Its hard to believe how much has happened in 2011, and sometimes you lose the details until you sit down to reflect on the year. Around this time of year I always go back through my archives and look over every single shoot from the year, it gets the wheels turning about the year as a whole…what was good and what changes I need to make for the coming year. I think its a necessary thing for any small business owner to do, to take an inventory of the year and make goals for the coming year. I know it is definitely necessary for me.

A couple of years ago Jamie and I took the Megabus from Chicago to Minneapolis for Christmas (about an 8 hour bus ride). This week, that ride came back to me as I was reflecting on this year. We were riding in the dark most of the way, and the other passengers were listening to iPods, watching movies, reading and talking. I was sitting. And staring. Not looking out the window, but just staring at the window. For 8 hours I didn’t move or even say a word to Jamie, I didn’t pull out a book or put headphones in…I was a zombie. I remember at the end of the trip (which seemed so short to me) Jamie asking me what was going on? Was I ok?? He looked at me like I was a little crazy, actually.
I didn’t even realize that my behavior was unusual. I probably couldn’t have done anything else if I had tried. Looking back, I know that what was going on was my body’s reaction to finally sitting still for the first time in a year or so..my brain’s reaction to finally letting it shut off. That was the end of my first year of doing photography full time. I had shot over 90 sessions that year, 43 of them weddings! At the same time, I had been teaching myself the business side of things, trying to keep up with marketing and blogging and facebooking and all that stuff…and had forgotten to take care of myself!
That was when I knew I needed some goals for my business, but really for myself. That pace isn’t sustainable…maybe its necessary early on (maybe not), but its impossible to carry on that way for very long.  That is why goals became necessary for me, and why reflecting on the year is important.

For 2011 I had a list of rules for myself:
1. Shoot 33 weddings. No more. (Because I had shot 43 in a year and that was too many)
2. No ‘extra’ shoots during wedding season…no engagement sessions for couples whose weddings I wasn’t shooting, the only child portraits I would shoot would be for people who I had worked with in the past.
3. No more than 4 double header weekends during wedding season…no triple headers.

I did this to guard my time a little more closely, and to preserve my sanity! It was really hard for me to turn people away, but I think that everyone benefited from this decision…I found myself able to give more to my brides and grooms, and to continue to challenge myself creatively at every session. In 2011 I enjoyed every wedding I shot, and didn’t feel burned out at the end of the year…and I’m positive that Jamie noticed the difference in more ways than one!

So here are my stats for the year:
33 weddings (yep…I didn’t budge on that one)
21 engagements (some for 2011 couples, some for 2012 couples)
13 family/child sessions

I had a new website designed, was featured in some blogs and a couple of magazines, attended a few photography conferences and developed friendships with some other wedding photographers in Chicago…all things that had been lacking in prior years!

2011 is coming to a close with my sanity in tact, and I feel like that means it was a successful year. When I was looking through my archives I was again blown away by the quality of people I was blessed to work with this year! So many beautiful, fun, creative couples who think outside the box and know how to plan an amazing wedding! I’m planning on posting some of those images tomorrow…now that I’ve written a novel for you all I promise, tomorrow will be just pictures!