09/24/2026
š¤ VULNERABLE POST š¤
I donāt share things like this often, but today I feel like I need to.
Almost four years ago, I stepped away from photography after my one of my best friends passed away unexpectedly.
I thought I was doing what was best. I needed to refocus. I poured myself into school, then work, and into the things I thought needed my attention.
But somewhere along the way, I lost a little bit of myself.
One day I finally opened my eyes and realized that my spark had faded.
The camera that had once been such a huge part of my life was put away and never came out.. the things I had always done stopped happening.
My family stopped getting those yearly pictures I always took. The pictures I took of my friends and their families every year to freeze time for just a momentā¦ stopped.
And honestly? I missed out.
When I decided to come back to photography, I expected to come back to open arms. I thought my previous clients would all come running back.
But life happened.
People moved. Families changed. Clients found other photographers. Other businesses had grown while I was away.
And if Iām being completely honest, I started comparing myself.
Business is HARD.
Then, just when I started getting clients again, my son jumped on my laptop and crushed it.
Since the beginning of this year, my new laptop has refused to calibrate correctly, and getting my colors back to looking the way I want has been an ongoing battle.
Iāve tried the tips. Iāve googled the specs. Iāve always adjusted my own settings. I create my own colors and developed my own style.
But what I see on my screen hasnāt always been what shows up when I post to social media.
And for the last few months, I havenāt been happy with my work.
I bought a new camera. Itās AMAZINGā¦ but transitioning to mirrorless after 15 years behind a camera is an adjustment.
15 years in, and Iām still learning.
I sold a lot of my props while I was away, so Iāve had to rebuild.
I bought a new backdrop standā¦ and then broke it. š¤¦š¼āāļø So I had to buy something heavier and more durable.
It feels like every time I pushed myself back up this year, something knocks me back down.
BUT GOD. šš¼
God has carried me through every single setback.
And through all of this, Iāve realized something:
I LOVE MY BUSINESS.
I love that it keeps me taking pictures.
I love that I get to photograph my best friendsā kids.
I love seeing families I went to high school with and getting to freeze these seasons of their lives.
Sometimes I wonder if they even realize that when I see their families behind this lens, Iām cheering them on.
I stayed up all night last night working on my monitor calibration, trying to get what I see on my screen to match what other monitors see because I want my images to look the way I intended it to look when it leaves my computer and reaches your hands. I finally fixed it! After months of looking for an answer, I figured it out myself.
This week, I photographed posed school pictures for the first time; something I had never done before.
Soon, I am starting a modeling program for seniors that will offer free sessions to a few local kids and give discounts to their friends.
I am giving my website a makeover.. new business cards.. you name it, letās do it!
And while there have been SO many moments where Iāve wanted to throw my hands up this year and say, āMaybe this just isnāt workingā¦ā
I didnāt.
Because every setback has taught me something.
I could have given up when my backdrop stand broke.
I could have given up when my son broke my laptop.
I could have given up when my camera didnāt focus every image as quick like the way It used to.
I could have given up when I compared myself to photographers who kept growing while I was gone.
But I didnāt.
Iām still here.
Still learning.
Still growing.
Still figuring things out.
Still taking pictures.
And still chasing that spark that I thought I had lost.
I want EVERYONE to win. I genuinely do.
My competition isnāt another photographer.
My competition is me.
The me from yesterday.
The me who was afraid to start again.
The me who thought taking a break meant I had failed.
The me who forgot how much I loved this!
So if youāre still reading this and youāre struggling with your own business, your own dream, or even just yourselfā¦
Stay positive. Stay motivated. Keep going.
You can do this.
You might get knocked down.
You might have to start over.
You might have to learn something you thought you already knew.
And sometimes you might look around and feel like everyone else is ahead of you.
But look at how far YOU have come.
Nobody can run your business the way you can.
Nobody can tell your story the way you can.
And nobody can create exactly what you create.
So hereās to rebuilding.
Hereās to learning.
Hereās to setbacks that turn into lessons.
Hereās to finding the spark again.
And hereās to 15 years behind the cameraā¦ and still learning every single day. šøš¤
Thank you to every person who has supported me, booked me, shared my work, encouraged me, trusted me with your memories, or simply cheered me on from the sidelines.
You mean more to me than you know.
Iām still here. And Iām not giving up. š¤šø
