2018 Year In Review // Carissa Marie Photography Edmonton Wedding + Couples Photographer

2018 Year In Review // Carissa Marie Photography 

Reflecting on an amazing year of Weddings and Adventure Sessions

   I’ve never put together a year in review blog post before but I wanted to showcase my weddings from 2018 and I thought it would be cool to look back and to share some images with you from all the amazing weddings, workshops and adventure sessions I was lucky enough to be a part of!

This year has been a year of growth, struggles, triumphs. One of the most important things I learned was balance. I was a part of 15 weddings this year as well as two wedding highlight films. These weddings took me from Edmonton to Mcbride BC, Banff, Canmore, Red Deer and Mexico!

A bit about what went on this year:

Weddings and sessions aside, I took a lot of time investing in myself and my business. I attended KIN the workshop in Palm Springs California (there is a few photos in this post from the workshop) where I met some of my photographer idols! I also learned so much about myself,  who I am as a photographer and what my shooting style is. It truly was an amazing experience that I am incredibly grateful for. Not to mention I left with a whole new group of amazing friends! Speaking of such, in October I headed off to LA for a business only related one day workshop (Hustle & Flow) with my friend Morgan who I met at KIN!

 On a different scale, I took a Holistic Doula course so I could better serve my birthing mamas as I truly LOVE birth photography and I’d like to be able to take on more births in the coming years. I documented three births this year and I can’t wait to continue to follow my passion with birth photography! Check out my birth work here

One big highlight this year was being asked to co-host my own styled shoot for local Edmonton and area photographers with one of my very talented buds in the industry, Carley of Chasing Dreams Photography. We will be hosting another one in the new year, so stay tuned!! Community over competition always!

Near the end of the year I organized my own shoot for fun at IKEA here in Edmonton. It was so refreshing to shoot for just me and have that freedom to be creative and try new things without any pressure. I highly recommend doing it for yourself!

Also, an update to this post….I got engaged at the end of the year!! woooohooo 

So to say it’s been a been a very busy year is an understatement haha but this year has taught me a lot about boundaries and learning that it is ok to step back and say “no I can’t do that” and not being so hard on myself for saying no. I am the type of person who has some serious FOMO (fear of missing out) but I have realized that whether its in my personal life or my professional life its a good idea to listen to your body and your heart when it’s telling you to slow down.

2019 

My goal for 2019 is to devote more of my energy into perfecting my craft and taking time to learn more of the technical aspects of photography.

I’d also like to take on a little less (and know that it’s ok to do so) so I can better serve my clients; creating more honest and real connections with them and being able to offer more knowledge and expertise in my industry. Taking on less I hope to be able to spend more time with my family, friends and enjoy things that I like to do for fun! (Sidenote, I have taken up spin class and I am legit obsessed – check out Cyclebar )

I hope that you enjoy looking back on 2018 as much as I enjoyed being a part of it all. Through all the chaos, the late nights editing and the busy days travelling around, missing out on time with my own family; it is so worth it to see the smiles on my clients faces and hear how much they love their photos. It’s why I do what I do, for you. This isn’t about me or what gets me the most likes on instagram; it’s about giving you images that you can share with your loved ones for generations and generations. I want to help to stop time for you, so for a brief moment in this crazy fast paced life you can look back and truly remember what you felt.

THANK YOU 

Big thanks to all my amazing second shooters who were by my side through it all and fellow industry vendors that I had the pleasure of working with this year. You all rock!!

Thank you to all my wedding couples and all my clients of 2018 who trusted me with their special moments, who let me into their lives in very honest and vulnerable ways. You guys seriously are amazing and I hope you know how grateful I am for each.and.every.one.of.you!