The Hudson Valley Story First Spring 2016 Wedding Feature
There is something wonderful about intentional moments when capturing couples and there is a whole different magic that happens when capturing the unintentional moments as well. Caitlinn Mahar-Daniels lives for both!
A traditionally trained photographer obsessed with capturing LOVE between people. She thrives off the positive energy and atmosphere she has the privilege of capturing with her lens!
Caitlinn has been photographing weddings professionally since 2011 and strictly gets her clients through word of mouth. Other happy couples tell more happy couples about their dream wedding. It’s the love that is generated from the couples she photographs that emits an energy and excitement!
Engagement Photographs
Caitlinn recommends if a couple is looking to use their engagement photographs for their “Save the Dates’ they should take that into consideration when booking their session. Engagement photographs can take place at any time while planning the wedding process. She has photographed multiple engagement sessions as much as two years before a couple walks down the isle as well as two weeks before the wedding. If a couple has time to plan, she suggests thinking about a favorite season and involving nature becomes a very important part of the process.
Advice To A Bride From A Wedding Photographer
Something that is really important is that the bride feels a connection with her photographer on an emotional as well as aesthetic level. In Caitlinn’s case many brides or grooms make an inquiry through her website. She responds by finding out basic information about the couple.
Weddings
From there either a phone conversation or a meeting is scheduled. After a meeting and the couple official books the photographer a contract is signed and a deposit is made. That’s when the scheduling and engagement photos are planned. After that, Caitlinn and the couple talk several times before the wedding day to go over a timeline and specific posed photographs. This is an important step in the process since candid’s are mainly taken during the wedding. So it is important to have conversations in advance about the directed and set up photographs.
The BIG Day is spent photographing the getting ready process and details, first look, family, bridal party, bride and groom portraits and the documentation of the wedding. The couples receive their images through an online gallery within two weeks of the wedding and a box of prints and various other materials within a month after their wedding day.
Caitlinn has photographed at numerous locations throughout the Hudson Valley + beyond. The list is too long to mention here. A few of the locations include Boscobel, The Garrison, The Links, The Thayer Hotel, Central Park Boathouse, The New York Botanical Gardens and private homes and estates just to name a few.
Adventure Weddings
Rustic, barn settings, open fields, destination adventure weddings have become very popular and Caitlinn enjoys working with couples that think outside of the box.
Two words of advice she gives is “avoid Pinterest and get your inspiration from within. Think deep within your souls and what comes from your heart and let that guide how your wedding should be”. She’s not saying to abandon tradition, but thinks it’s important for people to truly have the wedding they want to have and not the wedding the think they are supposed to have.
As an example, she and her husband were married at Blooming Hill Farm in the middle of July with 48 guests and every bit of decor came from her imagination and no where else.” Having your family and friends documented in authentic moments are what is truly important.”Other local locations she would like to shoot more at are Full Moon Resort, Ashokan Dreams, The Roadhouse, Shadow Lawn and a list of new B&B’s that have been popping up.
Dream Wedding
About 25 percent of the weddings she now photographs are destination weddings all over the country + beyond. South Africa holds a special place in her heart. She says she has a large social media following from this area and this could be in part to her husband Brian who will be coming on-board as her partner and photographer. Other destination dream locations she would like to shoot weddings at are Iceland, the Isle of Skye, New Zealand and many more. She is also interested in photographing destination elopements and documenting an elopement in Monument Valley would be the absolute dream!
A Re-branding
Caitlinn met her husband Brian in South Africa while photographing a wedding several years ago. He will now be joining forces and they are in the midst of re-branding her brand to her new last name “The Ramsdens” Brian’s mother and sister are both talented photographers in SA so although he is not classically trained in the art, it was a natural transition and he learned the ropes rather quickly. She says “it was definitely in his blood”.
All Photos By Caitlinn Mahar- Daniels
