Finding the Perfect Location for your Photo Session

One of the first questions I ask my clients while we are in the planning process for portrait sessions is if they have any ideas for locations. A few of my clients know exactly where they want their photos taken, but most do not have a clue where they would like to go! There are so many unique ideas for photo locations: open landscapes, greenhouses, botanical gardens, parks, parking garages, coffee shops, playgrounds, bookstores, beaches, lakes, bridges, downtown areas, campgrounds, riversides, hiking trails, alleyways, painted murals, abandoned buildings, sports fields, museums, restaurants, favorite stores, docks, your own neighborhood, yard, or home, etc. I definitely have my favorite spots, but I also love exploring new locations!

Top Ten Mistakes I Have Made as a Photographer (so that you can avoid them!)

As I teach my middle school students every year, mistakes are good…they help you learn! And like I tell my own children, LISTEN TO WISDOM—It’s easier to learn from other people’s mistakes than making them yourself. So here are a few words of wisdom about mistakes I have made as a photographer so that you can keep from repeating them!

Just Because..., Life, PhotographyKimberly CaubleJanuary 5, 2023mistakesComment

How to Design a Beautiful Christmas Card

Christmas is coming!!!

You have some great portraits from your engagement session, wedding, or family photo session. So how do you turn them into good Christmas cards? Read on for some tips and links that will help!

Holiday, ShoppingKimberly CaubleNovember 23, 2022Kimberly Cauble PhotographyChristmas CardsComment

Juggling a Full-time job, Part-time Hustle, Motherhood, and Life

I am a mom of two wild boys, middle school teacher, and part-time photographer. People say to me all the time, “I don’t know how you do it all.” And to be honest, I’m still not quite sure how I do, either! I have always been very driven—I have the hardest time just sitting still and just being. I’m one of those people who feels like a slug if I haven’t been productive each day. And saying no to people is one of my biggest challenges. For those of you who are Enneagram fans, I am a 2w3, driven by pleasing others and working hard to accomplish my goals. BUT, I have learned over the last couple of years to simplify, outsource, and set limits, because I know I can’t do it all!

The Kirby Christmas Home in Alexandria, Virginia

In February, my friend Kristy and I took a long weekend and rode up to our dear friend Stacey’s and her husband Jimmy’s home in Alexandria, Virginia. Kristy, Stacey, and I try to do a girls’ trip every other year, but due to Covid, our retreat was delayed a year and then postponed…so Stacey left up her Christmas decor for us through mid-February so that we could experience it over the long President’s Day weekend! We spent most of our time just sitting around in the glow of her the trees, enjoying each other's company and reminiscing on our college days and 20+ years of friendship. And we talked about the trees.

Stacey has more Christmas decorations and trees than anyone I know, and I have quite a few friends with extensive tree collections! Stacey’s 46 trees are meticulously decorated; every ornament has a special story and meaning. There is a tree dedicated to their travels, a reindeer tree, a Santa tree, a nativity tree, a Clemson tree, a snowman tree, a Rockwell tree, a gingerbread tree, a Jesus tree, an O’Tannenbaum tree themed with German ornaments, a “Cup of Tea” tree, a fruit tree, and even a shoe tree! Jimmy has always been fascinated by airplanes, so there is a tree dedicated to flight in his office. Music is a huge part of both of their lives, so there’s a music-themed tree. Stacey can tell you where every ornament is from—gifts from friends and family, yard sale finds, souvenirs from worldwide travels, or ones that have been passed down from generations before….

Why Have We All Been Captured So by Stranger Things?

I am not the typical Stranger Things fan. I can admit I am a super-fan, but what I don’t want to admit is that I am also an “older” fan. I’m a grownup—a “middle aged” grownup. As much as I would like to pretend that’s not true sometimes, I have been a grownup for more years of my life than I was a child. So I try not to overdo it with excitement when talking about Stranger Things to my “peers” (i.e. other Gen-X “grownups”), because I know they think I am just a tad bit crazy. Maybe I’m just a nerd. Maybe I spend too much time with pre-teens and teenagers. Or maybe this is my version of a mid-life crisis? But thankfully, there are a few nerdy peers of mine who share my passion, and many others from younger generations in my life as a middle school teacher that I can talk to and geek out with about the show! So why has Stranger Things captured my heart and the heart of so many others across generations?

Education, Just Because..., LifeKimberly CaubleJuly 10, 2022Kimberly Cauble PhotographyStranger Things, Nostalgia, Music, 1980sComment

Ten Things Middle School Parents Can Do to Establish Strong Partnerships with Teachers

So your kid is leaving the safe confines of elementary and headed into middle school years, fraught with changes in hormones, physical growth, friendship woes, a sudden interest in relationships beyond friendships, and DRAMA. Often that drama surrounds issues that happen in the classrooms and school hallways. And who is on the front lines of these ever-evolving battles? Your child’s teachers. Your child’s teachers should be your best allies—after all, a child spends 7-8 hours at school five days a week, which is more hours than most parents actually spend with their children each day. But unfortunately, the angst of middle schoolers often creates a wall between teachers and parents, especially when children come home with emotionally-charged stories of things that happened during the school day. My goal with this post is to tear down these walls! Teachers love your children, I promise. Like I shared in my recent post, “An Open Letter to My Students,” teachers didn’t go into this profession because we enjoy tormenting students or being tormented. We truly have our students’ best interests in mind and want to help them succeed in school and in life! And one of the best ways we can do that is to establish a strong partnership and connection with YOU, their parents! So hear me out… I’m getting ready to start my 25th year as a middle school educator, and I’ve experienced and learned quite a few things along the way.

Open Letter to my Students

Dear Students,

I am writing you here because I know that I don’t always have the time or space to share my heart with you in the classroom. So maybe a few of you will stumble upon this letter and read it.

There are some truths about teachers and education that I want to share with you…

Education, Life, TeachingKimberly CaubleJune 24, 2022 Comments

Tips for Photographing Children (Who don’t always want to be in Photos)

One of the main reasons I wanted to learn how to work my camera was so that I could take good pictures of my children. And as Murphy’s law would have it, I have the most difficult children to photograph! I don’t often pull out my “big camera,” but when I do, my kids seem to run in the opposite direction or throw up their hands and yell, “STOP!” Or, even worse, they make ridiculous faces or stick out their tongues (see sidebar for some of the funniest). I swear it’s wired into their brains to do that! I tell my families all the time that I have more, better photos of other people’s children than my own! But on occasion, they do cooperate, and I have been able to capture some treasures! If you’re trying to get good photographs of your own children, here are some suggestions that might help!

Children, Families, Life, Motherhood, Photography Education, PhotographyKimberly CaubleJune 10, 2022Kimberly Cauble PhotographyComment

How to Dress for your Engagement Session

You’re engaged. And just like Buddy the Elf, you want to scream to the world, “I'm in love! I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!” How do you do that? Engagement Photos.

I love engagement sessions. As a photographer, it gives me a chance to break the ice with my brides and grooms, get to know them, try a variety poses to find the ones that suit them best, and help them relax in front of the camera. It really makes the photography on a wedding day a lot easier, because we have already gotten comfortable with each other!

But what do you wear? Here are some things to think about as you plan…

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

This month Kimberly Cauble Photography turned ten. I’m TEN YEARS OLD, YA’LL! Ten years ago, I would have never dreamed that my little side gig taking family portraits for friends and family would grow into a full-blown business that is continuing to thrive a decade later. Over the last ten years, I have learned so much…some of the early photos I took make me cringe—my composition, exposure, and editing style has changed so much and improved tenfold (pun intended)! But even so, many of you have stuck with me through the last decade, and for that, I am truly grateful!

The Importance of Workflows

“Go with the flow…”

I can do that! I can chill out. I can be flexible!

Who am I kidding?!? The only time I can truly live like that is the one week a year when we’re on vacation, and even then, it takes me weeks beforehand to research the best places to eat, find discounts and coupons, plan grocery lists, and pack.

I am not the type of person that can live my life without a vision or plan. I thrive on structure, schedules, and organization. Knowing where I am going and how much time I have to get there actually relaxes me! For the first few years of running a small business, I had no structure. I was “going with the flow,” and it was burning me out! It often meant lots of late nights, binge editing, and arguments with my husband over how I was spending my free time. Finding that work-life balance was a priority, but it was hard to see from the inside what I needed to do. So I spent a month working with a life/business coach, and she was able to look at things from the outside in and identify some areas that I could easily adjust to make my life easier. One of the most important things she taught me was how to develop workflows for my business and my life. From wedding photography to meal-planning, workflows have become my best friend. So if you’re like me, keep reading…I am going to share a few of my top secret workflows with you. Maybe one will inspire you to get yourself a little more organized so that you can free up time to go with YOUR flow!

Sarah & Austin's Wedding | Winthrop University, July 10, 2021

Sarah and Austin chose Winthrop University (Tuttle and McBryde Halls) as their venue, and it was absolutely gorgeous on the day of their wedding. The natural light and space in both locations is a photographer’s dream! The Fresh Blossom created exquisite floral arrangements and bouquets, and Sarah even arranged a special kids’ table at the reception, complete with custom coloring book, crayons, card games, and treats for the children in attendance. The weather was sunny yet not too miserably hot, especially during mid-summer in the Deep South!

Jasmine & Brandon's Rock Springs Wedding | Greenville, NC, July 17, 2021

Jasmine and Brandon chose the Rock Springs Center in Greenville, NC as their venue, a beautiful event center with multiple ballrooms in the middle of sprawling fields with a pond, gazebo, and the most beautiful Crepe Myrtle trees lining their drive, which were in full bloom in mid-July! I don’t usually travel so far to photograph a wedding, but Greenville, NC is actually where I was born, so I thought it might be neat to go back to my birthplace. And I am so glad I did! Jasmine and Brandon’s families and friends were a joy to be around. They laughed, cried happy tears, hugged, and DANCED!

Ten Gifts You Can Create with your Portraits (Other than Photos)

One of the most personal and long-lasting gifts you can give a friend or loved one is a photograph. And these days, there are so many things you can do with your photos besides print them to hang on your walls or decorate your desks/counters/tabletops with framed prints!

Just Because..., Life, Shopping, HolidayKimberly CaubleNovember 19, 2021Shutterfly, Vistaprint, Miller's, Mpix, Creative Memories, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Artifact Uprising, SmugMugComment

Self-Care Tips for a Busy Working Mom

The idea of “self-care” took me a while to embrace. It just seemed so…selfish! My calling as a teacher, mom, wife, and photographer is to deny myself and take care of everyone else; taking care of me goes against every one of my natural inclinations. When I became a mom, self-care pretty much consisted of making time to shower each day. When people asked me what I was doing for me, that was it. And that’s all I thought I needed. I’m a classic Enneagram 2w3…a “helper.” But the more I have tried to juggle, the more my stress started spiraling out of control. It took the pandemic to force me to realize that in order to do a good job taking care of the people around me, I had to take care of myself. Just like on an airplane, you are trained you that when that little oxygen mask pops out of the ceiling, you are supposed to fit it onto yourself before you help those around you so that you are ABLE to help those around you. Self-care does not have to mean focusing on yourself all the time, but it does mean taking care of yourself so that you can be of sound mind and body and be your best at taking care of those around you!

Why Grammar Matters in your Online Presence

Have you ever been reading a blog post or Instagram caption and run across a grammar mistake?

What’s your first thought?

What if you see constant grammar mistakes on the same website? Instagram account? Business profile? Does it lose a bit of its lustre?

It may not matter if your social media presence is just for friends and family or if your audience doesn’t care (or doesn’t know enough to care). Social media seems to have popularized common mistakes in the name of “authenticity” (much to my grammar-loving chagrin). But when you are running a business, you don’t want to appear careless. Your message needs to come through clearly, and poor grammar can make things very difficult to understand. When readers see a pattern of misspellings, misused punctuation marks, lack of capitalization, and misused words, you might lose clients and customers who might view you as unprofessional or lacking attention to detail.

“Love is the Flower You’ve Got to Let Grow”

Back in the Fall of 2015, I had the honor of photographing the wedding of Kaylan and John Petty. Little did I know that there was a seed planted that day that would end up blossoming into a romance between Kaylan’s maid of honor, Samantha, and one of John’s groomsmen, Blake! A little over 5 years later, these two lovebirds were married themselves in an open field on a beautiful Spring day, surrounded by family, friends, and flowers gathered from both their families’ yards. It was such a beautiful day!

This wedding was truly a DIY wedding, with so many services and details provided by dear friends and family of the bride and groom. Everything, from the flowers to the catering, had special meaning to Samantha and Blake.

Love Stories, Photography, Portraits, WeddingsKimberly CaubleJune 24, 2021The Cabins at Kings MountainComment

What I Learned from Teaching during a Pandemic

So now that school has been out for a week, I have had time to decompress from this year of craziness and reflect on the challenges and successes of the year. First off, these observations are coming from a hybrid middle school teaching model. I work in a fantastic school district that started back to school last Fall with elementary students in a family-model (in person, 5-days a week, smaller self-contained classes) and middle and high school students in a hybrid model (A/B days with classes from 10-15 kids, students coming M/W or T/Th and on Fridays for extra help). And, these are just my personal observations. I am sure there are others with different experiences, but these are mine.

I work with one of the most amazing ELA coaches on the planet, and she encouraged us to assess the things we were “done” with by flipping them around and looking at how they impacted our growth. I did this activity with my students on the last day of school, and it was so encouraging to hear what their reflections were, so here is my own “I Am So Done With…/On the Flipside…” analysis!

Education, Life, TeachingKimberly CaubleJune 23, 2021teaching in a pandemic Comments

10 Things That May Surprise You about your Teacher & Photographer

When I first started this blog in the summer of 2019, exactly 2 years ago, I published a little “Getting to Know You” post, but there are some things I didn’t tell you then and some things that have changed a bit! So I thought I’d give my readers a little update and some some tidbits of information you may not realize about me!