A Week In Review | Edition 1

One of the many eye-opening things I learned from Melissa Jill's MJ2Day workshop is the fact that I need to blog MORE.  And not just my weddings and sessions, but more about the girl behind the lens :)    So I'm going to do this.  Blogging is not easy, okay the process seems simple, BUT the prepping can be a little overwhelming and time-consuming, which is why this is going to be a major dedication.  I'm completely ready to be more active in the blogging community, so I'm excited and ready to spill my thoughts to anyone willing to read!

In order to hold myself accountable, my first blog-related task is going to be a weekly column titled "A Week In Review".  Basically this will discuss the entire last week of my life and what I do, where I've been, what I love, and who I am.  Sometimes it seems like all I do is sit behind a computer editing or answering emails, but there is actually waaay more to me than that!  At least I hope so otherwise this is going to be a boring blog post :)

So since this is the first in the series, I may cover a little more than just last week.  And the photos won't always be fancy, there will definitely be some iPhone photos mixed in.  Believe it or not, my camera is not ALWAYS with me :)

So if you know me, you know I love great wine and a great winery is even better!  When we first discovered Linganore Winecellars, I was completely taken by it's beauty.  Then after tasting their fabulous wine and meeting some of their friendly staff, I was sold!  So I thought it would be the best place ever for an engagement session, turns out I was right!  The light was beautiful and the vines were amazing.  I can't wait to write a full blog post on this session!

I've definitely been enjoying all the family sessions lately.  It's a compete 180 change from engagements and weddings, but the love between a couple is different than a love a mom and dad have for their child.  However, regardless of the type of love, I love capturing those amazing little moments...  

Not to mention a 'different' kind of family portrait.  This was 100% priceless :)

It's so vital to ANY business to constantly be learning, growing, and practicing what you do.  I have been interested in attending a workshop for a while, but couldn't find the one that fit me.  I've been following Melissa Jill for a year or so and not only do I respect her work, but also the fact that she is an extremely hard worker and savvy business owner (she owns several).  So when I heard she was coming to Annapolis, MD in June on a weekend that I didn't have a wedding, I figured it was fate and hit the submit button on my registration form.  I was SO nervous about everything: being away from Aaron for 3 nights, meeting a bunch of other photographers, feeling inadequate, etc.  The list could go on.  But I was way overdue to step outside my comfort zone and it was something I needed in order to breathe a little fresh air into my business. I will be posting a full blog post on this soon!

The location was a DREAM.  The host, Jessica Ulrich who is no stranger to the wedding industry, owns a gorgeous home along an inlet to the Chesapeake.  So this was our view.  Amazing, right?  I have a deep, undying love for the bay and everything about it.  I love the sail boats, the water, the maritime community, the old homes, the food,  EVERYTHING.  So there could not have been a more perfect location for me.  I always joke about retiring some place like this or, better yet, moving here, who knows...but it is definitely on my life wish list :)

The town of Annapolis, MD.

During the workshop we were blessed to meet other photographers in the same boat (okay, pun intended..haha!), which is great!  We can talk about all the exciting aspects of this crazy industry, as well as the difficult and frustrating parts too.  We shot a few head shots of each other and this one stands out in particular.  First of all, I love this photo.  There is so much emotion, which is what I always strive to capture, but I later found out there was more.  Heather messaged me on Facebook and thanked me for capturing an image of her that she did not hate for once!  She said she finds it downright painful to be in front of a camera so she was happy that she now has a photo of herself that she is excited to use on her website once she undergoes a rebranding.  Wow.  I felt so filled to the brim at that moment and it just further justifies for me why I am so in love with this path.

So after a crazy 2.5 months of shooting weddings and sessions, Aaron and I had our first real Saturday off and it was amazing!  Our first stop was Hauser Estate Winery near Gettysburg, PA.  We are so blessed to live near a few wineries so we figured why not spend some quiet peaceful time sipping on a glass of wine?  Perfection.

This is the view from their patio.  Amazing.  I'm convinced Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful states to call home.

We managed to work ice cream into our week once I returned home from the workshop.  Our favorite local place is Windy Knoll Farm Market and Creamery.  They have the best everything and their ice cream is even homemade!

We find a spare minute here and there and when we do it's usually spent on our house.  It's an ongoing process, but we're making great progress this year.  We just put in this new garden and it's beautiful.  Definitely beats the dirt patch that was previously there since we ripped everything out!

We've been spending a few nights on our new covered patio.  The patio isn't new, but the roof is and we love it.  It still needs a few touches (ceiling painted, fans/lights, etc) before I dedicate a full post to it, but it's added so much visual interest to the back of our house already we can't wait until it's completely done!

There you have it...our week in review.  I can't wait to do this weekly and keep you guys up-to-date on everything that goes on with us.  Some of it may be mundane, but we're just tying to keep it real and let you know that we don't only wear black and shoot weddings!