Thank you for the best year ever. It has been truly awesome, filled with joy, and I am overwhelmed by the support I have received.

The state of the world that we are all living through this year is not something I take lightly or to be dismissed. Whenever I listen to the news I am confronted with such an overwhelming amount of heartache.  Despite it though, the one redeeming thing I have found is that everywhere I turn, people all around me are engaging in conversations about how we can make the world safer, kinder, and more peaceful. While it can feel so powerless as an individual to see what is going on in the world, often at the hands of people who are invested in destruction, knowing that there are so many people who care so deeply is a comfort and it brings me hope. 

2023 has been a year that has shown me the undeniable connection that we all have to each other. My actions matter. The work that I do, the lessons I instill in my children, and the impact that I have in my home, in my town, in my country, and in the world.

The experiences I have had with my clients have a profound effect on me. Sometimes, when I take a photo, it is often hard to envision that it has its own existence beyond me. It’s as if I have made something that sprouts wings and flies away to find itself in the world. Seeing my photos take flight in this way has been one of the biggest surprises of my life, to engage in a creative process, make something, and watch it take on a life of its own. It is so thrilling and humbling and it is, quite honestly, a little bit shocking at times. I love seeing where my photos go, so please… do share! I am always interested in getting follow ups from my clients and seeing where my prints live in people’s homes. 

This year I would like to share a few of my favorite things as I have done in the past, so here it goes:

Book: “The Man Who Tasted Words” by Guy Leschziner. I had a hunch that I may have some kind of sensory and perceptual anomaly for a while, but an experience I had at a live concert this year led me down the rabbit hole of researching synesthesia. Synesthesia is something I am still trying to understand about myself, but reading this book gave me one of the biggest Ah-ha! moments of my life. The work of self discovery is never truly done and learning more about how my brain processes information has given me such a renewed curiosity for understanding the human experience. It is an absolutely fascinating read and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about the experiences of others, plus it’s full of some REALLY wild medical cases, like people who can’t feel pain, people who can “see” despite having no measurable vision, and people who’s sensory and perception are far outside the range of “normal” whatever that really is though, who knows. 

Movie: It is not a secret that I aspire to be as thoughtful and detail oriented in my photo making as Wes Anderson is in his movie making. This year I had the entirely surreal experience of watching “Asteroid City” by myself, sitting dead center in a movie theater. While that was about as memorable - and quirky - as movie watching gets, I think my favorite this year was a short film, also by Wes Anderson, titled “The Swan”. It is a film adaptation of a Roald Dahl short story.  A warning though, it is as thoughtful and visually beautiful as it is heartbreaking. Dahl’s story was based on a news clipping from the 1950’s, this short film stuck with me for days afterward. 

Science: A skull from a massive Pliosaur was recently discovered at the Dorset Cliffs. Measuring in at over 6 ft long, the skull is fossilized in incredible condition, giving scientists the chance to learn even more about animals from the Jurassic. "The animal would have been so massive that I think it would have been able to prey effectively upon anything that was unfortunate enough to be in its space," says Dr Andre Rowe from Bristol University. I hope to never lose my love of dinosaurs, I fell in love with them in kindergarten - team brachiosaurus for life - and I still get giddy whenever dinosaur discoveries are made. 

I have nothing but gratitude to be living in a peaceful place, the life that I live is a gift, and one that I vow not to squander. I believe it is my purpose to put forth good into the world, in my interactions to lead with kindness, and at every opportunity to look for and be the good. I find beauty in every single face that is in front of my camera. Photography is the act of recording the light that reflects off of people, places, and things. To be the person who does that magic thing is really something special and it would not be possible without you.  I am absolutely inspired by the people that have allowed me to photograph them. I leave every single session renewed, it is such a gift. 

So thank you, it has been the biggest year my business has ever had. I finished up a huge community art project in the spring, with beautiful results, and had one of the busiest years to date, full of celebrations of love and joy. I am constantly taken aback by just how wonderful my job is and I sincerely couldn’t do it without my clients, family, and friends. I hope that you are wintering in the ways that make you feel whole and that we all find a way to make the world more peaceful.

Cheers to end of 2023, and here’s to looking forward to 2024.