2018 Best of Review in Pictures

This was the most incredible year of my life!

From California to Iceland and finding adventure everywhere between.

Here are a few quick stats first:

*I shot 61 sessions

*Traveled to Montana, California 2x, Chicago, South Carolina, and (finally) Iceland.

*Drove over 5000 miles

*Broke 2 lenses

*Traveled internationally by myself for 20 days.

*Got in front of the camera more than ever to build my confidence!

This year was huge for me. That is an understatement. For the longest time, I was terrified to travel by myself. I finally broke out of that and, as you will see, I got out a lot. When I talked to my husband the previous year about being a destination elopement photographer, it all seemed surreal that it could even be dreamed of let alone actually happen.

There was no way at that point that I would think of going to so many of these beautiful places. I saw Yosemite at peak season and it was eye opening. I was actually there. Then I blinked and I was in front of Skogafoss. I thought I was dreaming. Seriously. This place is an elopement photographer’s dream.

Whenever I go somewhere, I always feel so amazed when I come back. Not only because of how overwhelmingly lucky I am to be able to perform my business in these gorgeous places, but also by how wondrous the place I call home truly is. This is such a reflection of so many of us. We only see the beauty beyond us and not the magnificence that is practically smacking us upside the face.

All the while, my little family is missing me and wishing they could be with me. I am constantly reminded why I do this. I do it for us. I do it for them. Check your purpose people.

I was able to explore a lot of California this year and I love it. Yosemite is simply stunning. It is so difficult to get the perspective of how crazy huge those damn rocks are. El Capitan is so freaking huge that it took me a while to realize that it is basically 2/3 of a mile. Which basically means if I’m going 60 mph it would take me nearly 40 seconds to go that far. That’s mind blowing if you ask me.

And then there is my old stompin’ grounds. Olympic National Park. I know her like the back of my hand. I know the back trails and secret routes. However, I still end up finding new places to photograph every time I’m there.

There were so many places that I saw that were astonishingly breathtaking that I would be able to publish a book if I wrote about them. I am so grateful for all of the wonderful people who allowed me to point my camera at them for a while and who laughed at my potty mouth humor. I could not have done this without you.

So the photos I’m about to share are not 100% weddings or engagement photos but just photos that I took that I just loved so much that I had to share. Some were from trips I took, some from portrait sessions for myself to keep myself sane and to drive my creativity. I would share more of the photos of myself because I never do, but I also didn’t take them. 😉

After my trip to Iceland I am now OBSESSED with shooting landscapes. So I shared a lot of them in the post. I now have a list of places I want to go and see just to enjoy the landscapes. My trip to also got stuck in my wanderlust soul. I can’t wait to travel more!! Next on my list is Alaska, Canada, and Patagonia. But until that happens, here are photos of this year’s adventures!