mtclymer's reviews

Sean & Cathy Cayton have captured the most joyful moments of our lives with a perspective that portrays the emotion we feel and personalities we carry. They have done it in a way that leaves memories of only the experience and not the lens.

Sean & Cathy’s pictures of our wedding still make me smile. The way that they captured Mike & I, but even more so, for the way that they captured those that we love, still impresses us, particularly because, although they know us very well now, they didn’t then. My favorite and most illustrative picture of Mike’s mother is one that Cathy captured at our wedding. Mike’s mother does not even remember the picture being taken; the Caytons integrate themselves into the background that well. My favorite memory from the wedding was with Mike before the ceremony as we sat side by side, giddy with love and excitement, having a private moment. Special as that moment was, Sean captured it without intruding upon it.

Cathy helped me record the physical changes that attend the joys of pregnancy in a way that was comfortable and fun. Cathy had such creative ways to capture the beauty of a pregnant woman’s body, but allowed natural placement rather than staging so I felt honored rather than on display.

All this would be enough, except that Cathy has placed herself in my heart in the way she has captured my daughter in the last year. Through Cathy’s pictures, we see all the personality and life in Isabella that we know by heart. To be able to hold these moments and be able to remember them with clarity as Bella grows is more precious than our memories that so often fail us. There’s one picture for instance, that when I look at it (as I often do), I can still hear the laughter that accompanied it. I remember the breeze and I remember the feel of the smile on my face.

The Caytons, through their brilliant camera eye and ability to fade to the background have dramatically captured our life over the last four years without ever leaving a footprint of their own. The gift of their photography is one we will always treasure, and will continue to honor in our lives.