Caroline and Gregg are a dream husband and wife duo. With their unique photography styles combined, this power couple creates cohesive, one-of-a-kind collections that clients will instantly fall in love with.
Caroline and I met at the Battery on a beautiful Spring day. We shared some delicious queso and nachos at El Felix – SO yummy! During our interview, I truly felt like I was out for a casual girl’s day with someone that I have known forever. Caroline was so easy to talk to and I loved getting to learn so much more about her and her husband and their business together.
DS: What is your favorite part of working with your husband?
CW: The unspoken connection. I say that because there are a lot of times that we just look at each other and know what the other person is thinking. I don’t know if I could feel that comfortable with someone that I wasn’t married to.
DS: What is your least favorite part of working with your husband?
CW: We bicker, Caroline laughs. We both think we’re right. We’re both primary photographers, which is great for a client, but for us, it sometimes makes it more challenging because at times we both want the same shots.
DS: Do you have any children?
CW: We have two. Amelia is almost two and Brennan turns one on Thursday.
DS: Where are you from?
CW: Amelia Island, Florida
Ironically, my mom and I have been going back and forth about taking a spontaneous girl’s trip to Amelia Island and Caroline sold me on how beautiful and quaint the island is. Needless to say, we booked our trip that night!
DS: What is your go-to snack?
CW: Granola bars or a banana. On wedding days, definitely granola bars.
DS: What is the last book you have read?
CW: Crazy Rich Asians
DS: What does your normal week look like?
CW: Monday’s are office. Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s are shoots. Friday’s are office and Saturday’s are weddings. Sunday’s are for rest.
DS: What is your favorite way to de-stress?
AS: Either social media or reality TV. Real Housewives of ANYTHING! I also like true crime podcasts.
DS: What kind of shoots do you do?
CW: I do a lot of kids shoots for my past clients. I love getting to work with them again because after their wedding you miss them.
DS: How did you meet Gregg?
CW: At a bar in Buckhead, Tin Lizzy’s. We were both out with our own friends and I saw him sitting at the bar. I reached over and stole a sip of his beer to be funny!
DS: Do you have any pets and if so, what breed?
CW: Two dogs. They are both tiny mutts. When we got Raleigh, they told us that she was going to be 55 to 60 pounds, so I was wanting to go hiking with her, but she is only 13 pounds! Dublin is a Cocker Spaniel Lab. She is only 18 pounds.
And of course, I had to see pictures of her sweet puppies!
DS: Do you bake?
CW: Yes, I do. Chocolate chip cookies.
DS: What was your first job?
CW: I was a paper girl. I delivered papers when I was 12 years old on a bicycle.
DS: Would you consider yourself an extrovert or introvert? What about Gregg?
CW: Extrovert. Yea, I’m super quiet, Caroline laughs. Gregg’s more of an introverted extrovert. He’s an observer, but I have brought out the extrovert in him.
DS: How did Gregg propose?
CW: In Savannah in Wright Square. We went for Gregg’s birthday and he had taken a picture of a rose holding the ring in the square earlier that day. When we were in the square together later, he told me to come look at this picture that he had taken and then he got down on his knee! I will never forget that there was this random man standing next to us that was singing at the top of his lungs because he was so happy for us! That night, Gregg invited all of our friends and family to Savannah to celebrate on a rooftop bar. I didn’t know he could be that romantic!
I shared with Caroline that I was also engaged and married in Savannah. Such a special place for both of us.
DS: Who does most of the cooking?
CW: Gregg
DS: Isn’t that great?!
CW: It is great, but I don’t have a choice. He always picks out what we are eating, and if I say I don’t want that, he tells me I can cook then. But that’s not going to happen, Caroline laughs.
DS: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
CW: Spend the money on something you want because if you try to go the cheap route, you’ll spend a lot of time regretting it.
DS: Who is your role model?
CW: Hmmm, this is hard. Probably my dad because he was a small business owner. He was literally the coolest person I know. He was a fighter pilot in the Air Force. He did things the way he wanted. I’ve learned over the year that he is smooth. He would always tell me to play it cool. He was also an athlete. He used to play college basketball and I grew up playing sports, so I thought that was cool too.
DS: What sports did you play?
CW: Swimming and soccer
DS: If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you go?
CW: London. I’m half British and because my brother lives over in London.
DS: What is the best compliment that you have ever received?
CW: That I’m a visionary. I had an assistant work with us from The Creative Circus. She was on a newborn shoot with me and she told me afterward that “I shouldn’t have done this, but I doubted you.” As I was shooting, she didn’t get it, but then afterward when she saw the pictures, she understood why I was doing things the way I did and said I was a visionary.
CAROLINE’S FAVORITES
DS: Type of food?
CW: Mexican
DS: Restaurant?
CW: Chops
DS: Animal?
CW: Dog
DS: Guilty pleasure?
CW: Wine spritzers
DS: Wedding cake flavor?
CW: Heavy vanilla, not like a fluffy, light vanilla. More of a dense white chocolate.
DS: Hobby?
CW: Going for walks
DS: Season?
CW: Spring
DS: Band or singer?
CW: The Band
LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS
DS: Do you take on every wedding together? What are each of your roles in your business?
CW: Yes. Mine is organization and portraiture. Gregg’s is technical and he catches the key shots, like the first kiss. He is more behind the scenes, like he packs the bags and cleans everything. I more organize and schedule everything and do our emails.
DS: What is your favorite part of the wedding day?
CW: Bridal portraits. I call it their bridal glory. When you’re in your veil and dress and swishing around in your dress. It is everything.
DS: Who is your ideal client?
CW: Somebody who is invested in photography. They don’t have to know anything about photography, but they have to value photography. Not the monetary value, but truly see the sentimental value.
Caroline shared such a sweet story here about a wedding they photographed for one of their past babysitters. She said she could tell that their photos meant absolutely everything to the bride, and that meant so much to Caroline and Gregg.
DS: What is the most stressful past of your job?
CW: Living up to expectations. Outdoing ourselves. I’m not competing against other photographers. I’m trying to shoot a better picture than myself.
DS: What is your one piece of advice for couples?
CW: Trust your photographer and give them enough time.
DS: If you were not doing photography, what would you be?
CW: In sales of some sort. Gregg would be an architect.
DS: Where do you see Willett Photography in 5 years?
CW: Traveling a lot more, for both Gregg’s commercial work and our weddings. Gregg right now does commercial work Monday through Friday and then our weddings together on the weekend.
DS: How many weddings do you shoot per year?
CW: 20-25 per year, but we are trying to keep it more around 20.
DS: How did you start your business?
CW: Gregg taught me everything I know. I was in commercial real estate and Gregg was an architecture photographer, so he did not shoot people. One of my friends asked me if Gregg would shoot their wedding, and he agreed to do it as long as I agreed to help him. He is the one who introduced me to everything. He encouraged me to look on the internet and in magazines to find things I liked and he taught me how to get there.
DS: How is your shooting style different than your Gregg’s?
CW: I am more romantic, and he is more modern. I focus more on details shots, and Gregg’s shots are more cool. My shots are the pictures that people say “Awe, that’s pretty.” His shots are the shots that people say “That is cool.” It blends well together, so we don’t fight over that. They are cohesive together.
Caroline then showed me a few of their shots and I tried to guess who shot which picture! I could instantly tell their photography styles apart after hearing Caroline describe their different approaches in such detail. And I must say, all of their pictures were definitely the perfect combination of “pretty” and “cool.” The Willett’s truly are an amazing team together. – DS
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