Lessons Learned

Starting a new year is always exciting – a fresh outlook, new goals, new opportunities and many decisions to make. January 2nd marked my second year as a Nantucket resident. This island is home and Jon and I are so thankful to love where we live.

As I mentioned in my Year in Review post, 2014 was full of lessons learned.  I never want to stop learning. This year I’m going to make a point to soak up as much information as possible. I hope to learn one new thing a week (at least) by attending seminars, exchanging ideas with other professionals and experimenting with new techniques. 

Here are a few things that I learned in 2014…

• SLOW DOWN – I often feel the need to rush.  When I slow down I am able to focus on the most important things – composition, staging, lighting, etc. If I’m rushing I’m actually wasting my time and yours. Quality beats quantity every time. 
• ALWAYS HAVE A MENTOR…OR TWO…OR THREE –  There are so many amazing photographers in this world – I want to learn from as many as I can. I recently began following other photographers on Instagram, favoriting travel and wedding photographers from around the world, and immediately began learning new techniques. It was as if a veil was lifted from my face and I could see the whole picture. Fresh inspiration! Here are a few of my favorite photographers: Robert J. Hill // Jasmine Star // Troy & Aimee Grover
• DON’T TAKE ON MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE – Easier said than done – I know. It’s exciting to have every night and weekend booked; however, sometimes it’s a little overwhelming! I’m working on trying to save at least one day per month to “catch up” whether it is to blog, sleep or catch up on some good Netflix. It’s OK to take a break! 
• DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR BODY – We only have ONE! Despite how busy I was this summer, I managed to gain a lot of weight and lose a lot of energy. Editing, snacking, editing, snacking…You know how it goes. I’m purposing to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day (or 1 Benny walk a day) this year.  Let’s see how it goes. 🙂 “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

It’s going to be an amazing year – I can feel it! Thanks for reading & Happy New Year!