Thank you to all of the sunrises and sunsets I was able to witness. And thank you to the ones I just barely missed — a reminder of how quickly it all moves if you aren’t paying attention.

Thank you to my best friend @heyalexrae, for bringing us into the mountains of Colorado you call home. The air is colder and crisper, but your spirit makes up for it tenfold with beaming warmth. Documenting your wedding day has been one of the biggest highlights of my career, or maybe of my life. You have taught me that being a big feeler is not a weakness, but the biggest strength of them all. You have cracked me open in the best way. Keep spreading your light, it is contagious.

Thank you to the snow that fell on the streets of Freshwater in February. You reminded me of the childlike joy and magic I always want to carry with me, wherever I go.

Thank you to all of the friends I made along the way this year. Couples, families, babies, individual wonderful humans. You have all changed my heart, my perspective, my creative lens. Each and every one of you have let me into your lives. To know the best and the worst of what it means to be a living, breathing human. Your vulnerable moments and stories are memories I will carry forever. You have taught me how to love deeper and wider, because I fall in love a little bit with each person that gets in front of my camera. I would say that it is a natural part of the job, but I think it is actually a natural part of me. 

Thank you to Grammie and Pop for celebrating 60 years of loving each other. You have shown me so much about what it means to love each other and a family of your own creation. You have showed me that bodies can age, but that your love can always stay 16 years old. And that you should never stop dancing, even if you can’t hear the music anymore. Unconditional love is the greatest force in the universe, thank you for creating a family that embodies that to their core. 

Thank you to my cousin @ccobb310 and @lifes_a_gardner_dig_it , for celebrating your love on a lake in the middle of Maine. August on the East Coast was humid and dreary, but the lobster rolls over there were out of this world. But even better was being there, watching a stormy sky clear just in time for your moment in a white dress. You honored our grandparents’ love by getting married on their anniversary. Just the same way they have showed us what effervescent love looks like, you showed them how it lives on in all of us. Using grandpa’s film camera on this day was a bucket-list item I didn’t know I had. It felt like the beginning and the end of something fantastical, all at the same time. This elopement changed me in ways I am only now able to see. 

Thank you to the abundance of couples who have entrusted me with their greatest memories. The utmost trust I have received this year has been life changing. I have finally recognized that people who resonate with my style are not afraid of the depths that life has to offer. That is the greatest freedom — in realizing you don’t like my photos because they are dark and moody and tell a story, but rather because it is an undeniable aspect of life that deserves to be documented. Beautiful moments of joy and laughter are only possible if you can hold in your hands an equal amount of darkness and depth. And say, this too, is deserving of documentation. This too. I see now that I do not capture each individual’s story — I capture the one story there is — universal love. Your story is the same as mine in its essence. Grief, excitement, anticipation, silence, presence, happiness, disappointment, contentment, exaltation. We all live the same story in different fonts. That is a realization I never want to let go of.

Thank you to @kendallbaby__ . Culminating moments of senior portraits to tying the knot. I see it all now, how this seemingly small role I play in actuality means so much. I have now had the joy of witnessing someone grow up, and grow into love. All those years ago, you didn’t know the greatest love was about to walk into your life and change it forever. You have shown me that magic can knock on your door any day. The fate of the universe is comical, and oh, so sweet. It only requires a trust fall.

Thank you to @apricotprincessj, one of the most wholesome friendships I have ever known. Planning your bachelorette tea party, styling a table, and creating a vision that was a true expression of your heart was one of the most fun creative projects I have ever laid my hands on. The tears and joy and laughter that surrounded that table, with your grateful eyes locked on me, created an imprint on my heart. 

Thank you to @allison_guy_ and @jaredguy22 , for flying me out to the Arizona desert. Capturing your newest family member, after being there for you on your engagement session and your wedding day means more than I can express in words. The full circle moment I didn’t know I was waiting for. You showed me that I am more than a photographer, I am a person, and my presence is welcomed and comforting to those who know me. Our friendship means so much to me and creating memories with you is a joy.

Thank you to @jordanmaxinenichols and @bradennichols for letting me be your secret keeper. From standing on one knee with ring in hand, to walking down the aisle in tears of joy, and now to exploding cannons of pink smoke. Being the only one to know the gender of your baby, before you even did, was a really unbelievable highlight of my career. How am I so lucky to have people in my life who want me to play that kind of role? I don’t know what I did to deserve this piece of your beautiful puzzle. A pink sunset was just the cherry on top of it all.

Thank you to @kenzi_h for reminding me that women are epic and powerful. No shade to you men, but I really think women have more magic than we can ever comprehend. Thanks for reclaiming your magic alongside me. I feel more whole because it felt like looking in a crystal clear mirror, and I saw our magic multiplying in each others’ presence.

Thank you to @bree_angele and @eric.jackson.5420 for letting me document my beautiful nieces as flower girls. Red rose petals thrown on pop’s cowboy hat will be a highlight frozen in time. 

Thank you for all of you who hired us to video your weddings. Today I will rewatch them all, and every single one of them will make me cry for their own beautiful, unique reasons. You all helped me see that storytelling is what I am truly passionate about. Being the person to tell your stories will be one of the greatest honors of my whole life.

Thank you to all of those who didn’t get specific shoutouts. You hold and equally meaningful place in my heart. But there are simply too many of you to list, which is another thing to be immensely grateful for. Thank you for adventures to Mount Shasta, Foresthill, Napa, and so many more magical places. Thank you to strangers who have become great friends along the way.

Thank you to film photography, my newfound love, and those who support the next evolution of my art. You all are my real ones. You follow me with unwavering trust and love, and that gives me the confidence to play and explore in ways that stretch my creativity. You are the reason I feel confident following my heart and dreams. 

Last, but certainly not least, thank you to Luis and Mookie for being there for it all. You make life worthwhile. You are my creative source, inspiration, and muse. You fill my cup when it is low. I know how to document love because I have an endless spring of love inside of my soul. You have thawed my cold exterior, you have made me realize my wholeness. You make every single day something to be grateful for. Even mundane moments can become your favorites if you learn to admire the everyday magic.

Thank you, 2023. So many lessons that will never be unlearned, only expanded upon. 2024, I hope there are many more sunrises and sunsets I get to witness.