If I’m being completely honest, 2018 has been one hell of a year. Honestly, I’m not even sure where to begin with highlighting my personal life. I’m not even sure how to share details when people ask me how I ended up in Jackson, Ohio. I just tell everyone, “it’s a long story.”

From a business perspective, 2018 has been one of my most successful years, and 2019 is shaping up to be even greater! A lot of things have changed, and Ohio is a completely new venture for me. But I’ve always been good at taking on new ventures.

To keep it short, and share the official announcement of gaining the recognition of “Best of Weddings 2019,” I wanted to share a newer tradition of mine as the year ends.

My word of the year.

The Merriam-Webster definition of raw includes the following:

in a natural, unrefined, or crude state

imperfectly prepared

When I think of raw photography, I picture the real. I picture the images that aren’t necessarily perfect from a technical standpoint, but perfectly imperfect. They’re real. These are the images that truly showcase a person as they are, not just a posed version of themselves. When I’m capturing a person, when I’m documenting a moment, I want to share a personality. Every single one of us is so uniquely created, and when I’m documenting, I want that to shine through. I don’t want someone to say “they did such a great job posing you,” I want them to say “wow, this is SO you!”

So as 2019 nears, my word for the year is raw. I’ll be pushing myself to share more stories. Moments I witnessed in a wedding day. My own life stories. I want to create a stronger connection between the person in the image, and the person behind the screen. Even though we live in a world of social media communication, I still feel that we lack a true connection, a true community. So that is my goal from here on out, to truly build a connection with those around me. Even if it’s just one person at a time.

What are your goals for the coming months and year to come?