If you can believe it, I started out with almost 1500 images for this blog post. I spent hours and hours (no exaggeration) culling that number down to something semi-acceptable for a blog post. Is it still too long? Heck yes. Am I incredibly proud of every single image in this post? You betcha.

2022 was a great year for me. With it being my 8th year shooting weddings full-time, I just felt completely at one with my camera and my images. The couples I had the honor of working with blew me away, and I’m thrilled with the photographs I was able to deliver.

Professional highlights of the year:
• shooting 21 beautiful weddings (my goal was 15)
• traveling to Jekyll Island, GA and Charleston, SC for destination weddings
• being featured on Style Me Pretty here, here, and here
• real weddings printed in Arkansas Bride Magazine here, and here
• a real wedding feature in Weddings In Arkansas here
• it was my 8th year shooting weddings full time (I quit my “real” job in January 2014).

It was also the year I announced I was stepping away from newborn and family photography. I, like so many of us, have a hard time putting myself first. I don’t ever want to let anyone down, and I know there were a lot of “my people” who I disappointed in my choice to table it (at least for now). It was a tough decision for me, but I know it was the right thing to do. I was able to focus on my weddings, which have always been my passion, and also I’ve had more time with my family. I feel like I’m no longer stretched too thin, and I’m really proud of myself for creating a healthy boundary!

Personal highlights of the year:
• celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary with my husband, John
• after two veryyyy long years of stress and isolation, it finally felt like the world started to move again
• my youngest turned 1 in June, and my oldest turned 5 in December
• my first niece was born
• we finished our backyard renovation
• went to the beach / visited my sister & her family in Raleigh

Last but not least, a few goals for 2023. I haven’t made goals since 2020 (and to be honest they all got thrown out the window once Covid hit), but this year just feels like a good time to start. These goals are a bit loose – I haven’t thought about them too much yet, and just want to see if any of these can be inspirational to me as I enter my ninth year!

2023 goals (both personal & professional)
• read 12+ books
• complete dry January
• shoot at least 15 weddings (I’ve already booked more than this, YAY!)
• schedule more time to enjoy being with my family
• take on less during the holidays so I’m not so busy and stressed
• go on a couple of vacations (I think we have 3 scheduled!)
• submit weddings to some of my favorite publications
• take more personal photos
• fall in love with digital photos again / find an editing system I enjoy

So here’s to another year of my dream job. Another year chasing light and beauty, another year laughing with so many beautiful couples, breaking it down on the dance floor, and capturing the smallest details. I love this job more than I could ever express, and I hope you can see that when you look at these images!

Happy New Year! Let’s do this 2023!