Best of 2022 | Year in Review | Colorado Wedding Photographer

About, Personal

January 4, 2023

These end-of-year recaps are fun to write, and I like looking back and reflecting on my life and business each year. Fair warning, this post gets a little more personal than most.

2022: Lots of Challenges and Lots of Growth

2022 was one of the most challenging years of my life. But those challenges came with so much growth.

I went back and looked at my 2021 recap. 2021 was a big year for me too. If 2021 was the year I decided to make a lot of life changes, then 2022 was the year I lived through those changes and transitions.

And there were even more changes than I expected there to be.

For context, here is what happened in 2021:

My partner moved to Colorado
I spent 8 weeks in Colorado over the summer
I left my full-time job with Delaware State Parks
I took a new job at a marketing agency
I moved to Colorado and moved in with my partner
I started to transition my photography business to Colorado
I quit that job at the marketing agency
I officially went full-time with my photography business

So that’s where I left off at the end of 2021: a lot of life changes, but looking forward to life in Colorado as a full-time photographer. Everything was great.

Then, in the spring of 2022, my partner broke up with me.

It felt like my world shattered. It was just a few months after I had moved to Colorado, moved in with him, and quit my last full-time job.

I essentially had no partner, no job, no friends, and nowhere to live for a bit. I had a few weddings and sessions booked in Colorado at the time, but nowhere near what I needed to fully support myself.

It was really scary and really hard. This Instagram post summarizes my feelings pretty well.

Here’s what happened next

Here’s the rest of what happened in 2022:

I decided to stay in Colorado and moved into my own place.
I made an amazing group of friends.
I logged over 600 miles of hiking.
I photographed about 70 projects, which included weddings, elopements, sessions, and commercial work.
I was featured in Voyage Denver Magazine.
I found a part-time marketing job to supplement my income and partially stay in the marketing industry.
I photographed weddings/elopements/sessions in Colorado, Arizona, Indiana, Utah, Delaware, and Georgia.
I did campaigns with Girlfriend Collective, Stio, the Boulder County Farmers Market, and Kent County Tourism.
I surpassed my annual income goal by about 10%.

I did it and I’m really freaking proud of myself.

To my clients: Thank you

I’ll admit it. I didn’t really want to move to Colorado (this Instagram post talks about that more). But I chose to stay and I can finally, honestly say that I’m happy here.

Honestly, my clients are a big part of why I stayed. I could have left Colorado when my ex broke up with me. I could have gone back to Delaware or Ohio or somewhere new entirely. But I didn’t.

To my clients in 2022: you meant more to me than you’ll ever know. You gave me a reason to get up in the morning on some of my hardest days. You gave me a reason to show up when I wanted to do anything but. You gave me joy and purpose when it felt like my life had fallen apart. You gave me a reason to explore Colorado when I didn’t want to. You allowed me to financially support myself when I wasn’t sure I could do it. And ultimately, you gave me a reason to stay in Colorado and fight to create a life I actually wanted in a state I initially didn’t want to be in.

All that to say, THANK YOU.

2022 was a wild ride. Here’s to 2023.

Living the Dream?

Here’s a quick story to end on. I’ll probably never forget this session.

I was hiking with the couple to their location and as we were chatting, one of them turned to me and said: “You’re living the dream!”

They didn’t know that at that moment, my life felt like anything but a dream.

They didn’t know…

…that my partner of 2 years had broken up with me about 10 days ago.

…that it was my last night living with him before I moved out in the morning.

…that as I pulled into the parking lot to meet them about 20 minutes prior, my ex had texted me and started an argument related to me moving out.

…that it was taking everything in me to hold it together for the hour that they spent with me.

I didn’t tell them any of this. I just smiled and said “I guess I am”.

Their session ended up being one of my favorites of the year and for that hour, I was able to put my thoughts aside and feel like maybe that dream of a life was possible and worth working for.

And now at the start of 2023, I feel like I am living the dream.

Goals from 2022

Here’s a look back at the goals I set for 2022 and how I did in working towards them.

Get to know Colorado really well: I think I did really well with this one! I know my area of Colorado SO much better than last year. I feel really confident in creating location recommendations, working on elopement planning, and just shooting in Colorado in general. As I mentioned above, I hiked over 600 miles in 2022!
Serve my clients even better: I think I did well with this too. I really streamlined my workflow and client experience. I also created more resources for my clients including an elopement guide and a location guide.
Find a balance: Does a true balance even exist? Haha. I think I did as well with this as I could have. I really prioritized building relationships in 2022, and think I did a pretty good job balancing work and fun.
Have fun with social media: I do think I did better with this in 2022, but there’s always room for improvement.
Make friends: I definitely made friends! I could have done better making industry friends and getting to know other photographers.

Goals for 2023

See more of Colorado: I feel like I know my area of Colorado really well at this point, but I want to get to know more of the state! This includes areas like Telluride, Aspen, and Crested Butte.
Travel less?: This is a weird one for me. I’d actually like to travel for work less in 2023. I love traveling and it will likely always be an important part of my life, but I think I want to scale back on destination work because it does take a lot of time, and I want to continue investing in my life and business in Colorado.
Connect with others in the industry: I did a great job of making personal friends in 2022, but I want to get to know more industry friends in 2023!
Keep serving my clients well: I always want to prioritize my clients and help them to have the best experience possible.