Looking Back at 2023
I’ve spent a good majority of 2023 sharing more of my photography. Photography started, for me, by capturing families and weddings, but after more than a decade, I have sought other avenues. And I have, through teaching, groups, challenges, meetups, and so on. On the other side of that decade plus of time, I’ve been seeking quieter and reflective ways to share what has become such a part of me, a piece of my heart. Social media continues to be the main avenue of accessibility, but it’s also scripted in a sense, and clipped. I’ve always carried my camera around with me, I’ve always worked on personal projects and sought growth to be better personally and professionally as a photographer. After reading a blog I regularly frequent and seek inspiration from, Cloistered Away by Bethany Douglass, I realized that it’s the visual aspects and gentle words of encouragement that I return to time and again (even though she doesn’t seem to anymore). Of course I am inspired by visual mediums. I am a photographer after all.
I’ve thought many times over the years of deleting this Journal page on my website. Who reads blogs anymore anyhow? Well, I do. Blogs maybe don’t have the value they once did, but it is a catalog, a portfolio, of my life and work. I’ve gotten caught up in fancy design, not feeling good enough, not having the right branding, not staying on brand, to keep me from continuing writing, reflecting, and sharing here. As the new year came and went, we’re already on day 2 of 2024, and I long to put words and intention to my photographs. As I felt the pull to do something with all my photographs last year and opened the print shop with my daughter, I’m now feeling the pull to reflect on that body of work, not just continue creating. That does seem counter-intuitive in this age of constant content creation, but alas, I can’t help it, my heart remains to be worn on my sleeve.
Admittedly, I didn’t realize until I was looking for photos to share here, that I began 2023 with a daily photo challenge of ‘Gratitude’. Coincidentally, that’s also how I ended the year, taking a photo a day. There’s something about photo challenges and taking photos of small, quiet moments, of things I find beautiful, that I can’t help but participate in. To learn to see is a beautiful gift.
I’m grateful for everyone who supported my print shop this year. It’s been a learning and bonding experience (with my daughter) as we watched orders come in, creating a packaging system, become friendly with workers at the post office, and dreamt of what more we could make. I’m equally thankful for the families that hired me, for the small weddings I was apart of, this past year as well. I know how important it is to get out of my little corner of the world and interact with people, to photograph other people and things, and I appreciate each experience that builds onto my portfolio and ultimately makes me better each time.
I look forward to what this new year will bring all of us, and I hope that I’ll be better at sharing my photos and reflections here, even if it’s only for myself. Cheers!