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Uh, wow. I know I’m not great at keeping up with blogging and all that, but my last post was in June, and for that I am embarrassed.
Kind of.
Because the catch-22 is the more time I have to blog, the less time I am actually out there shooting. The latter half of 2017 got so busy that I was shooting so often, I had zero time to think about blogging. So for that, dear blog, I am #sorrynotsorry.
So in order to jump back into things, I figured I should start with a recap. Perhaps even a preview of blog posts to come, as I try to make blogging a more regular part of my workflow. I don’t like to get too wordy with these things, so let’s just dive right in.
June brought my first wedding of the season (technically my second, but I’ll expand more on that in another post) at Ostertag Vistas in Maryland. Highlight: Dinner was served al fresco under strings of twinkle lights and eventually, the stars.
Working with Cathleen Titcomb of Curious Fox Press to update her portfolio of images. Highlight: Seeing her work the vintage letter presses; getting published in Where Women Create Business magazine in the Winter 2018 issue!
A few photographer friends and I spend some time at Bureau studio in D.C. to update our headshots. Highlight: Feeling like a badass boss with my feet up on the desk.
Maggie + Vinny’s engagement/couples session at Bear’s Den Overlook in Bluemont, VA. Highlight: Watching them climb a tree like two carefree lovebirds; Maggie’s dress + flower crown combo.
Maggie and Vinny’s wedding (at Faithbrooke Barn + Vineyards) was just as magical as I had expected from a crafty bride and a laid back, fun-loving groom. Highlight: All the DIY decorations; the fields of wildflowers at sunset.
Lucy and Jaleal’s wedding may have had unexpected downpours, but they made the best of it with smiling faces and lots of love. Highlight: The wedding was held on private family property in West Virginia which was gorgeous.
Traveling to Maine with Jon’s parents and spending a day with our good friends from college in Portland. Highlight: Coastline, beach, lobster, low humidity, nostalgia – what’s not to love?
Spending a week in Stone Harbor, NJ with my entire family (grandparents, too!) at the home of my fairy godmother, Lynn. Highlight: Spending time with loved ones; beach days; pool days; surfing with Jon; going to see Seinfeld perform in Atlantic City.
Updating brand portraits for my business coach/mentor/sparkly human Kristen Kalp. Highlight: Smoke bombs on the beach; post-shoot maple bacon from Toast.
Second shooting a wedding with my photog friend Victoria Heer in Charleston, SC. Highlight: Making candles at Candlefish; eating our way through the city.
MY BIRTHDAY! Always a highlight.
Going to Paris and Italy with another photog friend, Krysta Norman. Very extensive blog post on this adventure coming soon.
Paris highlights: Photographing style blogger Julien Garman on Pont-St. Loius; photographing ex-pat couple Liz and Brandon in the Bastille; showing Krysta around my favorite city; getting my hair cut in French + the best shampoo/head massage of my life; pain au chocolat.
Italy highlights: Photographing a wedding in Ravello on the Amalfi coast, featuring a ceremony and dinner under a grove of olive trees; mornings at our apartment in Ravello overlooking smaller coastal villages and the Tyrrhenian Sea; Despacito; Krysta’s Italian bf Pasquale hawking WHITE WIINEEEE on the ferries; an unplanned day to explore Rome; Giovanni and his bomb-ass pasta and guitar skills.
Kait and Chris’ wedding in Maryland at a friend-owned venue overlooking the mountains of MD and WV. Highlight: Dogs in wedding; bourbon.
Seeing Hanson with my longtime BFF Alyssa. Highlight: reliving our early teenage years in a way that only two thirty-somethings can.
Joanie and Dan’s wedding at her parents home in Pennsylvania. Highlight: The stunning backyard decor; Joanie’s sparkly shoes.
Decided that I wanted to go back to Paris to photograph people. Had a rush of Big Magic-style inspiration and planned out a trip for creatives. In December it sold out. Highlight: Finding a true passion project and seeing the universe respond positively to it.
Seeing Mike Birgiblia perform in DC with Jon for his birthday. Highlight: Birbigaboo
Virginia Dare Dress Co picnic at Morven Park. Highlight: Spending a few hours with (as Rebekah says) chums who I don’t get to see often due to our busy schedules.
Photographing the coolest cakes ever (made by Killa Cakes) at Bureau Studio. Highlight: She makes gluten freeeeeee.
Brooke and TJ’s Baltimore wedding. Highlight: Brooke and TJ’s confetti photo.
Bi-Monthly photos for Finch Box. Highlight: Photographing the December Christmas box ON Halloween.
Autumn adventures with Jon: Hosting a Halloween party; our first ever college football game at Virginia Tech.
Styled wedding shoot collab with Catoctin Creek Distilling Co and Beaumont House Design. Highlight: That beaded dress.
John and Ariana’s intimate wedding at Stone Manor in Lovettsville, VA. Highlight: An hour of bride and groom portraits at Bear’s Den during peak foliage; they had a bottle of Cantillon.
Hanging with Megan and Rob at Blue Jacket Brewery in DC to shoot their engagement photos. Highlight: Great attitudes despite the weather changing our plans.
Jon and I visited our alma mater in Vermont with Sean & Jess and Keith & Paula (fellow college friends) for the first time in a decade. Highlights: Seeing our former professors; so much nostalgia; reliving the memories of where we (Jon and I) first met and started dating; Jim Cantore was impressed with my steak for breakfast and whiskey neat at dinner.
Jon and I hosted our first Thanksgiving and it was as relaxing as we’d planned it to be. Highlight: Watching the parade with cinnamon muffins and a cup of coffee.
Photographing Beryl Young and her family at Target. Highlight: Those outfits.
Enjoying so much downtime compared to the past few months. Highlight: CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS; photographing for fun; having a girl’s night at the movies to see Love Actually; seeing my first in-theater showing of Star Wars; all the Christmas things.
Which brings us to January, where so far I’ve photographed for Petite Loulou Creperie, The Finch Box, and LEL Jewelry. I’m gearing up for a trip to Ecuador in two weeks, and my first wedding of the year is in just over a month. As an entrepreneur (or as a human) it’s easy to focus on one’s own shortcomings, failures, and other negative aspects. But one of my goals for this year is to let those go, and instead to focus on the wins, the positives, the accomplishments. Just compiling this post was enough to make me realize how much my business grew in 2017, if even by the sheer fact that I was getting tired of typing by the end of this list. And to be honest, this wasn’t even every shoot or fun event that I had. #humblebrag #imcelebratingthewinsremember
I really hope to get back on the ball in terms of blogging, you guys. It’s nice to share my work with the world in a more longform way than quick posts on Instagram.
*Some photos of me taken by Krysta Norman, Victoria Heer, and Beryl Ayn Young.
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I make whimsical art for color-lovers and California dreamers. I'm based in Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. where there are most decidedly no palm trees in sight.