Carolyn Scott is a Durham family photographer. She specializes in candid and documentary at-home family photography in the Triangle area (Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary, etc). Carolyn’s work has been published in several popular books and magazines, including Apartment Therapy, BuzzFeed, and Fangoria. Locally, she’s been voted Best Photographer in Durham Magazine’s Best Of Durham and INDY Week’s Best of the Triangle. She lives in South Durham with her husband Geoff and three cats.
We’ve been looking forward to working with Sarah ever since she continued to hire us after we found out her last name was Palmer and decided to send her the Twin Peaks clip of Sarah Palmer removing her face with nothing but space and a Cheshire Cat smile underneath. This did not deter our own personal Sarah Palmer from responding to us. Instead, it seemed to encourage her. We liked that. Her and her husband Brandon also like Steely Dan and Monty Python and Halloween so they literally check every single one of my personal boxes of coolness (not sure if this is a low or high bar – probably depends on who you ask). Their wedding was going to include a Monty Python intermission as well as tacos and we were already all in, but then they threw in costumes and we were sold completely. Then they told us that Brandon would be performing “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney for Sarah Palmer, but then their friend would come out to “Jump” by Van Halen and he did…in complete spandex leggings with see-through mesh sides. Then a banana got dressed up and a space man danced like a robot and somebody put on underpants on the outside of their real pants and things got real strange. Not Sarah Palmer removing her space face strange, but a happy, wedding strange that only people who really prefer Halloween to every other holiday can enjoy and appreciate. We love you Sarah Palmer and Brandon – thank you for having us be a part of your world.
Date: September 28, 2019 Ceremony+Reception Venue: The Barn at Valhalla // Chapel Hill, NC First Dance Song: “Harvest Moon” – Neil Young Sarah’s Occupation: School Psychologist Brandon’s Occupation: Musician How You Met: Brandon went to college with Janelle and Michael in PA (Juniata College). Grad school at UNC (school psychology program) brought Janelle and Michael to NC, where they met Sarah. After a year of working for Habitat for Humanity in LA, Brandon moved to NC on a whim. About 6 months later we started dating! Interesting Face: Brandon and Sarah play Mario Kart together at least once a day, will always order fried pickles if they’re on the menu, and throw a killer Halloween party. Honeymoon: Mexico Officiant: Michael Meadows MC: Adam Stanley Florist: Pine State Flowers- assembled and delivered by friend Natalie Reder Donuts: Monuts Caterer: Nuvo Taco (formerly NanaTaco) Hair: Rachel from Syd’s Hair Shop in Carrboro Makeup: Sarah Palmer Coordinator: Michael Meadows
This beloved family of mine! Well, technically they aren’t my own family, but they are my clients and they have taught us how to make some of the best cocktails we know how to make, so they’re basically family. There was also a brief mention of them possibly inserting Geoff into the background of their Christmas card with the intention of telling people that they recently adopted a 36 year-old software engineer. Maybe next year. You guys remember these folks from our million past sessions with them (go look at that link if you want to reverse time and see Laurel and Sam when they were SO LITTLE – I can feel myself embarrassing them as we speak). We love them and adore them. They went through a lot of heartache last year after losing their beloved Frenchie named Frank, but after a while they decided it was time to add a new Frenchie to the mix, and they recently adopted Simon. Simon is a little ball of sturdy muscle and cuteness. He just turned one, so they threw him a little party. He was mildly impressed. We were much more thrilled than he was to see him wear a birthday hat.
Rachel and Brandon got engaged! And then, while searching for wedding venues in New Orleans, they serendipitously stumbled across some weddings I shot down there and contacted me to do their engagement session in Durham where they live. They were super pleasant and friendly via e-mail and phone and I was already excited to work with them and their dog Jovie. But then, a few days before the session, Rachel casually sends me an email that reads, “And a heads up. We recently rescued a kitten, so he’d have to be involved here as well.” I like how she worded this: the kitten has to be involved… as if to imply there might be some sort of chance I wouldn’t accept?!?? Or would tell her, “NO. ABSOLUTELY NO KITTENS.” Rachel did not know me well enough when she sent that email but I think she does now. This is when I grabbed my Crazy Cat Lady cape from the back of my office chair, slung it around my shoulders and got to work converting her engagement/family session into 100% a kitten session without even trying or thinking about it. I did try very hard to pet Jovie the dog and hug Rachel and Brandon equally but let’s face it, I think they all knew I was there for Crash the Cat. Crash is really good at posing because he’s really good at sleeping when he’s not running full speed around the house. Jovie is really good at eating Crash’s cat toys and also entire Dominos pizzas when we weren’t looking. Rachel and Brandon are good at looking cute and adopting a lot of animals and eating pizza. I wish I was still shooting weddings so I could follow them to Nola, but these kitten photos were a good consolation prize.