Collaborating with other professionals on their new websites is a wonderful experience. I love the entirety of the process, complete, of course, with seeing our photography ultimately on websites throughout the area helping folks grow their businesses….

We’ll more than likely retire — closing our business in its current form — at the end of 2023. Ten amazing years of nearly non-stop focus (no photography pun intended!) in building and managing this extraordinary business have been wildly rewarding, but the call to pursue other interests is growing in me and I want to keep exploring those curiosities, too. We receive no fewer than 10 calls/emails every day of the year from folks who want to schedule sessions, which is amazing and appreciated, but also wholly time-absorbing!

I continue to love portrait-based photography, and adore those moments where I feel a strong connection to those folks I’m collaborating with. There’s nothing like it.

But there’s nothing like jumping into a new venture, either. I’ll always be 100% proud of this whirlwind-of-a-decade (2014-2023), but I’m equally 100% excited (101%, perhaps) to create new pathways, with my cameras as a beloved friend, rather than as primarily a business partner.

Life is a spectacular journey, and I embrace every nuance of it all.

First Looks are always a highlight of wedding days….

Grooms are always so awed by how beautiful their soon-to-be bride looks in her wedding dress, etc.

The moments are exciting and rewarding to experience, and, of course, to capture as photographs for the couple!

One of my all-time favorite images taken by Siobhán.

Jordan Geronimo had just moments before won the dunk contest at this year’s Fan Fest. As the judges each gave him a score of a perfect “10” (including Angelo Pizzo, the author of my favorite sports film of all-time — “Hoosiers”), Siobhán ran over to get this equally-perfect image.

It’s sometimes easy to misplace joy in this world. I love when a photograph can help us find it again and experience its brilliant radiance as if for the first time.

What an INCREDIBLE weekend….

Forty hours with the IU basketball team, coaches, staff and select fans as we photographed all-things-Hoosier-basketball for four long (but remarkable) days. From breakfast through after-dinner cigars and cocktails each day, we shot about 10,000 images, each one celebrating Indiana basketball, told one shutter click at a time….

Monday is get-reoriented-to-the-real-world day, and I hope to be somewhere in the vicinity of “normal” by Tuesday! This career is exhilarating.

And while this is Justin and Julia (I haven’t had a moment to look at this weekend’s shots, yet), their recent BloomTown wedding was exhilarating, too!!! :)

Yesterday, literally inches from the front door of a church where we were about to start photographing a wedding in moments, we bumped in to an engaged couple walking past, for whom we’re shooting THEIR wedding next autumn!

Fun to exchange “Hellos” and laughs and to chat a bit before we began our event.

This morning, while walking with our pug, the mother of last week’s bride jogged past and we again had laughs and fun stories.

There are small-world stories all around in a small town…. It’s a wonderful experience, indeed. I adore being reminded daily how interconnected we all are.

At every wedding, and roughly half of all sessions, folks tell me that they read this blog. It’s so cool to know people appreciate a nice photo and my ramblings….

To remind and/or let newer readers know, I also “blog” a once-a-week post on Facebook, with the ramblings of folks far more intelligent than I, and featuring a photo our our pug, Grace. Check it out, if you’ve not already. I believe the world is benefitted one small, meaningful gesture at a time….. We each toss the seeds and can’t know where they’ll ultimately grow, though always hopeful some will…. https://www.facebook.com/MaggieThePug

I love that all the folks we collaborate with get images that for the rest of their lives will give them a smile, a tear and a gentle nudge to the heart.

I was thinking earlier this week about things I’m looking forward to.

I thought that when we look forward to things, they’re either 1) entirely out of our control, 2) normal, everyday blessings and/or 3) entirely within our control, through working on them.

For #1, for instance, I’m looking forward to the start of basketball season (as is true every year). Indiana University is going to have a pretty good team this year, and the energy is palpable all around the community. But, the success of the season is entirely out of my control. I love IU basketball, but I don’t play for the team and can’t help the outcomes. But I’m REALLY looking forward to the season!

For #2, I look forward each morning to the day’s first cup of coffee, to the day’s first exercise, to reading the updates on our business, sports, local events, etc…. I look forward, as the day goes on, to perhaps watching a classic film, or interesting documentary that evening, with a wonderful cocktail in hand. There’s absolutely no question that these normal, everyday blessings are extraordinary. They’re life-enhancing, in fact.

For #3, I always am looking forward to the next vacation. I could plan vacations for a career. I absolutely LOVE planning (and experiencing) vacations. I’m so fortunate to be down to my final year-ish worth of Life Bucket List items, and, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, I’ll have them all checked off by the end of 2023.

My point?

It’s so fair to say “I’m very much looking forward to ________” and, following the “to”, we can place anything from “humanity inhabiting Mars” to “this latte” to “climbing Mt. Everest”.

Some we can control. Some we can’t. Some are more immediate. Some require planning and work.

But, key, all give us something to actually look forward to. And they all make this experience of being alive such a vibrant, profound, meaningful unfolding.

The day, hour, moment will come when there’s nothing to look forward to (on Earth). I adore saying “Hello” and can’t for a moment imagine the disappointment of ultimately saying “Goodbye”.

No question one of the great joys about a career as a photographer is exceeding expectations of clients.

So many times folks tell us “We’ll never get the dogs to ‘pose’!”

But we ALWAYS get the dogs (and humans!) to look terrific in the photos!

Pro Tip: Double Check to make sure you’ve packed a few fun squeaky toys….!