It is officially New Years Eve and I could not think of a better way to say goodbye to 2014 than by looking back on what an amazing year it has been, for our couples and of course our business! I was so excited to share my favorite images from both Weddings & Engagement Sessions this year and now it is time for me to look back on my own personal business highlights and accomplishments of this year. This year was so HUGE!! It will go down as maybe one of the biggest years of my life and I’m so grateful for just how wonderful it has been! So let’s take a look back at my year of Accomplishments in 2014!

1. Going Full-Time!

(the iPhone Panoramic picture I took of my store the last night I worked there. Don’t mind the weird stick-figured girl in the middle lol Panoramic can’t capture moving people well, apparently!)

I think it’s safe to say that THE single biggest accomplishment of this year was finally going Full-Time with my photography business! It’s something that from DAY 1 I set out to do and for 2 years, it was always the long-term goal. It really did take a LONG time to get in a comfortable place, financially, when I could finally say “this is it! time to move on!” It was easy and hard at the same time to walk away from working 10 years in retail and looking back at it now – I still can’t believe it happened! I also can’t believe it’s been SEVEN MONTHS that I’ve been working from home! It was such a WEIRD transition and I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to do this every day.

2. Seeing my photos on “Say Yes to the Dress”

This was a serious mind-boggling moment for me. I knew since November 2013 that this would happen and yet watching it was SO surreal. I can’t even imagine what it was like for my friend to ACTUALLY be on the show, with the cameras and all! Jose and I watched “Say Yes to the Dress” together in bed and when my photos showed up, started screaming at the tv! We paused it immediately so I could snap a picture and than at the end as well where my NAME was ON TV!! lol It was a mind trip and so exciting to see!

3. Meeting Katelyn James

I know I did a whole post about this already but this was just such a gigantic bucket-list item! Katelyn is the REASON I got into Photography – that I realized a young woman really can do this as a career and photos can be clean, colorful and inspiring. SHE is inspiring. No matter which way it was – meeting Katelyn was always something I wanted to do. Finally this year I made the decision and invested in a Coaching Session with her! It was the BEST decision ever. I was able to be with her, all alone, and REALLY learn from her personally and have her knowledge and experience brought onto my business in a much personal way than a workshop probably could have done. Either way – I’m so glad that I didn’t hesitate and just BOUGHT the coaching session ticket! She is such an inspiration and the sweetest, humblest person you will ever meet 🙂 And of course meeting the adorable Bokeh Boy too!

4. Investing in my own Equipment

This is something I put on my goals list for 2014…. Purchase my own lens’. This entire year (and last year) I rented ALL of my equipment, which really is the smartest business decision I ever made. I was NOT going to purchase anything unless I had the cash to do so. There is NO WAY I was going into debt starting my own business and I made sure to wait until we had the extra cash to do so. It kind of KILLED me to spend so much money in one shot but to have these lens’ makes ALL the difference in the final product and is 100% worth it. We’ve already made our 2015 equipment goal list now… that’s right MARK III, I’m looking at you!

5. Photographing Sessions in Disney World

To do a session in your favorite place on Earth is a dream come true… let me just tell you that. But being able to do TWO Anniversary Sessions at Disney World this year?? Pinch me!! I felt so lucky and blessed that the timing of our vacation and these shoots just happened to work perfectly. It was also a lot of fun to see just how different it is to shoot in Florida over New Jersey. I thought Jersey weather was unpredictable! One shoot was in the SCORCHING SUNLIGHT and the other took place in a DOWNPOUR yet both of them I will cherish forever! Now onto the next to-do… Shooting a Wedding in Disney!!

6. Being FEATURED!

This was a goal I set for myself right at the beginning of 2014 and with the help of the wonderful Two Bright Lights, I was able to have my work featured THREE TIMES this year! That was SO exciting! 🙂 It really is so crazy and the biggest honor to see people appreciating your work and your couples on their sites. SO excited for 2015… I know a few insanely exciting features coming up that I can NOT wait to share with you all! 🙂

 

That’s it!! 2014 was SO amazing and now 2015 is upon us!! So excited to set new goals for this year, shooting new beautiful weddings and engagement sessions and just see what this year has in store for us! Its going to be VERY exciting 🙂