2016. It’s been one of those years that people will talk about for a long time. Professionally, for me it’s been amazing – I’ve met many new people, been to many awesome new places, and made many new friends this year, all because of wedding photography.
Personally, it’s had it’s highs and lows. And I weighed up whether to post anything about it online, as technically speaking this is a ‘professional’ page. But what I do, is so personal, it seemed only appropriate.
My family was shattered early in the year when my Dad was diagnosed with a brain tumour & lymphoma. The year has been hard, with surgery, chemo & countless hospital visits. I can only begin to imagine the hard times Mum and him have faced together during this when we’re not around.
When times were tough, I even brought along second photographer friends with me to a couple of weddings, just to have my back and a bit of extra support. But each time, all I found was more love. My Dad is an absolute trooper. His resilience & optimism is an inspiration to me. To date – he’s doing well 🙂
Just recently on Christmas morning, we returned home from a family breakfast to find our beloved boxer dog Nalah had passed away in our backyard. We are absolutely heartbroken. But we are so thankful for nearly 7 amazing and happy years with her. After we laid her to rest, one of the first things I did that day to help cope, was look through photos of the beautiful memories we shared.
It’s events like these in life, that continue to remind me of the importance of photography. A wedding is a fleeting moment in time, it’s a time when people (and animals) from all corners come together and celebrate the one thing we all share in common – love. To be able to document this and provide memories to treasure forever is an absolute honour.
I’m so thankful that I have this ‘job’ that allows me to witness so much beauty at work every day. Not the beauty in the fancy dresses, the styling, etc, that’s all awesome stuff. But I love the beauty in the human connection I get to witness, the beauty in what makes our hearts beat. That’s the real stuff, and what I put my whole heart into capturing each and every wedding.
So from the bottom of my healing heart, thank you so much. I am eternally grateful that my work has connected with people, and they keep inviting me to weddings, let me just be myself and allow me to live this dream every day. Below is a little slideshow with some of my favourite wedding photos I’ve taken throughout 2016.
Let Your Heart. Beat. Here.