HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
As I kick off this new decade I wanted to thank all of my clients who have made 2019 AMAZING! This has been an extremely challenging year for my family and for me, personally. It has been a year full of loss, personal development, and a lot of chapters in my life coming to a close. But the amount of growth my business has had this year is incredible and an absolute dream come true.
The end of January marks the start of my 7th year in business and I am still in shock at how much this profession has provided me, both personally and professionally. When I started my business, I was fresh out of graduate school and wanted no part of the art historian career path I had invested so much time and money into. I remember sitting in lectures listening to the stories of how people found their way into their career, and not one of them was doing what they originally set out to do. I felt so overwhelmed by that, especially since I knew in my heart that this was not the life I wanted. When I came home from London I had a masters degree, a ton of student loan debt, and zero clue what was ahead or where to go. I felt like a little girl who loved taking photos and loved working with people, but I had no clue what to do with that. I applied to so many jobs, had a handful of interviews, a few leads, but no job offers. It was daunting and very discouraging. Here I was with a lot of education, little experience, and even less self confidence. I thankfully had a soon-to-be husband who believed in me, but the biggest challenge professionally was convincing someone to take a chance on me by offering me a job. When that offer never came I decided I needed to create my own opportunity. When I started this business I had no idea if I could make this dream into a career. But I had a husband who believed in me and a serious drive to make it happen. So I went for it. I certainly could not have imagined the potential or direction that drive and passion would have taken me.
From year one until now my business has truly transformed into something I am so proud of. Every year I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone, tackled the balance of my day job with my side hustle, and dealt with some really significant life changing moments. By being a small business owner through all of that I have learned more about myself in those 7 years than i have in my entire life. When I started this career path my ultimate goal was to provide income for my family while staying home with my kids. And each year I had the opportunity to be one step closer to both of those dreams. When I finally quit my day job in 2015 I was terrified, but because of the trust of my clients and their continual support I have not once looked back. There have been SO many tears, late nights, and a lot of self-doubt. BUT, at the same time, there have been light bulb moments, bursts of creativity, and some of the most extraordinary moments. I also had the blessing of enjoying every moment of pregnancy and then being home to watch my daughter take her first steps, say her first words, and literally photograph her every single day of her life. All while pursuing my dream job. And after a year like this one I cannot be more thankful for that gift.
This year alone I photographed 162 sessions (42 more than last year) and met 57 new families. That is HUGE! That means 105 of those sessions were from families who came back to see me again and that is the greatest compliment a photographer and business owner could ever hope for. We have been through so much the last few years but this year really hit me hard and it was because of my clients being so incredibly compassionate and supportive that gave me the drive to keep on trucking. And I cannot thank you enough. It has been with your trust, patience, and willingness to be that person to take a chance on me and my artistic vision that has brought me to this point in my career. I cannot thank you enough or tell you how thankful I am to have been able to capture your most important, private, and pivotal moments of your lives. It is because of that faith in me that this year has been so successful. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Some of my favorite images of all time were captured this year and it is because of every single one of you trusting my creative vision for your session.
I am SO excited to kick off a new decade and to see what 2020 will bring. I am in the process of revamping my pricing guide and packages and really going to be streamlining my brand. My goal this year is to push myself even further creatively to give you more gorgeous and unique images. I am also so excited to start implementing new things I have been learning in a business course I enrolled in this fall. And I am excited to start making your client experience even more special!
Thank you again so much for supporting my business and for continuing to allow me to photograph your family! I cannot wait to see you in 2020!! But first here is a recap of my favorite images from 2019! Man it was hard to narrow it down!! <3
Much love,
Laura
