2019 Year In Review
2019. A year of goal smashers, growth, and travel. A year of answering yes when I wanted and learning that it is okay to say no. A year of taking time away from the music scene a little bit to focus on my wedding and portrait business. A year of traveling with people and a little bit by myself sprinkled in. A year of taking steps towards what I want out of life mentally/physically/financially and what I want out of my business. Last year’s Year In Review is quite different than this year’s. I’m going to take it in a different direction to show what I’ve learned, what I loved, and what I’ve seen. I don’t think I’ve posted a “personal” post since last year’s review - I want to change that this year. I want to blog more posts in-depth on life tips and where I’ve gone. I think it will help me look back on growth, appreciate the opportunities I’ve been given, and to help others achieve some of the things I wish I knew earlier in life. I think the personal posts will reflect on trips I take and why, what I did while traveling, and what I shot and with what gear. For those reading this, I hope you can enjoy what I put out into the world! In 2018, I quit my jobs to pursue my dream. It was super exciting and scary. 2019 had more of a flow and steady course. It was a lot of self reflection, hard work, and honestly some luck thrown in. Again - I’m so thankful for my support system and my health. 2019 was so amazing in many different ways. I wish I was a better writer to really explain my experiences…that’s why I’m a photographer! So here we go:
Winter
A few trips to the ice castles of course. An annual magical experience.
Even though I hate leaving Colorado in the winter because of the snow I love so much, I made a bunch of Atlanta visits to shoot portraits and weddings.
Stood in the cold outside in my pjs from my Denver apartment balcony to shoot the supermoon.
Probably would’ve done better with a longer lens and tripod but I was too cold and tired to worry!
Shot lots in Denver and found photo spots around town that I love.
Went to many Denver boss babe meet ups. There’s lots of talent in my condensed community!
Visited one of my favorite happy places in Atlanta too many times to count - Oakland Cemetery.
My best friend always makes it 10x times better, even if it’s chilly outside.
Product photography became a new found joy. I hope to work on more of it in the coming years.
Finally visited my hometown of Pittsburgh in the snow. Thankful to see friends and family.
My home in Georgia had recently been renovated with a sunroom. I starting shooting all sorts of portraits in there and fell in love with it. It is now my main source of shooting when in Georgia.
Photographed more maternity, mommy and me, family, and newborn than ever. I LOVED IT.
Spring
Did a lil’ concert shooting but wayyy less this year than any other before. It gave room for my creativity (like shooting through a water bottle in the first photo).
Shot my best friend’s proposal/engagements in San Fran a day before leaving for Australia. Wow.
Swam in the Great Barrier Reef, saw wild kangaroos up close, got my first tattoo, and held a koala!
Road tripped by myself to Salt Lake City from Denver and stayed with a friend. She ended up being the perfect person to stay with because she showed me around the whole town. Got to visit cute coffee shops and to ride Lime scooters super fast. We ate snacks with her pup on a mountain that overlooked the city and explored at night. I hit Arches National Park on the way back.
Road tripped again with a photographer friend to Badlands National Park. It was our first time in South Dakota so we hit Rapid City too. 10/10 would do again.
My Colorado weddings and elopements were huge in Spring and they couldn’t have been better.
Went whale watching for the first time in Maine then went to a show in Boston directly after.
Went down to Savannah, became close to a friend that I’d been wanting to hang out with for so long.
Finished out Spring / started Summer by shooting a wedding in Rhode Island.
Summer
Without meaning to, I photographed tons of boudoir and seniors. I fell in love with it and would really enjoy to fill my 2020 schedule with both of these things.
Explored the city of Portland and shot a couple while I was there. Flew to Alaska directly after.
Shot a wedding in Alaska and stayed for a week by myself. I road tripped around the whole time - seeing cities from Anchorage to Fairbanks then south to Seward. It was scary and fun and so worth it. I went hiking in Denali and on a cruise in Kenai Fjords. Met my friend in LA directly after Alaska. We adventured around and went to Disneyland. No pictures but proud of that because I rode a rollercoaster that I actually enjoyed for the first time in my life.
Camped in Crested Butte. This place easily became my favorite place to be during Colorado summertime. I shot with my Canon DSLR, Canon film, and the drone. Perfect weather!
Did some underwater photography experimenting in my pool. More of this please!!
Fall
Started Fall/Labor Day weekend with a road trip to Zion National Park. Met up with a middle school friend from Utah there. What better reunion than hiking together!
Colorado fall didn’t last long this year. I swear it was only three days before a snowstorm took out all the leaves. I’m thankful that I made the decision to find some color in the small amount of time that it was available. So dreamy!
Sharing this dumb photoset of this fall road trip I took with my best friend. We went cross country and hit 14 states in about 3 days. Stopped as much as we could, even if it meant playing mini golf in the middle of the night in Oklahoma City. We slept in my car and showered at gas stations, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Spent Thanksgiving exploring Southeast Asia. Spent a week in each: Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand with a day in Tokyo. I only took my Fuji xt20 mirrorless with two lenses and my film camera. Best decision ever to not have my bulky DSLR or laptop with me. There are lots of trips from this year that I want to blog separately but this will definitely be one. Can’t wait to show you more photos, how I planned a cheap trip, and how to get around foreign countries.
Last but not at all least…Went on Birthright to Israel with my best friend (I know, we spend a lot of time together for friends who live on opposite sides of the country right?). If you have a Jewish bloodline, I highly recommend taking advantage of this beautiful (and FREE) experience. We played with camels, explored all over the country, learned about my heritage, and swam in the Dead Sea - just to name a few things. Ended 2019 and started 2020 in this amazing country!
That’s all folks!
I will be blogging a few of these things in more detail in their own posts. 2019 was full of adventure, photography, and learning. Can’t see life getting much better than this. :)