First, Thank you

If you’re reading this, thanks. Just thanks. Thank you for being a friend or a cheerleader. And to my clients - thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting me to hold space with your family and peer into the beauty of your life together. I’m the luckiest gal in the world.

And to say thanks, scroll down to find out how to get in on my Winter Sale!

A look back

I’m a real “post-it note” kinda gal. I typically have a TON of to-dos on my daily/weekly/monthly lists, and sure - I check off a lot of them. But for a long time I would beat myself up for the one or two (or ten) to-dos I didn’t check off. This past year I started a new practice - making a list of all the things I DID accomplish every month. It’s not to toot my own horn (toot toot!), but more so to combat the negative voices and acknowledge the progress I’ve made. You should try it friend! It works! So here goes my “toot toot” - some of the things I’m proudest about from the past year.

2019 Highlights

Worked with 70+ families to document their story and create a legacy of memories to pass down to future generations.
Photographed 300+ children in eight different preschools in Oak Harbor and Anacortes.
Photographed families in Washington, Nevada, Nebraska, Virginia, and Washington D.C.
Launched new design services and offered products to help my clients enjoy their images every day.
Introduced a robust online styling assistant (free for clients!).
Enhanced my styling closet for mamas and girlies (also free for clients!).
Donated sessions to charitable causes around town.
Published two images in the January/February Click Magazine (2018 Voice Image Collection).
Published one image in the May/June Click Magazine (Mother’s Day image from when I was a girl).
Published a military homecoming article on the Click Blog.
Invested in myself through classes and conferences - Click Away conference, Irresistible Email course with Jenika McDavitt (Psychology for Photographers), Website Strategy and Design course with Kate Densmore (Illuminate).

Favorite images from 2019

I tried to narrow it down to my top ten images. Then my top fifty. But there were too many, so here’s all the beauty I was lucky enough to capture from this past year.

When I look at these images, I see families who genuinely love each other, who support each other through ups and downs, and who are building a beautiful life together. I see families bringing babies home, and families whose hearts have opened to adopt. I see families exploring their new home on Whidbey Island, and families preparing for a move across the world. I see families holding on to the days before deployment, and families running with open arms toward their homecoming reunion.

Above all, I see God in these moments. And I understand that my purpose is to witness the love these families share and to document it, so that they may be reminded every day how much they are loved and how much they have to be thankful for.

As good as this past year has been for me and my business, I have a LOT of new ideas and goals up my sleeve for this next year. And they say you’re more likely to accomplish your goals if you write them down, so here goes…

2020 intentions

Goals I want to accomplish:

Let go of fear (my word for the year is BRAVE!).
Double my marketing efforts to engage with my people more often via email newsletters, IG stories, blogs, etc.
Start mentoring other photographers who have a million questions and don’t want to go it alone.
Work with 85 families to document their story (including YOURS! Reach out now!).
Help my clients feel loved every day by getting more prints/albums/wall art into their hands and onto their walls.
Work with ten preschools across Whidbey Island and the surrounding areas.
Shoot five adventure sessions in Washington state.
Shoot five travel sessions outside of Washington state.
Complete a 366 project (shooting, editing, posting an image a day for a whole year).
Connect with other female creatives and local business owners to support each other and push each other up the ladder.
Practice self-love and strike a healthy work/life balance, placing my family’s needs and my own wellness above my ambitions.

Let’s Adventure Together

Speaking of adventure/travel sessions (hint, hint - contact me if you’re interested too!), here’s an idea of when and where I want to shoot (and get on my newsletter list below for first dibs on these sessions!):

California Sand Dunes - TBD
Olympic National Forest - TBD
Mt. Rainier National Forest - TBD
Rattlesnake Lake - TBD
San Juan Islands - TBD
Atlanta - March 2020
Nebraska - July 2020
Colorado - July 2020
Seabrook, WA - August 2020

A Big Thank You (again!) and a Gift for You

I have a BIG sale about to kick off, and to get first dibs, you need to be on the list. My newsletter list that is. So SIGN UP HERE, and you’ll be contacted first about my WINTER SALE (limited sessions available), and a sweet discount I’m offering on a few adventure sessions to some of Washington’s most beautiful spots. First come, first serve people! Do not miss this opportunity for my first ever SALE!!! (And maybe my only sale of the year)!

I can’t wait to see what this new year brings. Let’s do this friends.

Want to see more gorgeous family sessions around Whidbey Island? Click here to explore!