I usually use my blog to show off all of my lovely couples but today I just want to let the thoughts flow by reflecting on 2015 and looking ahead at the direction I want to take with this coming year.
2015 was an amazing year for me and I feel so grateful to have grown a lot in the last year and have had the chance to work with so many amazing couples, families and fellow vendors. When people meet me and learn I photograph weddings for a living they often say “Oh, I bet you’ve seen some crazy things.” And while I did once enjoy the grandeur of photographing a 1 million dollar wedding, complete with an older gentleman marrying a sexy little trophy wife and hiring an incredibly famous band to perform, that was in my early days when I was an assistant photographer. That’s not the type of client who hires me for their wedding, because we probably wouldn’t know how to relate to one another.
Part of what has made 2015 such a great year for me was working with such amazing clients. I feel like I have learned to communicate my values through the images and snippets I have assembled on my website which has provided me with the distinct pleasure of attracting like minded couples. We are excited about the same thing- they are excited about being in love and the connection they are forming, and I am really excited about taking photos that represent that. Actually, 2015 was such a great year that the good of it outweighed a difficult string of three unlucky incidents that might have otherwise been disheartening. So if you are reading this and I have photographed your wedding in 2015 or earlier, thank you!
Tomorrow I photograph my first wedding of 2016, yea! Tomorrow is also the birthday of one of my dearest friends so I am taking the confluence of the two as a good symbol for the year to come. While I am looking forward to the weddings and engagement sessions that are filling up my calendar for the year, I am also looking beyond that. I have been starting to ask myself how can I grow more, and not just by booking more clients but by becoming better at what I do.
One of the things that I love about being a photographer and specializing in weddings is that besides it generally being a fun thing to do (for the right type of person, not for everyone), is that I am constantly learning because each scenario is different and I am constantly being challenged. Since I’m not green anymore it’s not usually a sweeping discovery, but I tuck away all the little things I learn and repeat them to myself so that going forward next time I will be better informed.
For example, I recently made a small but mind-blowing (in my opinion) discovery while I was editing a wedding. I realized that in one image I had asked the bride to walk a few paces towards the groom for their first look and I got incredible drama out of the way her lightweight lacy dress clung to the floor, that I didn’t get in another image when I arranged her dress as she stood still. Each image works and speaks to a different moment but the next time I have a bride with a similar dress and I want to get a dramatic image, I know what to ask her to do. Here are the photos, check out the sweep of her dress in the black and white photo versus the color one, which truly speaks to the special moment they are sharing.
They say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. After 15 years of practicing my art, beginning in the high school dark room, to traveling around Europe and the globe with my camera, to 4 years studying for my BFA, and 6+ solid years of professional practice, I’ve likely hit that mark or I’m pretty darn close. However as I am grateful as I am that my technique has sharpened and I have the lens and camera kit that I always dreamed of, I don’t want to assume I know it all, because I don’t.
Which brings me to the new direction I am taking in 2016. I am taking time to learn from other industry professionals and investing in myself as an asset for my clients and myself. I purchased an incredibly in depth online wedding styling course from the talented ladies at Once Wed and though I’ve only just begun, I am inspired to be engaged in a discourse around art and learning how to style photos in a way that tells the story I want to tell. I know it will help me with my goal of getting published more often, because who doesn’t love to have their pride and joy published? I am also curious to see what awaits at WPPI 2016, the international week long conference held in Las Vegas every year where photographers can meet other photographers from across the world and take seminars about all types of things related to the art and business of being a photographer. Then of the course the next exciting step will be tying in all my new knowledge to my weddings and photo sessions that are to come this year and into the future.
Cheers to you, dear reader, for following me along with these thoughts. Let’s have a great 2016!
