This is definitely not my typical blog posts about weddings, tips, & past sessions, however I wanted to share what I thought of 2023 & what I hope for in 2024 with EMP.
2023…
What a year it was. I started 2023 during the busiest wedding season I have ever had by kicking off the first weekend in 2023 with my first ever triple header wedding weekend! Which means 3 wedding days back to back to back. It was such a joy to be a part of each wedding day & see each couple celebrate exactly how they wanted to! This weekend was truly a highlight in my career, I always heard fellow photographers talk about their triple headed weekends & this was an experience I know can say I did, & honestly I would do it again!
My goal for 2023 was to have a good healthy work life balance year, because 2022 was the year I took a lot of client work, and when I say a lot… if my brain works correctly I did about 165 projects. It was my first year full time & it was difficult for me to say no to work. Which then you can imagine, lead to me feeling very burnt out at the beginning of 2023. So I took a little step back in my photography business, I immersed myself in my small town that I was living in & thought why not get a part time job, so I did. Which ended up allowing me to meet lovely people, get my name out in the small town I was in, & get back to my roots where I felt a lot of nostalgia to when I first started photography.
2023 was the year I felt like my most truest self.
Besides being a photographer I I started taking my side hustle of reselling vintage & secondhand clothing & other goodies, which is now another business of mine, Two Shoe Vintage. My boyfriend, Kolter & I also started Two Shoe Coffee & Co, which will hopefully we’ll be launching this year! It was a year of self discovery & getting through some tough times while being grateful of the phase of life I was in & am still in (in a way).
Up until the very end of 2023 I lived in Flatonia, Texas aka my small town. (FYI… I’m not really from there, but I felt like I lived my gilmore girls small town lifestyle & can say Flatonia was my home.) After the holidays my boyfriend & I packed up our belongings & moved to Magnolia, Texas. You might be wondering why are you moving? Well I’m a young 20 something year old girl trying to navigate & figure out life & well for me moving all around Texas just seems to have a hold on me & well Kolter received an amazing job opportunity. However I’m now I’m in the heart of wedding venue central, so I’m stocked to see where this next chapter takes us.
My 2023 Stats…
During 2023, I photographed 68 wonderful people, 10 of which were weddings & 1 elopement! I photographed high school seniors, college graduates, families, couples beginning to grow their families, best friends, couples in love (including my best friends) & bridal boudoir, a band! In 2022 I did almost double the work, however ya girl was very stressed most of the year, surviving, but so stressed & tired.
In 2024 I hope…
I can continue to capture all the life, love, & new beginnings for everyone around me & that seem to find me along the way. I’m in a new place that I hope to grow the Emily Marie Photography name in & hope that I’m able to pursue my side passions/businesses like vintage & coffee!
I hope I continue to travel all over Texas as I do for beautiful moments, but I hope to use my passport for an adventurous couple that wants me to join them on their elopement somewhere I can only imagine, which I will give ya a discount if you want me to join :)
It’s funny how life works out sometimes & photography is definitely one of those things that I didn’t think would end me up where it has taken me, so cheers to the endless opportunities that life gives you!
Also, thank you to every one of my clients that allowed me to photograph you in the moments we shared. I truly cherish every piece of work I’ve photographed & would not be able to do this job without y’all. Thank you to the photographers in my life that support me & allow me to work alongside them, you know who you are!