2023 – A year of travel. Every year I like to choose a word of the year to help direct my goals and aspirations for the year. For 2023, I chose “wander,” and it certainly was a year of wander and exploration! I traveled to Scandinavia, Chicago, and the Czech Republic. Wander is about more than just travel — it’s about a mindset that’s open to explore new things. This year I revamped my website and explored new places in my hometown: Pittsburgh. I always like to take the time to reflect on the past year, so I condensed some of my reflections into this blog post!
January
At the start of the year, two of my photos printed in magazines. It was so exciting to see my work on the page. A highland cow I photographed while traveling in Scotland appeared in Click Magazine and an editorial portrait to accompany Megan McDonald’s article on her husband’s success with new medical practices appeared in Sarasota Magazine.
February
I took classes, worked on behind the scenes projects, and bought a new car!
March
In March, I spent time revamping my website. The biggest changes are the revamped design on the home page and blog, plus updated content, and new features!
April
April was full of photoshoots and preparing for the busy season ahead. Shoot and Share’s results were released and one of my personal favorite photographs was a finalist. This photo demonstrates some of the best moments in life are spending quality time with family and loved ones.
May
In early May I drove to Chicago to help move Anna out from her dorm room. We stayed a couple days in Chicagoland and spent a long weekend exploring Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park. We ate at a latin fusion restaurant, Altiro, and saw School of Rock at the Paramount Theater in Aurora, and experienced the architectural boat tour in Chicago.
June
June was full of travel. We enjoyed visiting friends and family in Olomouc, Czechia. We also spent a couple days in Scandinavia. We had a family photo shoot in Copenhagen, rode the rides in Tivoli, visited castles, took a river cruise, and visited the Viking Ship Museum. We enjoyed hygge days on small islands, beautiful sunsets, and fresh seafood in Sweden. Last but not least, we visited the Munch Museum and Noble Peace Center in Norway, and even walked on the roof of the Oslo Opera House.
July
July is always my favorite month in Pittsburgh! We celebrated birthdays, ate everything pickled at Picklesburgh, and I photographed many delightful high school seniors! We also dropped Anna off for her sophomore year at Wheaton College.
August
In August, before everyone began a new year at school, we took a mini road trip to hear The Beach Boys near Columbus, OH at a hot air balloon festival. There’s something magical about the combination of live music and the breathtaking sight of hot air balloons floating in the sky. This was also when my daughter Anna’s story for Mt. Lebanon Magazine was published about her mom’s obsession with highland cows!
September
September was a memorable month! Over Labor Day Weekend we swam in the Atlantic Ocean, saw Van Gogh’s Stary Night at MOMA, explored more art and history in Philadelphia. Our youngest daughter invited us to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary at Hidden Valley. We had a great time as our kids recreated our wedding photos!
October
October is always the busiest month of the year. This month I captured an engagement, several high school senior, families, newborns and an epic branding shoot with Dr. Corrine Brown of Modern Moon. I’m thankful for every client and photoshoot I had the pleasure of working with in 2023.
November
Two notable highlights included spending time with Anna during her Thanksgiving break and receiving three honorable mentions for the Voice. The Voice is an annual photography competition and platform for photographers to share real stories. Each year more than 40,000 images are entered, making the Voice one of the most powerful visual documentations of photographers around the world!
December
We packed Anna up and moved her out of her dorm because she is headed abroad to study in Seville next semester! Although I will miss her, I look forward to visiting her in Spain and traveling to Portugal together! We’re excited to try Pasteis de Nata, a Portuguese custard tart!
