Year In Review And 2018 Resolutions
Happy New Year! I can't believe it's already 2018. I remember watching the ball drop for 2017 like it was yesterday. I like to make these year in review blogs as a way to look back at the previous year, but also to have when 5, 10 years go by. Usually in the winter months I don't pick up my camera at all. Last year was different though, it started with a freezing cold engagement session for Kerry and Greg in Annapolis. So cold that it was 20 degrees. We all came well prepared and we made it through alive! Later that month, of course, it was unusually warm and I had another engagement session for one of my July couples, Tiffany, Andrew and their kids in Virginia.
February was the month of travel for me. Since it's my off season, and all my best friends live in other states, I like to take road trips to visit them. Thank goodness one of my best friends lives in Florida. It's the perfect place to go to get out of the cold! I like to drive everywhere I can because it saves tons of money and I really hate flying. Last year I decided to make a stop in Charleston, SC for an engagement session on my way to Jacksonville. I have so fallen in love with Charleston and I was dying to shoot there! I also have loved Saint Augustine since I was young, so I set up an engagement session down there too :)
I update my headshots in March and Toby made an appearance. I started my 2017 wedding season early with a wedding on the South River, and I did headshots for Brandi of Charming Grace Events that started an awesome friendship!
April is probably my favorite month, that is if it actually acts like Spring and doesn't snow! Last year if I can remember, it was cold at first but then started to warm up. Since Spring is my favorite season of all time, I really wanted to do a Spring styled shoot. I teamed up with Southern Maryland vendors and pulled it off! I shot a lot of engagement sessions as well. One for Amanda and Ryan that I was very excited about because I had shot their proposal the year before. Another I did with Kelly and Dave who I found out loved history and American flags and even took me to the grave site of the Fell Family in Fells Point! I met up with a blogger from Utah to shoot a quick session at the cherry blossoms, and shotanother wedding with the prettiest flowers in bloom.
In May I took a trip to JMU for a senior session for 12 sorority sisters that was filled with so much laughter and showers of champagne! I did the coolest engagement session with Lexii and Chris that was 1940's themed and it had my history heart soaring! I also did a beautiful wedding at the Annapolis Maritime Museum that got me thinking of a feature blog based in Annapolis and how I couldn't find one...
In June I had MY first wedding anniversary and we took a day trip to St. Michaels. I had a wedding at the zoo complete with a penguin, and hosted my first mentor session with Jess!
In July I did more in home headshots and Toby made another appearance. He always wants to be in photos when I'm trying to get him out of them. This time I needed headshots for two different reasons. I had published The Annapolis Wedding Blog on June 12th and wanted to introduce who was behind it. I did a unique styled shoot based on a bridesmaid brunch, took a trip to Chicago and did a maternity session for one of my good friends!
August and September was a whirlwind. Weddings back to back weekends, tons of engagement sessions and one burnt out photographer. The Annapolis Wedding Blog was in full swing featuring weddings, and I was keeping up with social media for two separate businesses. I still found time to do a little session on the water with Matt and I in the midst of the craziness!
October didn't let up AT ALL. It was straight shooting every weekend and multiple nights during the week. Fall is the most popular time to get married and to take engagement photos. I met so many amazing couples for the first time at their engagement session, and got to finally capture the wedding day of couples I had met the previous year.
November was the month of Senior sessions and more engagement sessions. There were no weddings for me this month and I was thankful for that. It allowed me to catch up on editing from October and spend some weekend days at home for once.
My wedding season wasn't over yet though, I still had two more weddings to finish out the year. They were the best to get me through the holiday season too. One had Christmas themes all throughout it and the other had snow!
I learned a lot this year. I struggled, triumphed, everything. I always think back to what Matt told me when I first started my business, it's like hills and valleys. Sometimes you feel on top of the world, like you're doing so well and everyone can see it. Other days you're in a valley, feeling so low and not good enough. One of my resolutions for 2018 is to recognize when I'm on top of a hill, and when I'm down in a valley, and to know that those moments don't last forever. There will always be struggles and always be triumphs because that's part of life and that's DEFINITELY part of running a business :)
