footied pajamas and the polar express [christmas 2011]

when my sister and i were little (like: look cute in footied pajamas and pigtails little) we would always stay up to try and see if we could hear santa's sleigh bells. we could hardly fall asleep christmas eve and were then up wayyyy too early the next morning to see if the jolly old man in the big red suit had eaten all of his cookies.  one year (i think i was in 1st grade, because that was the year that we had an awful ice storm, the power was knocked out, and i got to read the christmas story from Luke by lantern light on christmas eve) mama and daddy told us it HAD to be light outside before we could get out of bed... torture, i tell you.  i distinctly remember kristen sitting on my lap at the top of the stairs waiting to hear mama and daddy stir below so we could bound down the stairs.  when danny was born, he use to sleep with me. but then, when i went off to college he only slept with me when i came home for the weekends, and eventually hardly at all.  but still, every christmas eve night, he would grab rusty (his bear) and i would get hippo (my hippopotamus) and we would read the polar express under the covers and then fall asleep waiting for santa to visit.

this year, there were no footied pajamas, no polar express read with enthusiasm and different voices for each character, no snuggling with a freckled red-head and my hippo. instead, on christmas eve, i crawled into bed alone and set an alarm. at 5:25 a.m. on christmas morning my phone blared some nondescript piano rift and i leaped out of bed.  i threw on my muck shoes, fed gambler (the horse) and the cats (sissy and grayson) and put shep in the back of HOSS. i drove the 20 miles home and pulled into the front yard at 6:03 a.m.

that's right, 6:03 a.m.

and i wouldn't have it any other way. somehow i managed to get there before danny/kristen woke up and christmas morning was just as exciting as the 20-some before.  i'm excited for what christmas futures have to bring, put christmas present was pretty awesome (i guess it's christmas past now, but you get my drift). 

i have some goodies coming to the blog soon (christmas presents were delivered, so now i can share goodies with ya'll!!), but until then, enjoy some of the photos from christmas 2011.

conner, our little mini model :)

danny got a potato gun, thanks david haha

family photo!! (i know this isn't the greatest, but it was taken at 10:00 at night, outside, with no flash... we do what we can ;)

merry christmas ya'll!!

hi, my name is caitlin - i'm a photographer

i roll my window down to ask the man in the highway-worker orange vest for directions:

me: good morning!!!!!!! (my voice is a little squeaky because i'm nervous, but i'm PUMPED to be the official photographer at an event) where should i park?

man: are you a rider or a volunteer?

me: i'm... uhhh... well i'm the... i'm the... um.. photo... (i glance around to make sure a random hoard of judgmental people hasn't walked by to hear me finally squeak out) i'm taking pictures?...

man: you're the photographer?

me: yes, yes sir...

i couldn't say it. as much as a tried, my lips and tongue just couldn't figure out how to form the syllables. the words wouldn't come out.  there was a 'road closed' sign posted smack dab in the middle of the highway from my brain to my mouth, but i kept driving and just barreled through those cones and that red and white striped fence thing that they use to deter even the most oblivious of automotive operators.  i stumbled and mumbled and regretted my decision to take ballroom dance instead of public speaking for my GER 6 (performing arts) requirement.

why? WHY couldn't i say it?  i've officially been a small business owner since july.  i'm talking: business-license-holding-registered-with-three-different-levels-of-government-estimating-quarterly-taxes-official. the whole sha-bang. 

and yet, i struggle to utter those three simple words: i'm a photographer.

when people ask me what i do, my response is usually along the lines of: i'm a legal assistant, but i also own a small photography business.

NO. what do i value most: PHOTOGRAPHY. what makes me happy: PHOTOGRAPHY. what do i think about every day and can't imagine living without: PHOTOGRAPHY. 

so WHY, i ask you, WHY do i completely fall apart just thinking about leading off with that?

because i'm a pansy.  that's why.

because i'm too afraid of what people will think/respond with.

because i'm a chicken-headed, yellow bellied, lily livered coward.

but that changes. now. ok, really it started changing this morning when i practiced saying it in the shower, but legit, with the new year comes a new phrase that i'm going to wear out until i can't stand to hear it any more:

'hi, my name is caitlin - i'm a photographer'

i like the sound of that :)

merry christmas ya'll!!

ps - it took me like 50 minutes to put together this short little blog post. i blame it on this diva and my amazing lip syncing abilities slash tenancy to get easily distracted when it comes to silent vocal renditions of christmas music sung into my hair brush:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFlxHzFpNUE&feature=fvst

90's GIVEAWAY

why yes, you did read that correctly.

i have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with things from the 90's.  saved by the bell, gilligan's island, ring pops, n-sync, laffy taffy (really, it's just the terrible jokes, i LOVE laffy taffy jokes), lite-brites...

and in honor of my facebook page reaching over 1,300 people monthly (it's the little things, folks) i'm having a 90's CANDY GIVEAWAY.

here's how YOU can win:

1. go here

2. 'like' caitlin elizabeth photography

3. comment on the picture of the candy!

4. share this link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=307629555925341&set=a.199377043417260.46098.170897959598502&type=1&theater

with your friends and get people to 'like' your comment

*the person with the most 'likes' by friday at 5:00 p.m. EST is the WINNER

happy contesting :)

words. [personal]

i've never been a science person.  memorization just isn't my thing. that test in AP chemistry where we had to memorize polyatomic ions? you don't even want to know how many times i took that before i passed.  it was embarrassing. for serious.

and math? well... i just couldn't see the point.  i know it's useful for some folks, but really? i do NOT need to know how to set up proofs to function on a day to day basis.

(tehehe... function...)

now, history and i got along fairly well, but again, memorization... it seriously hindered our relationship.

so i graduated with an english degree.

collective response: hold up say whaaaaa?!!

this'll probably come as a shock to some of you - i mean, as long as we're being completely honest, i'm a terrible speller, tend to use entirely too many adjectives, have a general lack of enthusiasm when it comes to punctuating things correctly and only capitalize when absolutely necessary...

but i really like words.

and writing.

more specifically: handwritten words.

when i was in elementary school i wrote letters to my best friend, even though i sat next to her in all of our classes and saw her five days a week.  at GA camp, i wrote to nana and pop-pop every day - even if it was just to tell them that my swimsuit bottoms had fallen off when i dove off of the side of the pool.  i gave my christmas list to santa in paragraph form. when my long-term high-school sweetheart broke up with me, to get over it i wrote.  in college, when i needed a distraction or i didn't know how to handle something, i picked up a pen.

point being [pun totally intended]: i've always been a writer.

i recently received a PACKAGE of letters (yes, a package - there were a total of 8 i think) and it was one of the best surprises ever :)  there is something about the written word - it's personal and touching.  so inextricably you. so undeniably yours.  there is no getting away from it.  and every mark has a story that goes with it.

and that is why i write.

notes to myself, letters to others, thank you cards, on my hand, in my journal, on mixed cd's and scraps of paper... anywhere really.  the margins of my books are littered with questions, comments, doodles, punctuation marks.  if there are post-it notes within arms reach, you better believe that the top one has something, anything, written on it. 

in a lot of ways photography resonates with me just as deeply as writing.  through both i create.  through both i tell stories.  but through photography, i express what, occasionally, words cannot.

caits

will king lighting workshop

light.

it can be so beautiful, but it can also be downright hateful when it chooses.

light.

it makes or breaks a photograph - probably THE single most important element when it comes to making an image (i mean, without light it doesn't matter how long the shutter is open... the sensor won't capture anything unless there is light to record).

 a few saturdays ago i had the ABSOLUTE PLEASURE of attending one of will king photography's workshops on lighting.  i learned a TON and added a few things to my business' christmas list (speedlight/umbrella/pocket wizard... santa?! are you listening?!!)

the day was full of 'firsts' - off-camera lighting, working with models, being surrounded by professional photographers... such an awesome learning experience :)  i can't thank will enough for putting this on, and if you ever have the chance to attend one of these i HIGHLY recommend it. 

**SONY USERS: you MUST bring an adapter for your flash or the pocket wizards won't connect with the off-camera flash units** thank goodness amanda from loving memories photography is a fellow sony user - she saved my butt!! thanks girl ;)

this first one is a 'behind the scenes' shot - in the far right is sandra modeling at the single, constant light source setup.  the bigger flash in the foreground was for a separate, three light setup.

ladies and gentlemen... charles hamilton and sandra goode :) she's just so gorgeous!!

 this is at the single, constant light source setup 

ok, ok, i know... i go to a lighting workshop and i photograph in natural light... but LAWD she's pretty!! check out kelly gaita - actress/model

this was with a single beauty disk - i still love natural light too, but i thought this was pretty cool!

her hair was done by elizabeth ansel alfier

and makeup was by kristine marie makeup artistry

i may or may not have completely freaked kelly out when i walked up to introduce myself to her... i think my introduction went something like this:

"hi!! i'm caitlin and i just wanted to let you know that i think you are absolutely precious!!!"

*note to self... precious = gollum from the hobbit - do not use precious*

this is sydney and she is SO FIERCE. i love the shadows in this - crazy awesome. hair by elizabeth ansel alfier

this is charles again - he's super cute, but also a big goofball (sorry charles, i outted you...) 

kelly. you are gorgeous. kristen marie makeup artistry - you are amazing.  props to amanda for this angle, we were actually off to the side and she started shooting kelly from the side and i followed suit 

 here's sandra again!! at the outside setup - by this time the sun was setting (you can see a little flare in the upper left and more on her right arm) so the off-camera lighting gave this photo a whole new dynamic. i kindof love it.  

WORK IT. sandra is also a TON of fun - as in: had me laughing so hard i was almost crying by the end of the workshop.

makeup is by: makeup by vega

kandice!!!! love this girl. i really don't know how to handle models - but they were all so understanding, especially kandice - her hair was a little messed up before i took this shot and i was really hesitant to touch her.  and being my awkward self i was afraid to invade her space, but she was so sweet and helped me out!! thank you kandice!! #majorlearningcurve :) 

AAHH!!! ok, so we're all at this workshop and hanging out while the models are getting ready and miss khalilah denise walks in the room and i'm thinking to myself... i feel like i've seen her before - i don't know where i would've seen her, but she looks so familiar...

then it hits me.

HER FACE IS ON A BILLBOARD. ON 64. crazy.

ps - her skin is FLAWLESS. 

this was a natural light one - sorry will... (he was upset that i was at a lighting workshop and photographing outside with natural light... but old habits are hard to break!!)

again, sydney, you are so fierce! love this one.

khalilah again - she was such a sweetie pie - she came up to me after the workshop was over and said 'i just want to give you a hug' and it MADE MY DAY.  the following image was at the single, constant light setup:

if you have the chance to attend one of will's workshops, i would highly recommend it.  not only did i learn way more than i thought possible in one day, i met awesome models and some amazing local photographers.  a HUGE thank you to everyone who made it possible - it truly was a phenomenal experience :)

caits

sweet.simple.southern. [photography]

i'm a sucker for the traditional.

christmas eve services closing with candles and silent night echoing from the walls of our little country church, spending the last few minutes of christmas day gathered around the piano - mama playing and all of the girls serenading her with carols, decorating the christmas tree with my sister and brother (daddy untangles the hooks and mama is on empty-space duty... ensuring that there aren't huge gaps between ornaments... legit we've got this down to a science), making mounds and assorted cookies with three generations of phenomenal women crowded into our kitchen... it all just seems so magical. 

and it amazes me how these things happen every year, but it never gets old.

i think that's why i love this picture so much, along with all of the feelings it evokes.  i can't remember a christmas when my aunt didn't have this on her tree.  it's so simple.  so beautiful to me. completely timeless... in more ways that one.  

she's frozen.  her unassuming beauty breathtaking.  she has no idea she is adored year after year - previously by a little ballerina and now by a twenty-something young professional who secretly wishes people look at her and see what she sees in this little glass ornament... something that, although simple, is captivating.

and THAT is what i want to capture with photographs. the beautiful simplicity of the ordinary. 

lucy [mini session]

i was super nervous - i had already gone through two interviews at the law firm (where i currently work, phew) and was sitting in ashli's office.  all i could think was: this woman is the corporate/legal carrie underwood. i hope she doesn't figure out what a complete doof i am...

 during the interview she asked me about my photography business and casually mentioned that one day i would have to take pictures of her little girl, lucy... 5 months and one new big kid job later, here we are :)

lucy just turned one and she is all smiles :)  we played and bounced and tried to keep our bows and ribbons in our hair that gusty saturday morning - she LOVED shep (the oldest puppy) and was as easy going as they come.  enjoy little miss lucy!!

oh i just love this next one:

lucy sat on the stool for all of  1/4 of a second... but i love the old wooden backdrop

aaaannddd then we got too cold and went inside

i just think this is all kinds of sweet:

love:

alright ya'll i'm finally turnin' in - night!

creason clan [mini session]

i just can't get enough of this family - thankfully i'm related to them, so i get to see them lots :)  katie is one of my favoritest people ever (she makes choir practice much more entertaining than it would be otherwise... ps - we're going to ROCK our duet in the christmas cantata!!), jp is super cool (he let me play the aladdin video game on his old school play station thing when i was 7 and made really realistic car noises when he pretended to shift gears - best cousin ever) and conner, well, he's just the happiest, cutest child i have EVER met. i love him. i might be slightly biased, but seriously, he's precious.  yeah, you're right, i'm not biased... he IS the cutest/happiest child i've ever met.

and i will lead off with an image that might possibly be a personal favorite - i'm kindof proud of this one:

in all fairness, it might be impossible to take a bad picture of him. THOSE EYES!!! can't get enough. he's going to be a heartbreaker. 

and i'm going to follow that up with this, because it proves that katie is also STUNNING

such a sweet family :)

you can see where conner gets those baby blues:

so much happiness abounded during this shoot - its what makes me love what i do!!

<3 

 thanks ya'll!!!

luke [mini session]

there was a LOT of pressure with this shoot - luke is one of the poster children for SEARS (yes, the department store) and has his picture taken almost as often as he brushes his teeth by studio photographers.

he was SO energetic (mama, i don't know how you do it) and just so darn cute!!  he wasn't particularly interested in the christmas setup, but i managed to snag this:

he helped me feed gambler (the horse) and this was the look he gave me when i told him he couldn't climb through the fence:

it was a fairly windy (and consequently chilly) saturday, so i tried to convince luke that going inside would be warmer, but he just wanted to look out of every window he could find - he definitely wanted to be outside

so back out into the cold we went!

mini model status :)

i think i'm in love <3 

ACTHA trail ride [Zuni, Va]

until this point, the only horses i've been closely acquainted with were my very own HOSS, misty of chincoteague (if you have to click on the link to know who that is, i'm ashamed of you. and your 4th grade teacher) and my cousin's pony thunder (i think that was his name? could've been lightning, but i'm almost 87% sure it was thunder) who pinned me against the side of the barn and tried to bite me one day when i was trying to feed him... and despite my vivid, yet brief, disillusioned childhood fantasy of taming my very own wild pony from the eastern shore, i'm still slightly intimidated by these four legged power houses. i mean seriously, they could CRUSH you on a whim, or kick you so hard your heart could stop, or break your neck because they don't like the way you sit.

so when i was asked to be the photographer for the first annual ACTHA trail ride in Zuni, VA - i have to be honest... i was slightly (if not completely) terrified of what the day would entail. horrible horrible news headlines flashed across my mental newspaper: young photographer trampled by stampede of angry equines, girl sacrifices camera in desperate attempt to outrun pony...

yeah.  kindof freaking out.

thank goodness one of the first things i saw when i got there was this:

because from that moment on, i knew this was going to be WAY more fun than i had ever anticipated.  enjoy the spoils of my sunday morning/afternoon :)

i liked this one :) he seemed sweet

spurs!!

so much win.   

minnie was NOT happy about those ears going on...

clown? rainbow bright? funfetti cake? 

the fall colors were GAWGEOUS

there were six obstacles that each rider had to complete.  the second one was the 'mailbox' - riders had to approach the mailbox, put mail in, close the door, take it back out and close the door again. sounds simple, but a lot of the horses didn't want to approach the mailbox at all.  the beautys below performed BEAUTIFULLY though ;)

approaching the dreaded mailbox

another costume contest entry!

first place!!

if you're an ACTHA rider you can check out the gallery!

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