carolyn bowles photography blog

I have been very quiet on the blog lately as I have been doing some summer travels and busy creating memories with my own family. Of course while I absolutely love documenting special moments for families year-round, I have taken a little break to spend extra time with my kids and husband. It has been a pure joy to get away and refocus. We have been to Chicago for the weekend, visiting grandparents and long-distance friends in Philadelphia, and now here, at Bethany Beach in Delaware (our yearly place) for a week. Yes, traveling around has been a wonderful break and I’m happy to share a few photos of our favorite local beach hangouts.

The beach was wonderful, and we couldn’t believe how perfect the weather was during our stay there.

This is our favorite place to get candy and salt water taffy. I have been coming here since a little girl and there’s nothing like getting sweet treats on the busy boardwalk at night. Love it!

And here is where we love to shop for special treasures like sea shells and fun little trinkets. Again, it’s another place I’ve been frequenting for about thirty years and it still warms my heart to step into such a sweet little souvenir shop.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summers and doing some fun family activities too. On a business note, we have a few summer sessions to finish up, and then we are starting to book for the busy fall season. So, if you’d like to have a session this fall, let us know soon. Thanks!

View full post »

I am so excited to share my new camera tote bag with everyone! I spied it last year online and just had to have it. Well, so did everyone else apparently because there was a waiting list. Nonetheless, my husband told me to get on the list and said he’d buy one for me as an anniversary present. It was just too perfect for taking around town, on trips, and to all those school events. And I was right, it’s absolutely divine! I used it the other day when out and about with my family and it worked like a charm. Thanks emera, and hubby! See the images below and then my more specific description of how everything fits so neat and tidy inside (and the scoop on how to get one!)

Here’s the nitty gritty on these awesome camera totes:

• the outside is a classic, yet modern black quilted material
• the top has a super zipper enclosure. it zips while still allowing you the space to shut the bag. smart design.
• the inside is made of a sleek canvas material that holds so much stuff — you’ll see I put in it my camera with lens attached on one side (protected by all the velcro padding that comes with the bag) and then my wallet, sunglasses, keys, and whatever else I needed for the day on the other side.
• the inside even comes with a sleeve for your laptop (or in my case, baby wipes and bibs) and a zippered pouch which housed all my extra batteries, cleaning supplies, and compact flash cards.
• on each side of the bag is a pocket. i found one side perfect for my iPhone and the other side perfect for a tube of lipgloss. easy access to both!
• and then I just love the little strap that fits beautifully on my arm.

Now, where to get these lovelies? Check them out at www.emerabags.com. And, Nathiya, the brilliant designer, even has them in stock. So, grab one up fast!

View full post »

I have a confession to make. It’s been a long, gloomy winter for me. One of my best and oldest friends, my Grammy, passed away. We struggled with the decision on whether or not to move across the country (we’re not, we’re staying!) And if I’m truly honest, my beautiful home simply got messy and chaotic. So, with the warmth of spring on the horizon and the sun that is finally starting to shine again, I’m feeling quite optimistic and more like my old cheery self.

Then when I saw these lovely flowers today at the market, I just knew the clouds were lifting. This tiny bouquet of simple daffodils made me so happy. I knew I had to have them. The moment I got home I pulled out a favorite small glass vase and placed them in a special spot where I can see them all day long. The color. The freshness. The bright green stalks. The sweet aroma. The yellow. Ah, I love everything about these little flowers.

So, now that I’m back blogging, I have to get back to my new year’s drawing. I had promised to send out ten gift cards to ten amazing blog readers as a thank you for a wonderful 2009 and to kick off the new decade. So, the winners of this contest are: rachel olsen, ann westerman, melissa surprise, jane combs, cindy chen, sharon mccafferty, tracy larsen, gwendolyn waite, jen roberts, and rachel clare. The ten dollar gift cards are to my favorite places, including: starbucks, ann taylor loft, trader joe’s, sephora, and the gap. You will each be receiving an email from me notifying you of being a winner, asking your mailing address, and seeing if you have a gift card preference. Maybe we have a few loves in common! Thanks everyone for a wonderful last year, and for a great year ahead!

View full post »

Happy new year to all my wonderful blog readers! I wanted to say a big thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts and to become involved in our online creative community this past year. You all warm my heart so much! So, to kick off the new decade, I will be giving away $10 gift cards to 10 lucky winners to my favorite stores. And to enter there is absolutely nothing you have to do! If you’ve made a comment at all this past year on my blog you will automatically be entered into the drawing. It’s my way of saying thank you for all your support, love, enthusiasm, and participation. All my blog readers rock and I am super grateful to each one of you. Best of luck to you with the contest, and in the start of the new year! Check back next week to see if you’re a winner!

This contest is also to make up for the fact that my original blog contest fizzled as the busy season approached. So sorry! This has been the busiest season ever for Carolyn Bowles Photography and I’d just like to thank all my super duper clients for an incredible year.

View full post »

I looove halloween. There’s always been something about the crisp fall air when little ghouls, goblins and fairies get to fly free in the neighborhood. The sweet stickiness of candy filling the brim of your plastic orange pumpkin. And the way everyone’s excitement lights up the dark streets. It’s all so magical. Soon the sun will be going down and our jack-o-lanterns will come alive with their silly, scary, happy, toothless smiles. Their illumination will brighten the porch, and our hearts.

View full post »

Meet Darren and Hannah. They are packing up their life in America to go care for orphaned and abandoned children in Mexico. Their heart is to shower these kids with God’s love, hope and promise for tomorrow—all the while meeting their immediate needs of today for food, water, shelter, clothing, and educational supplies. Darren and Hannah have decided to do all this as part of the Back2Back team, an amazing organization that’s changing the lives of children not only in Mexico, but in Nigeria and India as well. This photo session is the beginning of their fundraiser campaign, of which I will be designing special event invites, thank you cards, and other goodies. So stay tuned for more in the next few weeks.

If you’d like to get involved or simply learn more, check out the Back2Back site and blog. And in fact, if you are a client of mine, you have already contributed to this organization with your studio purchase. Cool, huh? Read more about my passion and promise here.

I feel this first image is so telling of where they are now in their lives together—tenderly holding hands as they step out in faith on their new adventure together. The images to follow are just as endearing and are filled with much joy, love, spirit, and trust. Darren and Hannah, you will do just beautifully out in Mexico together.

View full post »

I heart Bethany Beach, Delaware. Went there every year growing up, and now go every year with my family. I just love this sleepy beach town. Most of all, I love how the world seems to stop when there. Long enough to splash in the cool brisk water, build fanciful sand castles, walk for miles on the boardwalk, win prizes, go on kiddie rides, and eat as much ice cream as your heart desires. Best of all, I get to do all those things with my great husband and little ones. Life is good.

View full post »

Summer is a time to take in the fresh air. Play together as a family. Have an excuse to get ice cream. Run around in sprinklers. Wear flip flops. Roll the windows down. Blast loud music. Pick seashells. See hot summer flicks. Read a good book. And the list just goes on and on. I mean, come on, don’t we just all love summer? Well, I’ll be doing all these things and more with my little ones in the next few weeks. So things may be a little quiet around here while I take some much deserved and needed time to be with my family and be a little more laid back with life.

But before I take my holiday, I wanted to share who this past month’s lucky blog contest winner is—Chris Centofanti! Thank you Chris for visiting and participating in my blog. You will be receiving a gift card to one of my favorite places this week as your prize. It’s awesome to have blog readers like you!

Speaking of the blog, the month of July will be a busy one with upcoming session sneak peeks, new studio products, and a special look at my new studio office. Plus, I may throw in a few glimpses into my summer along the way. Thanks for going along for the ride, and I hope you all are off to a great start to your summers too!

By the way, the above photo was taken by me at one of my favorite places in the world—Bethany Beach in Delaware. Anyone ever been there? I spent every summer there growing up so it’s special to my heart and I love going there with my family now too. Where’s your favorite family vacation beach? Share in the comment box, I’d love to hear!

View full post »

So, you’re wondering where I went last week where I had to be unplugged? Check it out:

I traveled to the most beautiful chateau where I was able to visit the spa, enjoy wine straight from the vineyards, partake in delicious meals, sink into a luxurious bed at night, and learn from the most amazing children’s photographers. It’s like a dream come true! I attended Learnfest — a workshop created and instructed by four of the country’s top photographers: Lena Hyde, Tamara Lackey, Laura Novak, and Audrey Woulard. I loved learning from each of these talented ladies, as well as the other 59 participants I was able to spend time with while there. Truly outstanding!!! (the first photo was taken by Katie Williams, one of my many new photographer friends — the others I took while taking a mini hike)

This is an intensive workshop where the focus is on classroom instruction and discussion. So, it was a nice break to get out for a mini session each day we were there to practice what we had been learning. The photo on the top left is Audrey teaching, and then on the right is Tamara demonstrating her shooting style. One of my favorite things about the workshop is how unique the four instructors are from each other. Life lesson: there are a zillion ways to do just one thing and if you get creative enough, they can all work. Love that! The bottom photo of me photographing side-by-side with Tamara was taken by my new friend Gwendolyn Waite who I met while there. Thanks for sharing Gwen! Funny to see what I look like while taking pictures.

I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to learn about photography, talk about photography, take pages (and I mean pages) of notes about photography, but to only pick up my camera a few times. It was so good for me to focus on my art, my style, and my business. How often can you take three days and nights to do that? So, while I was of course super happy to come home to my family, I admit I could have partaken in one more visit to the spa, one more walk on the scenic grounds or a few more sips of the vineyard’s delicious wines. Yes, it was that wonderful!

Now I’m back at home and ready to use all that inspiration, energy, and learning into my everyday sessions. Things are booking fast for the spring, so get ready for lots of sneak peek blog posts!

View full post »