Where to start with Caitlin! I've been a longtime fan of Caitlin and her photography for some time…read more I've known Caitlin since undergrad at USC, where she also shot my graduation photos. Scoping out the hot spots around campus for prime, sun-drenched spots (and more importantly beating the crowds!), my family and friends were blown away at her work (I should mention my family is 3 generations deep in the Trojan fam so they know the campus well!). I am embarrassed to remember how much I paid Caitlin for that work because it was so high quality!
Next up, Caitlin and I kept tabs on each other as we both ventured into our occupational therapy careers. Caitlin, a couple years ahead of me in the pediatric OT world, had given such good words of wisdom. Though she is not currently practicing OT, what shines most in her past career of both photography and pediatric OT is her heart full of empathy. Caitlin is such a giving individual, pouring her heart into those most vulnerable and who need the most love. Her art in working with kids not only makes YOU smile (giving her photos FULL of joy!), but makes your kids crack a smile too! She has tricks up her sleeve to make the most stubborn kid smile.
But, when it came to big life events, like engagement and marriage, I knew Caitlin was for me. Her style and work to stay authentically her clients' personality, capturing the everyday essence of you and your loved one are unparalleled. My partner and I are in no way a Instagram-boo couple. But wow! Caitlin coached us the "just-right" level to make us giggle, but still be authentically our playful selves on camera. We even daringly asked Caitlin to brave Griffith Observatory to capture the art deco style that matched our personality for a sunrise session. After a rainy spring 2023, we lucked out with some sun peeking out on our session. Caitlin navigated quickly, but still spent time chatting in between moving locations to get to know us, as a couple, better. We didn't realize how easy it was to do a photography session - we were just having so much fun! Our hour-long session flew by. Even though we hit our hour mark, Caitlin sneaked in a couple more shots for us so make sure we had the right balance between cloudy vs. sun-drenched shots.
Lastly, we had the honor of asking Caitlin to join us again for our big wedding day. Having never shot Ebell Long Beach in her career, we were shocked at her professionalism and knowledge when she interacted with our wedding planner. For example, she not only knew what time sunset was going to be on our big day, but how the sunset would affect the lighting at our venue - which has large buildings that cast shadows quite trickily at odd hours. Caitlin was a pro, however, ensuring our joyful photos were still captured on a sweaty, bright summer Saturday. She did not once express exhaustion - she was peppy, full of inspiration as she coverage all 8 hours of our wedding. We are certain we are going to find some amazing shots despite having picked a smaller photography package. She was everywhere, swiftly moving me or my wedding team to optimize our photo time. Not to mention with the 5 (!!) other cameras she carried around her belt to make sure she caught your right moment with the right camera. And, as you can predict, she was a hit with all 11 children in my wedding party. She even cracked smiles out of them as she brought out a very cranky and hot flower girl in particular.
All in all, if you're thinking of going with Caitlin, you will not be disappointed! She will go above and beyond to make you feel special and capture the pure, joyful, and raw moments of your big moments in life. I am so happy Caitlin's work will forever be embedded in my life's big moments - and I hope she can be a part of your life's moments now too! Go with Caitlin!