2018 Year in Review

As the face and voice of this place I will say that I am happy with the way 2018 worked out. It was nothing of a fluke for the year to be the pinnacle of this little business’ history. It was through slugging it out from step one to the end so that I could give the best of what I could give to those asking for it of me. I’m one person — a guy with a vision and skill set — doing what I can do to significantly catalog what may ultimately seem to be insignificant significance. Right? Marriage is heavy and is the most significant thing two humans can join into with one another. Know that. That said, life is really heavy as years pass and this day of utmost happiness may seem insignificant in comparison. Be mindful of this lie because being grounded in a marriage will always ground you in the shit that a heavy life can, and will, throw at you. You aren’t there now but one day you likely will be.

I’m happy that I’m able to be here with you on this one day (even if just for this one day). I’m happy to put myself into what’s important to you because in the end it’s you, the life filled & living thing reading this lifeless screen that is important. I’m starting to realize this more and more as the days go on. 2018 was a big year in realizing this for me. I set aside my ego. I stopped wasting my efforts in publicizing my “epic” shots from a wedding day in forums filled with thousands of other egos. I set aside likes. I don’t give a damn about wedding blogs or magazines. I gave up playing the publishing game in this industry. Magazine editors don’t mean a thing to me. I don’t know them. I won’t be awarded Artist of the Year again from some online publication because the effort to win that junk and boost my ego was replaced with working harder on business, focusing more on family and prioritizing time to start a conversation with ANYONE who reaches out to me here.

I already see the difference in making this change. I know a family’s story more intimately than ever before solely because giving time to hear people’s story was made. Hearing those stories is a huge flubbin’ gift! That is human life and a bleeding red artery of history flowing through this microcosm of life we share. Hearing THAT was my reward from 2018. THAT will be my reward in 2019 because although placards, trophies, recognition and pats on the back by peers (and myself) is nice, it ultimately isn’t important — it’s feeling good about what I’m doing, how I’m doing it and doing families justice.

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So yeah, 2018 is gone and I look forward to 2019 with wide eyes because

as a business owner. . .

as a person running this personal business. . .

as a crafter of keepsakes. . .

as a moment seeker. . .

as YOUR storyteller (even if just for this one day). . .

as YOUR family photographer from this day that it begins. . .

as a speck of nothing working on something. . .

2019 will be a year full of conversation. I hope to hear your voice on the phone and make that commonplace rather than punching through a soulless email for sake of every and all communication. That happens, I know. That’s easy, I know. I know because that’s how I ran this beautiful little business for years past and that was just OK. I knew a little about the couples I met and we developed a little more over the course of their experience, for what that was at that point. That was OK.

2019 will be better than OK. 

Until we meet, here’s a long highlight of things from 2018.

Hugs & Bugs,
Brian