s something about just a few images that stirs my heart. There are so many more beautiful images from this shoot, but for now I believe these six photographs together perfectly capture the essence of the day. I’ll be posting more small collections from this shoot in the days ahead.
I want to send the warmest thank you to Abby and her team at Style Me Pretty for featuring this shoot this morning. My heart is so full of gratitude. Xo.
June Goals
June 1
It’s SUMMER!
I still have that kid-like adoration of the summertime. It just screams freedom. And popsicles. And beach towels. And patio parties.
So with it being the first of June and all, it’s time for me to reveal my carefully selected goals for the month. I usually start planning my goals a month in advance, so I get excited about the big reveal. I’m changing things up a bit now, and rather than listing a simple list, I’m going to give a little background–or nugget of insightful thought, if you will–on each one.
My June goals:
-Read The Luminous Portrait by Elizabeth Messina–keeping on track with my goal to read a book a month. I ordered it last month, and when it came in, I wanted to do nothing but sit and soak it in. But I put some serious self-discipline into effect and didn’t even crack the cover read only the introduction until I finished another book I’d been meaning to finish. Mission accomplished–now I can savor it with a popsicle, cause it’s summer and all.
-Master two new hairstyles on my hair-tastic Pinterest board. It may seem silly, but I’ve always been the girl with the alright hair–it looks fine and pretty and all, but seriously, I could be doing so much better. I mean, I grew my hair out long just to be able to do cool things with it. I think I’m going to go for this one and this one.
-Begin filming my bio video. So excited about this one! Aaron, my husband, is a fabulous videographer and we’ve scripted everything out and selected a song–so it’s time for me to get on camera and make this happen. Real talk: I’m slightly terrified.
-Partner with {unnamed wedding blog} on a summer styled shoot. It needs to stay under wraps until it’s blogged, so I can’t say much else about it. :)
-Continue having weekly budget meetings with Aaron. Self explanatory.
-This last goal is painful to write: Join the gym on June 4th and commit to going for 30 days straight. Ouch. Seriously. Gyms are not my jam. I’m not even 10% athletic. I get all awkward and first-day-of-school-ish, just hoping I’ll fit in and get to sit at the lunch table with the cool kids. (Someone please confirm that I’m not the only person who has ever felt this way.) But surely now as an adult, I can get over those jitters and embrace healthy living–because that’s what it’s all about. I’m committing to 30 days straight, because I need “going to the gym” to become a habit, a routine, and something familiar VERY SOON, or else I know I’ll find excuses. Sidenote: Yes, there will be some days that I’ll be traveling for work, so it won’t technically be 30 straight days. But every day that I’m in Austin, you better believe I’ll be hauling my reluctant self to the gym.
June is going to be awesome. Leave a link to your goals if you blog them–I’d love to read them!
