2018 was a big year for us. It was a year of big changes and growth to our business as well as a lot of travel and changes in our personal lives. We don’t share a lot of our personal lives or behind the scenes but we thought we would try something a little different as we look back on 2018 and start to look ahead to 2019.
BUSINESS
At the start of 2017, I made the leap and went full time with the business. This is my dream job and I wanted to commit to it one hundred percent. We also invested in lots of education which has made a huge difference in the way we shoot, serve our clients and run our business. We are so happy with all the changes and after shooting full time for two full years, we’ve got a few more changes planned.
My main goal in 2019 is to find even more ways to spoil our clients and serve them with our whole hearts. Our client experience has been a huge focus of mine because I strongly believe that photography is about more than just showing up and shooting. Our clients are amazing and we want their entire experience with us to be filled with fun surprises and about making them feel cared for so they can feel comfortable and natural in front of a camera.
This is a crazy busy year and next year is TRIPLE the amount of business. I am so pumped for it and so ready for it. To get ready for this next season, we finally invested in upgrading some of our gear and I got my first canon L-series lens. It’s an 85mm and I am obsessed! We also upgraded our 6D camera bodies to 5D’s and I don’t think I can ever go back!
This year also blessed us with being able to go to two amazing talks by photographer legends, Pete Souza and Annie Leibovitz. Both talks were fascinating and I love living in a place where that so many talented artists are drawn to. My favorite of the two was Obama’s photographer, Pete Souza. The way he approaches photography, life and politics is so inspiring and I have always been in awe of his skill to capture candid and historical moments. Do yourself a huge favor and order his book on Obama. It’s one of my absolute favorites.
One of the things I am the most excited for in 2019 is going to be meeting a photographer and hero, Katelyn James at her conference at the end of next year. Even though it’s in December of next year, I am already counting down the days!
A FEW FUN SURPRISES
One of my big goals for next year is to submit more of our work for publications. This year we were so lucky to have one of our photographs on the cover of Ceremony Magazine’s spring cover. Seeing my work in print is so surreal. We were also lucky to have our work in Catalyst Wedding Co. and Offbeat Bride- two excellent online resources for brides and grooms.
Another wonderful surprise was winning Wedding Wire’s Couple’s Choice Award for 2018 and The Knot Best of Weddings for 2018. It was because of our amazing couples and their lovely reviews that made it possible. I don’t know how we are so lucky, but we really have the best clients ever!
LIVING IN ALAMEDA:
At the very end of 2017, we moved into a house in Alameda and our loving our little island and our sweet neighborhood. We really wanted to move to a spot that felt safe but also had a fun community vibe and being close to the water was a huge bonus. While we love Oakland, we needed a change. We’re still just a bridge or a tunnel away from it and we can still easily head to the City or into the East Bay from there.
Living in a house instead of an apartment is really amazing. We love having our own space and being able to enjoy the quiet is really lovely. In October of this year, we celebrated one full year in our new city. It was one of the best decisions that we made. Now that we’re on the Island, I don’t think we’re ever leaving!
I TURNED 30!
It hasn’t quite hit me that I’m 30 yet. So far it feels a lot like my 20’s which is pretty great. I have a feeling my 30’s is going to be like one big party with my best friend and soulmate beside me.
For my 30th, we decided to do something a little different and we experimented with smoke bomb photography. For the shoot, I channeled my inner Stevie Nicks. We’ve been working so hard to build a cohesive look and style that it was really fun to do something totally new.
WE CELEBRATED 2 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
Everyone says it goes by so fast and it really does! It feels like our wedding was just a month ago except that it was 2 years ago!! Being married to my best friend is still the best thing ever and I can’t believe how exceptionally lucky I am to be with Paul.
We finally took a vacation to celebrate our anniversary and the end of the wedding season for the year. We haven’t taken a break in years and it was much needed! We headed back to our honeymoon spot in Kauai. Honestly, I would move there in a heartbeat if I didn’t love California so much. Everything is so blue and so alive there, it’s hard not to love it. It was extra special because I got to spend it with Paul.
IONA TURNED TWO
People always ask me if I have any children and I show them a photo of my cat. Since we don’t want to have any actual children, she is our little baby. And yes, one side of our holiday card is a picture of Iona. This year we celebrated two years of having her in our lives and her two year birthday. We love having her in our lives and she makes it so much better for being in it.
We adopted her from Cat Town’s amazing foster program that rehabilitates Oakland’s homeless cats. Iona was abused as a kitten and was rescued. We’re so lucky that Cat Town helped us find the best little kitten ever. We were so smitten with her that we didn’t even see any other cats before adopting her. She is the best cat and our little family is complete with her in it.
TRAVELS
This was also a year of travel. We traveled in Colorado to surprise my best friend for her 30th birthday and New York City to visit family. While I love being home in my little island cottage, I also love traveling and seeing new places. I am looking forward to next year for hopefully some more travel to some new places!
LOOKING FORWARD
We are so excited for everything 2019 has to bring and all the amazing clients that we get to serve next year. I’ve been working on lots of new guides and resources for our couples to make the wedding journey a little easier. On the personal end of things, we’re looking to find a little more balance and maybe save up a little more to be able to buy our first home on the Island. But mostly I am looking forward to spending the year with the love of my life, Paul and all the adventures to come!
XOXO,
Nicole