This was an exciting one for me, and I've been dying to share more. If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen this session recycle often and I'm just not sorry about that ;) There are so many cool things about this business, so many friendships I have been blessed with- new and old. I met Brittany and her twin sister, Victoria in high school. I honestly don't even remember how we met, because I feel like I've known them forever. We had lost touch through the normal motions of life... College, full time jobs, etc., but like many other of my clients, this business brought Brittany back into my life and I cannot tell you how excited I was the day she said she was choosing me for her big day.
Like all men, Justin was way too pumped for their session (insert sarcasm here). I try my best to make it as painless as possible, and he was a trooper. There's something about the way these men look at their brides.... Contagious joy. And it is so refreshing.
In January of 2015, I launched this business with a simple love for photography, a passion for building relationships and a camera. I thought I felt particularly pulled in the direction of working with couples, but I wanted to give a fair chance to as many aspects of photography as possible before ruling anything out. I thought because I was only a year and a half into my own marriage that maybe it was just comfortable for now (well, then) because I was in the same season of life.
Fast forward through my first wedding, my first bridal session, and my first few engagement sessions. I found myself committing to a niche and I loved that, but I've got some pretty great clients that are beyond this stage and I didn't want to let that go. And I haven't. But, I'm a firm believer that you can only have so many things on your plate before you drop to average at all of it... And I want to be great.
The reason this feels important and somewhat related, to me, to Justin + Brittany's session is because this one was a turning point for me. Wedding season had slowed, and I was finding myself wanting to tackle all my goals at one time. There was this sense of urgency and readiness, part from coming off of my wedding season high (my happy place!) and part because I felt like I'd had a revelation of where I want to take this business... No, where I want this business to take me. And I felt myself be more confident than ever during this session because finally I felt like I had given myself clear direction with which to work. Freeing.
Back to Brittany and Justin... (I ramble when I'm excited!) The energy at this session was powerful. Brittany was right in the middle of training for her first NPC Competition, and I'm not very knowledgable on the topic, but I know it takes a lot of dedication, hard work, and an intense amount of self-confidence throughout the journey. Throw in wedding planning and well, Brittany's my idol. We talked a lot about it, because other than wedding plans, this was the most prevalent thing in her life, and what I loved more than hearing Brittany talk about her passion was watching Justin beam with pride.
I've learned that this is the common denominator, the root , if you will, to the confirmation I feel leaving every meeting or session with my couples. She's always joyful, glowing and full of excitement... This is that chapter of life she's been dreaming about... And he's always so proud to call her his. I get to play a part in so many fairy tales, and for that, I'm convinced I'm the luckiest girl in the world with this business.
Stay tuned, Justin and Brittany become husband and wife in early September!
As always, thanks for following along with this little dream of mine.
XOXO, Taylor