I love New York. And couples in love. And sunsets. And goldendoodles! Combine all of these things for a Portrait Session and I'm one happy girl!!
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I met Emma and Kacy through my church here in Jersey and they are such cute couple! Though I was sad to see them move to Utah I was overjoyed to photograph them with NYC as their backdrop before they left town. So if you’ve spent anytime with me (especially recently) you’ll know that I’m 100% obsessed with goldendoodles (golden retriever + poodle mix) and want one desperately! I told Emma jokingly that I would ONLY do their session if they brought their doodle, Yogi, along. When they showed up with Yogi in a bow tie, my heart about stopped! Emma and Kacy are a beautiful couple but its easy to see that Yogi steals the show- just look at that face! We even had a couple tourists (who didn’t speak any English) stop us and wanted to take photos with Yogi!! 

At the end of their session I showed one little photo to Emma as a sneak peak to which she said, “Oh Caitlin, this is exactly what I was wanting!” Hearing that was music to this photographer’s ears! I’m always honored to photograph special moments in time for my clients and work hard to marry their idea’s with my vision. Emma, Kacy, and Yogi will be truly missed here in Jersey but hopefully our paths will cross again someday. I love that these photos will always remind them of the wonderful pocket of time they spent living along Hudson. 

I arrived in Houston earlier this week just in time for the debut of my brand new beautiful niece, Penelope Anne. She is tiny and perfect and I love her so much already. I was thrilled to capture her first breaths and moments on earth surrounded by her family. Mama and baby are happy and healthy and we are all thrilled to have another girl in the family.

"Penny" is the 7th grandchild in my family (5th granddaughter) and for the first time ever EVERYONE was in town for the birth. it was especially sweet having all my sisters there to meet this precious little angel. She really is a little slice of heaven. But since words aren't really my strong suit, I'll show you what I mean through photos...

​Enjoy Penelope's birth story!! 

I've known Max for as long as I can remember and we've been best friends pretty much from the beginning. Not only is he a crazy talented dancer, but also a fiercely loyal friend. Growing up, Max was always the funny kid. When he told me he wanted to be a ballet dancer I thought he was joking. I always thought he was going to be an actor or a comedian when he grew up. But he proved me wrong and worked his butt off to become such an incredible dancer and technician.

Every time I see him dance he is stronger, more disciplined, and grows in his artistry. So proud of who he's become as a dancer and a person. He is currently in between seasons with Carolina Ballet and spent a couple of weeks this summer visiting  NYC. It had been  few years since our last photo shoot so I was excited to photograph him in front of the skyline at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.  I loved the way the blue and grey hues of his clothing blended into the skyline. Here's the final product of our collaboration!

I don't know how its possible but my niece, Maddie, just gets cuter by the second! I was so excited when my mom bought her this adorable dress from Torly Kid. I love that the Tribeca kid's clothing boutique also has an online storefront, making it so much easier to get their cute stylings all he way to my fam in TX.

One day during my visit to Houston in May, we to took advantage of Maddie's cute new dress and went out for some ice cream (or "iqueem" as Maddie would say!) She naturally picked the "pink" kind with sprinkles and went to town on it! Its amazing to see how much a kid will listen to you when you put  sugar in their hands! So happy to have preserved this special little memory with one of my favorite little girls. Looking forward to meeting her baby sister by the end of this month!!

(Gushy romantic post ahead. You've been warned.)

I'm a big romantic so when I got an email from Jack wanting to hire me to photograph his surprise Central Park proposal to his girlfriend, Lauren, I couldn't have been more excited! They are both originally from Oklahoma and Lauren is an accomplished dancer (she was Miss Oklahoma in 2012)  whom over the last week was here in NYC with her parents attending the Rockette Summer Intensive. She had no idea that Jack and both of their families were flying up to NYC at the end of her trip. 

During the planning process I asked Jack if there was a certain place in the park he wanted to pop the question. He said that it really didn't need to be an iconic spot or somewhere super secluded, "One day we'll be moving up here for Lauren to pursue her dreams and I just want us to have a spot in the park that we can call our own." Isn't that just the sweetest?!

Well the day of the proposal came and light showers were on the forecast, but as luck would have the clouds parted and the sun shined down just in time for Lauren's arrival in the park. Her parents were of course in on the whole thing and told her they wanted to "take a stroll through the park" before heading to dinner. She gasped in confusion and excitement  when she saw Jack at the end of her path. He led her down to the grassy spot we had picked out with the the pond, bridge and city view as their backdrop, got down on one knee, and asked Lauren to be his wife. Many people in the park stopped to watch the scene unfold and burst into applause when the ring slid on her finger. And the surprises for Lauren continued as Jack revealed their families cheering for them atop the hill.   Now I may or may not have shed a tear...  it was just such a beautiful thing to witness. As I photographed the newly engaged couple, I couldn't help but think about all the photos that will be taken of them in the future- wedding, honeymoon, holidays, anniversaries! I love telling stories through photos and I'm honored to have played a role in their story. Congrats to Jack and Lauren on finding their spot in the park!