Every year I do a year in review and choose my best Maui wedding photographs from that year. Different years have had different focuses. I started in 2016 – and as painful as it is, I’m going to link it so you can see how far I’ve come. In 2017 I counted the number of sessions I did. And in 2018, I re-invented myself and had some pretty cool successes.
In 2019, I wanted to be VISIBLE
Each year I choose a word to focus on. In 2019 I wanted to stand out from the crowd. I DID NOT want my style of photography to resonate with everyone. This in itself was a groundbreaking revelation on my part. As an Enneagram 3w2, I really want to be relatable to everyone. But here’s the thing: casting a wide net may get you more fish, but casting a very small net in a very focused area will get you the right fish. And in many ways, 2019 was finding my right fish!
I had a lot of failures in 2019
I’m writing that in bold because I’m not good at failing. Many times I won’t even try if I think I may fail. Why is failure so damn crippling? Just yesterday as Eddy was sitting on the potty she turned to me and said: “Mama – it’s so hard to go potty.” And I very patiently said back to her, “It’s OK if you can’t go, but it is important that you try.” What the heck – why can I say these words to my 2.5-year-old but can’t apply them to myself? I thought briefly about not sharing my failures, but what purpose would that serve? So I can safely hide behind the strong businesswoman-entrepreneur facade I’ve created? Tempting…but inauthentic. So here were all the NOs I was told this year: Sony Alpha Female, WPPI speaker pitch, blogging for a website, RangeFinder Magazine’s 30 Rising Stars, rejected from a vendor list, lost dream clients because they flew their photog from the Mainland, no Fearless Awards (or even honorable mentions), numerous blog publications said no because of lack of detail photos. I was told no a lot this year. And with each no, it because easier and easier to stomach. My worth isn’t based on people saying yes to me.
The Best Things I did for my Business in 2019
First, I got a business coach. Coach Dave Moss is amazing. He’s fucking smart, dedicated, and a really really good cheerleader. He got me thinking about aspects of my business that I had never thought of. Working by myself is isolating and lonely. And as someone who overthinks EVERYTHING, Dave was really grounding for me. So if you’re thinking about getting a business coach – just do it. Make the investment in yourself. I promise you don’t need the new gear; this is much better. Second, I pushed myself. Every.damn.wedding. I tried new things. Sometimes I won, sometimes I didn’t. I focused on the clients. I wanted to make art specifically for them. I learned about who they were and what they liked. I became invested in their stories. Because of this, I looked forward to every single wedding. I felt inspired by my couples. Not the light, not the venue, not the florals – but by the people I was photographing. It seems simple, right? But sometimes as artists, we come into situations just looking for inspiration to hit us over the head. Often it’s more subtle than that. And cutting out the noise of the details helped me focus on what really mattered to my clients.
This may surprise you…
Lastly, and this one was big: I stopped following my competition. Sorry Maui photographers – but I did. Why? It wasn’t good for my mental health. I still check in from time to time to support my friends – but I used the mute function on IG for my stories and feed. Playing the comparison game was giving me FOMO and making me question EVERYTHING I did. So when a speaker at the Real Life Conference challenged us to unfollow our competition, I did. I thought it wouldn’t make a huge difference – boy was I wrong. It freed me to do what I wanted out of 2019 – to be VISIBLE. When I stopped comparing myself to everyone else, I started competing against myself – which really is the only person I should be competing against anyway. Ok Ok – so that was my 2019 in business. But you’re here for the photos, right? Below are some of my favs – but not all of them! Watch the video at the end of this post for the full collection and experience!
The Best Maui Wedding Photographs of 2019
So there you have it, my best Maui wedding photographs of 2019! It was really fun going back and re-living all of the amazing weddings I had in 2019. To my 2019 couples: Thank you for trusting me to document your day with authenticity and compassion. It was nothing short of an honor to be included in such an intimate way on your wedding day. To my 2020 couples: LET’S DO THIS. To folks who haven’t reached out yet – I’m almost completely booked for the beginning of 2020! Let’s chat to lock in your spot!
