30a, Destin & Fort walton beach Photographer
Timeless family photos are honest ones.
There is nothing more important than family. Each family is different in size, shape and color. So why do family pictures tend to look the same? I have said it before - but timelessness and honesty go hand in hand. If it's honest - it's timeless. Let's do less stand here and smile pretty and more life. Real life. You know - the good stuff.
I AM A Family PHOTOGRAPHER, WIFE AND MOM BY BIRTH + INDIA ADOPTION.
I am so glad that you are here! I spent Summers vacationing on the Panhandle of Florida with my whole family growing up - parents, sisters, aunt, uncle, cousins and grandparents under one roof - to moving here my senior year of high school. This is the reason I am so passionate about photographing multi-generational families here in 30A and Destin, FL.
Fast forward to marrying a born and raised Florida boy, who put up a Valentine's billboard for me before we started dating. We have two daughters - one by birth and one by adoption. Our love for family and the Coast has woven itself though out our lives for generations now. I consider it an honor to have been photographing families like yours on the Coast for over 10 years now.
Kaylie
HI FRIEND! I'm Kaylie.
Lifestyle family Pictures
Imagine laying in a hammock, jumping off the pier in your backyard or running barefoot in your own backyard. Lifestyle sessions are for capturing those mundane moments that are what make lifelong memories.
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FAMILY Sessions
There is no one on this planet more important than those you call family. You know the crazy part? Family always changes. You've heard it said we have eighteen years with our kids best case scenario before they leave. (Or that's what the empty nesters say.) Yeah - it wrecks me too. I am not a photographer that encourages a family to do multiple shoots a year. Instead let's do one really good one that showcases this time in your family's life in a honest and simple way. It only stays like this for a season then it's gone.
Includes
Online gallery of high resolution photos
Quick turnaround time
Exclusive outfit guide
1 year access to online gallery
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collections starting at $900
BeacH FAMILY Pictures
There is no paradise like the beaches on the Florida panhandle. From Navarre Beach to Destin, FL to the sought after communities of 30A - all the way to Forgotten Coast - there is not a more magical place for family photos.
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HAVING PHOTOGRAPHED 300+ FAMILIES ON 30a + Destin FL BEACHES, I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET TO CAPTURING YOUR FAMILY IN A NATURAL WAY.
SEE RECENT 30A FAMILY GALLERIES
A NOTE FROM YOUR DESTIN FL + 30A PHOTOGRAPHER
What if we don't actually need more pictures of family?
I've been thinking lately. What if we don't actually need more pictures of family. What if what we need are more family pictures. Why do we look around and see family pictures that all look the same? Isn't every family different? We should be! So, why are family photos all the same? Because they are not family pictures - the actual family's unique photos showcasing their family culture. We are missing truth. Sometimes truth is scary. It looks different. It may not win a popularity contest. But truth is good, friend. It is good.
READ FAVORITE BLOG POSTS
Have you ever wondered how to take better pictures – especially of your own family? Over time I have come to believe there are two different types of photos. One is an image you want to archive and treasure forever. The other is one that simply makes you feel good when remembering a fantastic memory.
I did. I quit social media for three years. Let me tell you as a mom, wife, small business owner and just as a human being - it was the best thing I have ever done. As for my business? It took off!
As you know – we love living on the Coast and all things/places coastal as a family! One of our (secret) favorite places to go on vacation as someone who lives at the beach is to what is known as The Forgotten Coast of Florida – specifically Port St Joe and Cape San Blas!
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FOR BUSINESSES, ARTISTS + NONPROFITS
Does your businesses/nonprofit need to tell your story? I offer professional headshots, interior design projects photos and artist stories for locals like yourself.
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AREAS Currently serving
Travel available
30A
ALYS BEACH, FLORIDA
SANTA ROSA BEACH, FLORIDA
FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA
NICEVILLE, FLORIDA
ROSEMARY BEACH, FLORIDA
SHALIMAR, FLORIDA
Destin, florida
Navarre Beach
MAYBE YOU ARE LIKE ME...
I still believe in real conversations > media. Or like going to the beach with friends. Or the park with my girls. You know - living real life.
Sign up for real conversations, our personal family adventures and tips for your own family's photos!
HI, FRIEND!
let me show you around!
NOT SURE WHERE TO GO?
CATCH UP WITH US ON THE BLOG
VIEW FEATURED FAMILY GALLERIES
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
SEE KAYLIE'S FAVORITE THINGS
BOOK YOUR FAMILY PHOTOS
SEE CURRENT INSPIRATION
been loving the coast since the 90's.
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KIND WORDS
"KAYLIE HAS A SPECIAL PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF OUR FAMILY MEMBERS. SHE CAPTURED THE LOVE AND SMILES FOR US FOR YEARS AND WE ARE ABLE TO ENJOY THOSE MOMENTS DAILY ON OUR WALLS."
— Evans family in watercolor fl
A FEW THOUGHTS
Do you know what the most overarching characteristic of beauty is?
This may surprise you. It is truth. Think about it. Drive through never tastes as a meal cooked by hand with fresh ingredients. We marvel at someone who "naturally" (aka without altering the truth) looks that good. We look for it in speech and action of others. When we find truth, we will almost always find beauty there, too. As a photographer I am becoming more and more aware of how easy it is to distort something. Let's be truth seekers. Let's do family photos that are sandy, hair a mess - that tell a true story instead of a staged one.
I want this >
Have you ever met someone you have long admired only to realize that they are just as wonderful in person as you imaged them to be? That is Emily! I have long loved Emily of Emily Morgan Brown. She has an incredible eye for detail and her use of raw materials when creating botanicals or portraits is just killer. But even more impressive has been getting to know her over the past couple of years. She is one of the most humble, laid back, generous and attentive people I have ever met. It is easy to see where she gets it from. Her whole family is one that will make you feel right at home and invite you (or me) for dinner after our photos!
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One thing that I love photographing are multi-generational families that come to 30A together on vacation. It sends me right back to my childhood days of coming to Florida with my grandparents, parents, cousins, sisters, aunt and uncle! I know some photographers shy away from doing large families because it can get chaotic – which is true! It absolutely can get crazy at times. You are dealing with tired kids, missed nap times and sometimes hunger since photoshoots are around dinner time during the Summer months. I thrive in this environment, though! You don’t get the truth when things are easy. It is easy to hold back personalities, emotions etc. when things are too easy. You add in a family just trying to do their best for family portraits, though, and you get the real stuff which is what we all actually want.
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There is so much history in the Destin/30A area – especially Grayton Beach Fl. There are few that know it better than the Trautmann family! It was such an honor to meet and photograph them in Grayton Beach Fl recently. The Trautmann’s have been coming to the Panhandle of Florida for over fifty years!! As we were walking down to the beach in Grayton, they were telling me how the area once looked and memories they have made together here for over five decades! This year, they brought along the newest generation on their family trip – and I must say – she was probably the biggest highlight for them yet!
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This Alys Beach family photoshoot was so special to photograph! You see last year I photographed the Boyce Family at their Alys Beach house, but we only had one grand baby at that time! (But how precious is she!?) This year we had four!! What are the chances that all three sisters would be pregnant at the same time?! Well, probably not likely but these sisters did!! This year I got to finally meet the three newest babies that we had only talked about last year. It was so neat to watch these grandparents beam with pride during their family photos! You could tell that this trip to Alys Beach – a place they all love so much and vacation to year after year – was such a special trip with all the new additions!
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AS YOUR 30A + DESTIN FL PHOTOGRAPHER
I believe in building things that last
Every family session deserves a printed, archival piece. Sometimes we don't realize the value in things because we are too close to them. The memories aren't memories yet because the experience is still so fresh. I believe if we don't print the pictures - how will we remember the stories to tell?
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i remember The warm days beginning early, the salty coastal air, the sound of gulls singing their morning song.
Isn't it crazy how you remember things? I remember those memories growing up coming to the Destin/30A area with my whole family. Those memories shaped who I am today. It has made me passionate about being a 30A + Destin FL photographer. I love photographing families at the beach and not just any family - but multi-generational families! Many photographers say a large family is too chaotic and all I see is my own family years ago. I know the memories that your kids are going to remember because I have them, too. This is also why I am so passionate about photographing your family in a raw, honest way. When I think back to the beach pictures I have of my childhood with my family - they weren't staged at all. They are pictures of us eating crab legs, humidity hair (it's a thing!) and bare faces. And you know what? I would not want to remember it any other way. It was honest. It told the real story - the truth. That is why to this day those pictures are timeless. It's funny how honesty does that.
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UNTIL WE'RE IN TOUCH:
The heart and soul of it all. This is where I share recent family sessions, camping trips we take as a family or honest conversations with you!
If you are wondering what to wear for your family portraits or are in need of gallery wall ideas - my Pinterest is the place to be!
I don't hang out on Instagram often, but I do pop in from time to time to share a few behind the scenes with you! Real community > media.
"getting to know her clients on a personal level and photographing them year after year is her greatest achievement."
- Govetted.com
