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richmond wedding photographer

February 9, 2018

READY FOR IT?!

richmond wedding photographerIsn’t that a Taylor Swift song? Yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. This may not be a shock to some of you, but to others it will be. Let’s back track for a second. All my life I’ve been more of a cautious person in decision making. I don’t have a notebook full of pro and con lists like Rory Gilmore, but I do sometimes wait a long time weighing decisions. The thing about decision making is, once I’ve made a decision, I automatically get this feeling of FOMO over the other choice… SILLY! am I right?! But here’s the thing, I’ve made decisions that have led me down great roads.

We make decisions everyday with anything that we do, but there are big ones that stand out, that take more time… like what car am I going to buy? Is this $3500 new camera worth it?or am I really going to quit my corporate job and do photography full-time? Once those decisions to commit are made, FOMO/what-ifs kick in. Unhealthy amounts of FOMO. And you know what? I’ve tried so super hard to overcome that “what if” battle, because those fear based “what-ifs” aren’t even real! None of those “what ifs” have actually happened, and ruminating on them is only going to push me further into a black hole. No mo’, FOMO! I’ve taken a stand against my fear in the past, like when I decided to go photography full-time, and have had such an incredible journey so far… I’m humbled by where I came from and every decision that it took to get here. So here I am again, taking a stand against my fear based “what-ifs” and trying something new that I’ve been thinking about for years… you ready?

I’m moving to Richmond!

Say what?! Some of you might be thinking – well why?! Would you be satisfied with, “because I just want to try something new?”  I’ve lived in Northern Virginia my whole life (except for the 4 years I lived in Roanoke for college and the semester I lived in London for study abroad) but you know what I mean. I was talking to a friend a few days ago and I told her how I had been torn about the decision for a while… that I wanted to try something new, but it wasn’t that I didn’t love my life the way it is now. She said, “You’re not leaving a BAD life… you’re just challenging yourself in a new place.” I’d heard people say it all along but it was nice to hear it again. She’s right. For a second I got caught up in what people would think of me and my reasons. And then I remembered something… my reasons, MY reasons. No, I’m not moving for another person, a new job, or that I hate where I currently am. I love my family, my friends, my life and I’m not leaving a bad situation of any kind, I just wanted to change it up and to grow in a new place and now, more than ever, I feel ready.

So, what does this mean?!

I’ll be moving in April! Your thoughts might be:

  1. Does this mean I’ll stop taking Northern Virginia weddings?! Heck no! Just because I’ll be a located in Richmond now doesn’t mean I’m ditching the rest of you! The amazing thing about my job is that I can work from anywhere! I often shoot all around the state and country anyway (next dream is shooting a European wedding!)  All I need is a car and an airport and I’m set and ready to go.
  2. Does this mean that I’ll never see you again? No. I’m moving… I’m not dead. I’ll be up in Northern VA a few times per month for sessions and weddings and would absolutely love to see you if you’re passing through Richmond!
  3. Can I write to you? Um yes, letters are my love language so please, ask me for my address and I would love your happy note in my mailbox and will write you back on one of my many forms of stationary.
  4. What area in Richmond are you moving to? Scott’s Addition! Yep – across from a million breweries and up-and-coming restaurants. Who wants to visit?
  5. I’m sad. You can’t leave. It’s bittersweet I tell ya! I’m excited for this new adventure – a new place to explore and sights to see and friends to meet. But two things are true at the same time. While I’m really excited, I will for sure miss my friends and close family. I’ve been SO blessed to meet many authentic and amazing people these last few years in Northern VA.  It might be a shock to some of you who have met me in the last few years, but I haven’t always been this outgoing personality you see now, and to be honest I didn’t have a lot of close friends. I came into myself in college and have been so thankful for the friends/”colleagues” I’ve met in college, currently through the creative industry community, and through friends of friends in the past few years.

While I sometimes question myself on “why has it taken so long to move,” I have to look back and remind myself that these last few years haven’t been for nothing. They say to never look back, but sometimes it’s okay to. Looking back I remind myself on how far I’ve come. From graduating in 2011 and not knowing what the heck I was going do with my life to now. Knowing that I wasn’t ready back then and that it took a few years to get my business off the ground and put in a lot of work to make that happen. All of the decisions I’ve made in the past have brought me to this current stage in life and I have no regrets on how “long” it may have taken me to make this decision. The timing is now and I’m excited to look forward to this new and exciting chapter from being a wedding photographer based in Northern Virginia to being welcomed into a new hometown. It’s wild because there are so many crazy “signs” having to do with Richmond and April. April 2015 I attended the Katelyn James Photography workshop in Richmond and a week later decided to go full-time. April 2016 I bought my first car … in Richmond. April 2018 – I’m moving to RICHMOND! WEIRD? COINCIDENCE? IDK. But damn, that’s a sign if I’ve ever seen one!

Thank you to ALL of my family and friends who have literally listened to me go back and forth for months… er, years, about this decision and still loving me. Thanks to my family who pushed me with positive questions to get me thinking about what I really wanted and not letting anyone else “make me” do anything. Thank you to Morgan, my little sister, who got REAL with me and gently “forced me” to actually circle on a piece of paper where I wanted to live, not based on price or people or anything, and told me to pick one city or the other before getting up from the table. It’s crazy how distracted and caught up we can get in our own heads, I tell ya! I’m working on it every day. But thank you, thank you, thank you – I’m SO excited for this new chapter!

 

If you’re reading this and you live in Richmond, hit me up!!

RVA, HERE I COME!