2018 marked my fourth year as a full time wedding photographer. This year was full of hard lessons, soul searching, and a lot of obscure opportunities for personal and professional growth. I lost my footing a few times, but now I finally feel like maybe I found my stride.
Coming out of a jam-packed 2017, I intentionally strived to carry a lighter load. I traveled more for my couples than I ever have before and we often spent multiple days together as their wedding day stories unfolded. You took me up and down the coast of California, to the tropical waters of Puerto Vallarta, and across the Atlantic to Italian paradise, just to name a few of those magical places.
2018 at a glance
- 27 intimate weddings & elopements
- 15 engagement, couples & portrait sessions
- 21 flights & 12 road trips
- 4 states & 2 countries
- 15 National & State Parks
I can safely call 2018 the rollercoaster year of highs and lows. Right in the middle of my busiest season, we had to surprise move out of our house. Then, a few weeks after getting settled in our new place, we lost my grandmother to terminal cancer. And two months after that, I got engaged to the love of my life. I struggled to balance work life with my personal life and was dealt an incredible amount of self-doubt along the way.
New Year, New Goals
Maybe it’s cliche to make new year’s resolutions, but I love a fresh start. I have some big plans for 2019…especially when it comes to balance. Every year, I cut back on the amount of couples I work with so I can invest more of my heart into each one of you. The longer I do this, the stronger I believe that wedding days should be an intimate affair, not impersonal. That includes the experience your photographer gives you. After all, the words “spread thin” and “intimate” do not get along with each other very well.
For 2019, I’m limiting myself to 2 weddings per month and no longer taking big weddings (100+ guests). This has been on my heart for awhile, but I’ll be diving deeper into my niche of intimate wedding and elopements. To all of my couples who I’ve already booked with for your big day, please know I am over the moon to be there for you. You are some of the lucky last few to close this chapter with me.
Like last year’s round up, I decided to structure this post to celebrate the realness of a wedding day. The image sequence is similar to how an actual day would unfold…and just made the most sense to me. I love that it highlights our differences, but more importantly, captures our shared humanity. Thank you with my whole heart to everyone who made this year exactly what it was.
If you liked this post, check out my best of 2017 wedding round up here.