THE PHOTOGRAPHER BEHIND THE CAMERA

Meet Candy

Photographer. Storyteller. Mom. Grandmother. Coffee Snob.

My journey into photography didn't begin with a business plan or even a professional camera. It started with my son and a camera I honestly didn't know very much about.

When my son was a senior in high school, we had his senior portraits taken, and I walked away feeling like they just didn't capture him.

Photography was only a hobby for me at the time. I enjoyed taking my inexpensive camera along on family vacations and photographing wildlife whenever I had the opportunity. But after his senior session, the two of us went out with that same little camera and took a few portraits ourselves.

He loved them.

And something clicked for me, too.

I decided I wanted to learn everything I possibly could about my camera and about creating photographs that actually meant something to the person in them.

From a Hobby to a Passion

The following year, my daughter asked me to take her senior portraits.

From there, I started photographing coworkers, practicing every chance I had, experimenting, learning my camera, and developing my own eye for photography.

Somewhere along the way, I unexpectedly found myself photographing cars.

That opened an entirely different creative world for me. I traveled to car shows and spent years photographing some incredible vehicles while continuing to learn about lighting, composition, detail, and how to make a subject stand out.

And I was doing all of this while working full-time as a Registered Nurse.

Eventually, people began asking me to photograph their families. Then came weddings. Portrait sessions. Babies. Seniors. Maternity.

What started with a few senior pictures of my son gradually grew into Candy Bagwell Photography.

Creating Candy Bagwell Photography

Today, I photograph clients in my private portrait studio in Fletcher, North Carolina, serving Hendersonville, Asheville, and clients throughout Western North Carolina.

My husband, Rodney, has been beside me throughout this journey, supporting my ideas and helping me build the studio I once could only have imagined.

Together, we built my studio from the ground up, and over the years I've continued investing in professional lighting, backdrops, wardrobe, props, education, and all of the little details that allow me to create the portrait experiences I offer today.

My photography has evolved tremendously since those first photographs with my son, but one thing hasn't changed:

I want you to recognize yourself in your portraits—and love what you see.

That's why I guide my clients through posing rather than expecting them to know what to do. It's why I pay attention to lighting, styling, expression, and the little details. And it's why I believe a portrait experience should be personal rather than simply putting someone in front of a camera and pressing the shutter.

A Little About Me

When I'm not behind the camera, life is a little less glamorous than some of my Fine Art portraits might suggest.

I'm a mom of two grown children—a son and a daughter—and incredibly proud of the adults they've become. My son is a service member, and my daughter is now a mom herself and has even started learning photography.

That also means I've earned one of my very favorite titles: MIM MIM

I'm blessed with two beautiful granddaughters, and becoming a grandmother has given me an even greater appreciation for just how quickly the different seasons of a family's life pass by.

I'm also an animal lover with two goats, pig, chickens, and a very precious little dog named Penny.

And then there's coffee.

Calling me a coffee lover probably isn't strong enough. I'm an unapologetic coffee addict and coffee snob. ☕

Most of all, I'm incredibly grateful for my husband, Rodney—the love of my life, my biggest supporter, and the person who has helped me turn more than a few of my photography ideas into reality.

Behind Every Portrait Is a Story

Mine started with a mom who simply wanted better senior pictures of her son.

That son is now grown and serving his country. My daughter, whose senior portraits helped grow my love of photography, is now a mother herself and beginning to learn photography. And I'm now a grandmother to two beautiful little girls.

Life has a way of moving much faster than we expect.

Maybe that's part of why photographs have become so important to me. They give us something tangible from the seasons of life that never seem to last quite long enough.

Today, I have the privilege of photographing motherhood, newborn babies, growing children, seniors preparing for their next chapter, graduates celebrating accomplishments, families, couples, and people who simply want to step in front of the camera and have beautiful portraits of themselves.

And after all these years, I still get excited about learning, creating, and trying something I've never created before.

What started with my own family has grown into the privilege of preserving these seasons for other families, too.

I'm Candy, and I'd love to create something beautiful for you..