BEST OF 2016

Every year this is one of my favorite blog posts to curate. As a creative, it’s enthralling to look back at the work you created over 365 days and all the adventures you took with some pretty incredible people. This year started off with a bang in Maui, celebrating Theresa + Derek’s elopement. The first eight weeks of the spring season were spent on the road, traveling all over the Southeast (Charleston, Charlotte, Raleigh, Virginia) and the Northeast (Maryland, New York, Massachusetts). The summer months were enjoyed in three of our favorite places in the world (Asheville, Michigan, and Portland), as we hiked mountains, swam in the lake, savored incredible food, spent time with family + friends, and, of course, photographed lots of wonderful people. Fall was a slightly slower season than normal. But, that decision was intentional when we found out we were pregnant this spring. I still traveled a little bit (Charleston, New York, Wilmington), but I loved spending most of the fall months in Asheville hiking almost every week for elopements and sessions.

I’ve been offering mentor sessions and internships for the past four years, and I enjoyed the opportunity to work with some incredible artists this year as well. I loved teaching and running portfolio reviews at the Asheville Folk Photography Workshop and Fall Break alongside some wonderfully talented creatives.

This year has been phenomenal in every way.

On a personal level, I want to say how grateful I am to my 2016 couples who were so kind and always made sure I was hydrated, fed, and taken care of on their wedding day. I can’t emphasize enough how much it means to me to be a part of such a momentous day in your marriage. The honor of witnessing, listening, and telling your stories is an incredible responsibility I will never take for granted. Thank you, thank you for letting me into your lives. You all are the best.

I have to say a huge thanks to the lovely women who helped me out throughout the year. First, Emma, who was my spring intern. She’s a rockstar and lifesaver, y’all. Rivkah, Amelia, Julia, Caroline, Abbi…thanks for being the runners, climbers and bag carriers during the later phases of pregnancy. Last but not least, my husband wins the gold star for carrying my bag and all the heavy things throughout the last four months of pregnancy (including every shoot, elopement, and wedding!). I couldn’t have made it through the season without all of your love and support.

My goals and and reflections on the year are posted here, if you’re curious :)

Without further adieu, here are my favorite images from 2016.