Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Caitlin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I got my first camera in 2012 as a gift from a friend who saw that I used my phone to take pictures, and it all started from there. While I was attending Clarendon Junior College, I had asked my roommates if I could photograph them a.k.a. will you model for me and that is where I fell in love with the ability to give people the confidence to be themselves and to leave them feeling empowered and accomplished. If you would have told me at 10 years ago when I first received that camera, I would be doing this full-time and coming into my third year this October. I would’ve said you were crazy. Being able to tell a story between horse rider and family or the story between a bride and groom or the simplistic story of a family and their dynamic is something pretty beautiful. I am able to capture their legacy today.
On one of my many adventures after college, I apprentice at the RA Brown ranch where the owner had asked me the question that I feel has molded me into the person that I am today. “what legacy do you want to leave today.” What is the question that Donald Brown asked me as we were headed to Oklahoma for cattleman’s meeting. He said you have 24 hours to give me a solid answer what that means to you. My mind wise overwhelmed as the first thing that you think of his money or some thing tangible it’s not often that you think of something of value. I knew that I wanted to leave people with value. That value is leaving them better than I found them with kindness, empowerment, and simply love.
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?
When people tell you it’s not always a straight line to get from point A to point B or to get from A to Z, they aren’t lying to you it is the solid truth. 2023, for me, has definitely been my hardest year. As year three has been filled with making choices with consequences that you may not have anticipated, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It has forced me at you strengthen contracts lead with logic first then feelings. As an empathetic & creative person it is easy to want to give a lot to people, and sometimes I have to remember it’s a business first feelings later. I would say I was a creative person it is harder for a creative tool not poor everything that they have into business. During a photo session you have the power to connect with a person on a deeper level, which then at transposes into a beautiful photo through my lens, and so it’s hard to separate that beautiful connection and remember you’re here to do a job.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I believe what sets me apart as a western or ranch wedding/lifestyle photographer is my love for the storytelling, Falling in love with the people that I photograph, and how every photo session is so different. So it may be another wedding or another family, but the light is what really makes each session so unique. I can shoot in the same location every time, and the photos will be different because the light, clouds, and people are one of a kind. I interviewed a family and a professional Horseman to figure out why they continue to come to me in a world full of so many talented and beautiful photographers. And it really all came down to the detail of understanding the ranching or rein cow horse industry and being able to tell that story in a different light while doing the horse and rider or the family justice in their personal legacy.
As photographer, my superpower is being able to turn a stranger into a fast friend. What I mean by that is being able to meet a family or client for the first time at our session and gaining their trust immediately and giving them the reassurance of I’m not gonna steer you wrong, we’re in this together, everything is gonna turn out beautiful I’m just going with it. If you go to Shelby Caitlin Photography on Google and read some of the reviews they speak for themselves. One from a Bride I met on Instagram and will be traveling to Mississippi for her wedding in November “Where do we begin…
Shelby is absolutely beautiful inside and out.
She was quick to respond to book for our wedding, and not only was she down to capture our wedding, she is traveling all the way from California to Mississippi! 🙂
She is extremely talented creative, and we loved how she wanted to get to know us beforehand to tell our story. She made us feel comfortable and relaxed throughout the entire session. We are looking forward to her capturing our special day!”
Or a Bride from Oklahoma that got married in New Mexico: “I booked Shelby to shoot both my engagement photos (southern OK) and my small destination wedding (Ruidoso, NM) this year – both trips halfway across the country for her. I can’t gush enough about how spectacular she is to have around on your special day. She will both pose you right down to the fingertips and capture your personalities in candids beyond what you could have imagined. She never panics or shows stress – she is a problem solver and will make your photos happen, no matter what it takes. On the day of my wedding, she was as much of a coordinator as she was a photographer, and she made the photo process SO enjoyable for all of us. My day was perfect and beautiful in every way, and I still couldn’t have dreamed how much more magical it would look through the lens of her camera. Like most women, I’m someone who is insecure in photos and will pick myself to shreds. I never expected to love my photos as much as I do – I am INFATUATED. She knew exactly how to bring our love story to life; in a way I can’t put into words. Not only is Shelby immensely talented and will go out of her way to make your vision become reality, but you will leave your shoot with a dear, kind, fun FRIEND. She never feels like a contractor – she truly feels like a friend capturing your day. Out of the many decisions I made for my wedding day, booking Shelby from afar was the best decision I made. I’ll never use anyone else! She’s MY legacy photographer, for sure!”
What matters most to you?
I love this question!!! My goal at the end of the day is to leave my legacy daily. And what that means to me is the ability to capture the moment with beautiful light and beautiful people then give that image to my client as a tangible gift that takes him back to a moment in time. A photograph is the ability to freeze, frame, time. I would say my biggest regret was never hiring a photographer to capture my grandfather and I, so I have made it almost my mission to encourage my brides or family to invite their grandparents or people of importance to their event or home and simply make the time to take a good photo with them. I think that’s why I love going to cattle branding’s or weddings is because I am able to capture those special moments that everybody will look back on and enjoy. I know that I enjoy looking back on branding pictures from when I was a kid with my grandpa in the branding pen.
Pricing:
- Weddings with Engagements start at $4269
- Family Sessions Start out at $550
- Cattle Branding – Feed me and give me a place to sleep. My gift to the rancher
Contact Info:
- Website: shelbycaitlin.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelbycaitlinphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelby.caitlin.mac/
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shelbycaitlinphotography Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/shelbycaitlinphotography/
Image Credits
Shelby Caitlin Photography
