2010 in Review

For some reason, I can remember it so distinctly. It was January 3rd of this year. I was on my break at Starbucks and I was sitting at the little bar by the window, watching the snow fall and browsing through other photographers’ New Year’s resolution blog posts. Personally, I’ve never made a resolution I actually followed through with the entire year, so I saw no reason to make a list of my own. But I just remember thinking, over and over again, that 2010 would be a big year for me. I could just feel it in my bones. At this point, I only had one wedding on the books. I had no major plans, no opportunities on the horizon. But deep inside me, I felt a stirring. A growing excitement. A glimmer of hope. It sounds cheesy, I know, and I suppose you think it’s easy for me to say all these things in hindsight. Maybe that’s true. But there have been few moments in my life where I have so distinctly felt full of promise.

Well, 2010 definitely ended up being one of the most memorable years of my life, and a majorly defining year for my business. As far as photography goes, this was a year of many, many firsts. I shot my first Jewish wedding, my first Catholic wedding, my first (semi) Buddhist wedding, my first LDS wedding, my first non-religious wedding. I had the opportunity to travel to Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont, and Oregon… all to shoot weddings. I shot weddings in churches, a synagogue, a natural history museum, a golf club, a picnic pavilion, a barn, a backyard, and a hotel. My brides and grooms have ranged in age from 20 to 60-something. Many of my clients have become good friends, and though they’re all over the country, we still to this day keep in touch. They’re the best!

I also photographed my first celebrities. I went to WPPI in Las Vegas for the first time (where I met some incredibly awesome photographers). I did my first workshop with the amazing Tara Kneiser of Dixie Pixel. I was published for the first time (and then a number of times after that). I redid all of my branding and marketing materials (again!). I finally quit Starbucks and made the decision to jump into photography as a full-time career.

Granted, there have also been many stresses and disappointments along the way. But despite, and sometimes because of, those, I learned and grew so much. As a reminder of all the fantastic sessions and weddings I’ve been blessed to shoot, I’ve gathered a collection of favorite shots from each of them. It’s so crazy to see them all together… my business in photographs!

As far as my personal life goes, there have also been a lot of big changes. We endured the first major tragedy in my family- my dad’s stroke this summer. It’s been a long road of recovery, but we’re so thankful to still have him here with us. Because of this, we also made (yet another!) cross-country move from Salt Lake City back down South to Birmingham. Jamie started a new job, and we traded gorgeous snow for unbearable humidity (oh well!). We made and then had to say goodbye to some pretty amazing friends in Salt Lake. But we’ve already been making new ones here (one is silver and the other gold!). I got to do my prom over, this time with a MUCH cuter boy. :) We got to vacation in San Francisco with my parents… what an incredible city!

Speaking of, I can’t believe how many great places I’ve gotten to visit this year. Here’s a map of ‘em:

And here are a few personal photos from this year (I’m ashamed I haven’t taken more!):

As I’ve been sitting here reading through my blog entries from the past year, I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. It hasn’t been an easy road, but it’s definitely been the most rewarding one I’ve ever been on. It’s so hard to believe that so many wonderful things happened this year, and that another year is almost over. What’s so interesting to me is that I never sat down and wrote out a list of resolutions, but as I look back in reflection, I’m amazed at how many opportunities were opened up to me. It’s as if I’m writing out a reverse list of resolutions. I mean, there’s no way I could’ve known that ANY of this would happen, but it did. So maybe the moral of the story is to live your life with eyes and heart open to every possibility that comes your way. It’s great to have goals and dreams, but sometimes I think it’s even better to be flexible when plans that you never made for yourself are presented to you.

That said, I still have dreams for 2011. I’d love for the bridal shows I’m doing next month to be successful. I’d love to book LOTS of weddings here in Birmingham. I want to get published on a major big time bridal blog like Style Me Pretty or Snippet and Ink. I would absolutely LOVE to shoot a wedding in Charleston or Savannah in summer. And Chicago and/or New York… at Christmastime. (So if you’re planning one, let me know and I’ll work out a sweet deal for you. :) ) I want to work on being a more patient person. I want to send more thoughtful cards and surprises. I want my 25th year of life to not end in a quarter-life crisis. I want to be a better daughter, a better wife, a better friend. But most of all, I don’t want to limit myself to January syndrome. I want to pursue my passions and better myself year round.

So here’s to 2011. Let’s do this.