Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Estes.
Hi Caroline, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Caroline Estes and I am the name behind Estes Weddings! As a young girl, I was always mesmerized by stunning portraits, whether it was America’s Next Top Model or images on Myspace, I loved the art behind the imagery. I had a little digital camera, purchased for me by my grandparents, that I would use to snap portraits of friends and family to later sit and edit in a multitude of ways until I landed on my “perfect” combination of settings.
I purchased my first “nice” camera (Sony a6000) when I was in college and dating my husband. He played college football and I would take photos of him and some of his teammates from the sidelines. After a couple of years of dating, my husband upgraded my camera for Christmas one year. That same year, my best friend got engaged and asked if I would take some engagement photos for her. My exact response was, “I mean I will try, but I don’t think I will be any good…” Needless to say, I fell head-over-heels in love with the art form of couples photography.
Throughout my 6 years as a wedding photographer, I have truly honed my skill of storytelling and portraying a couple’s love, charisma, and joy through the lens of my camera. I have gained so many lifelong friendships with my clients as well as many lovely vendors. It is an honor to be one of my couples, namely my bride’s, biggest confidant, supporter, and advocate throughout the wedding planning process, and I treasure the knowledge I have gained to be able to deliver them a luxury and personal experience.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Struggles and obstacles are inevitable when seeking growth, and, just like most, I have had my fair share. As a creator, there is no doubt that my biggest critic is myself. When I first began photographing weddings, I would all too often trap myself in this personal prison of doubt, comparison, and inadequacy. The wedding industry can appear to someone just starting as this wonderful world revolving around perfection and beauty with little room for flaws.
It left me feeling, at times, like I would never be worthy of thriving in an industry such as that. However, I will say with those thoughts came this insatiable need for knowledge and growth. I worked insanely hard, constantly photographing anything I could, taking courses with renowned photographers, and building up proficiency, not only on the wedding day but, on the back end of my business as well.
Now after years in the wedding industry, and having met so many lovely photographers, I have a complete understanding that everyone struggles with self-doubt in their way, and, as long as I can turn those mental blocks into building blocks, then I will only continue to grow in my personal and business life.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am journeying through my 6th year as a luxury wedding and destination photographer. Storytelling is the name of my game. I want feelings and emotions to be drawn from my images. I don’t particularly fall into one specific genre of wedding photography. I balance between a photojournalistic approach, where I only capture authentic and genuine moments filled with true emotion, and a fine art photographer that will ensure my couples are in the most flattering light, that they are looking their best, and I will artistically direct them to let their magic happen.
My images are designed to emulate a wedding day to a “t”. I want my couples to feel as though they are walking through their wedding day when they view their gallery of images. Through countless hours of post-processing work, I have created an editing style that enhances colors and skin tones but never alters them. Only tweak here and there to bring life to the image, but never to over-edit them.
I hybrid shoot digital and film (35mm, medium format + polaroid). Film images sprinkled throughout a wedding gallery allow for a wider range of storytelling that can’t be done with digital alone. It creates this magical storyline that allows my couples to feel as though they are watching a 1950s romance movie. I believe in romanticizing their relationship and I want them to feel a deep connection with their wedding images. I aim to create images that transcend the visual and take these sweet couples back to that perfect moment frozen in time for them to relive eternally.
What are your plans for the future?
I am always planning and looking toward the future! I am extremely excited to have the luxury of traveling even more in 2023 for the most gorgeous weddings. My husband has begun second shooting for me more and more throughout the last year and I am so fortunate to have him grow in this business with me. Together we can create a refined and luxurious experience for each couple that hires us. I am currently enrolled in a high education course with a world-renowned photographer (Rebecca Yale) to further my knowledge and continually strive to bring my clients the best of the best.
Ultimately, my biggest goal, and the goal I will always have even though it may change by definition, is to serve each couple that trusts me with such an honorable role in their lives well and without reservation. I want to leave everything “out on the dance floor” (no pun intended) after their wedding day, knowing that they will have images above and beyond their greatest vision.
Pricing:
- Weddings starting at $4,000
- Portraits starting at $600
- Boudoir starting at $1,300
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theestesweddings.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/estesweddings/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estesweddings
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/theestesweddings/
Image Credits
Estes Weddings
