I have so many favorite things; this is neither a secret nor a lie.

Somebody told me once that it’s funny that I get so excited about the smallest things, I have yet to figure out if this was meant as a compliment or an insult, but either way I think it’s true. For Christmas two years ago Mr. Nick bought me a pair of Keens and I about melted. Yes, shoes are one of my favorite things. Like..they are in the top four. I have also been known to clap for the waiter when he delivers plated food to the table. I get abundantly happy when I have something else to open in the mail besides bills and credit card applications. Snow ball fights and wrestling/hanging out with my nephews (and ‘my boys!’) also makes the list of things that put a ridiculously huge smile on my face. A new scarf, a steaming latte, a full tank of gas on a wide open day, emails in my inbox, the sound of rain, herbs and spices, starting a new project, crossing items off my never-ending to-do list…

I’m easy to please and I rather like it that way. However, as equally as I am to please, I also get equally frustrated. Usually at myself, occasionally at the idiot driving 6 miles under the speed limit. I have little spats of time where I get to the point with my work that I want to toss it all and start a new career path. Nothing seems good enough, nothing seems to look just like I want it. Ugh. I hate those days.

This feeling instantly subsides when I know that I’ve done something great. Something that I planned out, executed and the results turned out to be exactly (or better) than what I had planned. This, my dear friends, is one of my most favorite things. Pulling myself out of a slump and getting my head back on track. Clearing the smog and seeing the day for what it really is. Taking a deep breath and jumping back in. Favorite.

In October I shot four weddings in a row (four weekends in a row, not four in one day. I’m not that crazy!!). By the time the last one came around I was starting to get anxious about my work. What if I shoot this wedding and it looks like all the others? What if the couple hates everything I do and I completely mess up? What if I used up all my creative juices and I have nothing left? What if I have an involuntary spasm during the middle of the ceremony and ruin everything? But the biggest worry of mine is trying to come up with a way to really capture the couple. I hate standard posing. With a cockamamie passion. (So a top item on my most non-favorite list.) Each wedding is different, so why shouldn’t the photos be the different, too!?

I scouted out some locations and knew when I saw this spot, that this is the shot I wanted. And when I snapped the shutter and took a quick peek at the results, I melted, clapped and laughed all at the same time. It may not be the best photo of all time, but it’s my photo.

Taken just how I wanted, capturing just what I wanted.

And this, my friends, is my most favorite thing.

Love.

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