10/07/2026
In a couple of days, my business will be 20 years old. Excuse me while I have a bit of a moment and try to wrap my head around this incredible milestone.
According to SoFi, about half of small businesses fail within the first five years, and nearly two-thirds are gone by year ten. If I’m honest, when I started, a small part of me probably expected that to be my fate. But TWENTY years ago, while pregnant with my oldest child, I started chasing my photography dreams in the city that raised me. The business name has changed over the years, but so much remains the same…
I took this photo last night at a corporate event at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. Between candids and the program, I looked over and saw the mountains reflected in the glass, the medals glowing, and one guest standing still to take it all in. That moment felt a lot like this anniversary. I get to pause, look back at how far this little dream of mine has come, and feel immense gratitude for everywhere it has taken me.
Colorado Springs taught me to look up: at the mountains, at people chasing big dreams, at the quiet moments everyone else walks past. Owning a business in my hometown means I get to tell this city’s stories, from weddings and family sessions to senior portraits and events in places like this one, which celebrates the best of who we are.
Through the years, my clients have been my neighbors, my former students, and families I’ve watched grow up one session at a time. Many started out as strangers and became some of my closest friends. Others started out as friends (some all the way back to age 9) and trusted me to become their family historian, too. That’s how I define community, and it’s the unexpected gift of this work that keeps me coming back again and again.
To every client, couple, family, student, and organization who has trusted me with your story over these 20 years: thank you. You built this with me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Here’s to the next chapter, right here at the foot of the mountains.
