This is a bit overdue in posting, but here it goes.

2008 was a proverbial blur for me. It was an amazing, memorable and happy year being self-employed and pursuing my dream as a photographer, yet at the same time physically and emotionally draining on my family and I. It was a year of growth, struggle, mistakes, making new friends, truly memorable experiences and unexpected personal development… all wrapped up in this ball of creative chaos.

The most important lessons from the past year were not about how to shoot with three lights, learning a new efficient editing workflow, dealing with the difficult client or developing new marketing strategies. It was about learning to balance my career with my family life. It was about priorities. It was about three little girls, an amazing wife, love and revitalizing my faith.

One of the biggest reasons I left the law enforcement profession was to essentially regain some ground at home. It was my assumption that once I left the job I would spend more time with my family. That has been true to some extent. But I soon realized that the majority of my traditional workday would be consumed at home, with long hours into the evening and late at night, spending days away from home or at the computer when my girls would travel to visit family or hearing fits of childhood tears while Melanie was upstairs dealing with the chaos. In part it was about developing my vision, my style, my business. At the same time, it was finding a new life. In the meantime, It’s a miracle the house was ever clean or the lawn was mowed. I however, realized it wasn’t a life as glamourous as the the “rockstar” and “diva” photographers make it out to be all across the web, living a life of high-end shoots, limos, workshops galore, parties and glitz.

This year was filled with hard work and struggles, given the fact that 75% of my family’s income had to be determined by the business. Melanie took time off from work as a teacher for six months after the birth of Eden to spend time at home being a mother to our kids. Regardless, we worked as a family to resolve scheduling issues and made time with each other to communicate as best we could. It’s crazy, because I thought I’d be on top of everything with the business on my first go-around. Sure, I dropped the ball a few times and fell behind with my editing. But I persevered the storm and rose above it all. The time I spent away from the business was well spent between camping, traveling and watching the girls grow.

Regardless if you are a photographer, office manager, cop, stay-at-home mom, mill worker, etc., the single most important priority in your life should be family and with those who surround you everyday. Without family and friends, there is no support system in pursuing your life goals. Without support from family, there is failure. I can’t stress this enough. For me, developing a schedule, communicating effectively and putting work aside for family was my single-most difficult adjustment for me to acknowledge. But it had to be done. And I’m still learning how to adjust to the discipline of being self-employed while being a husband and father. It doesn’t happen overnight. Yet it has to happen.

I’ve had some amazing clients this past year, between my weddings, seniors, bands, editorial work and commercial shoots. I’m excited that this new year will bring a fresh new direction with the business, as I plan to focus more of my attention on higher-end weddings, commercial based-projects, working with ad-agencies, revamping my portrait business and conceptual/editorial projects. I’m exciting to watch it grow before my eyes. But I continue to remind myself of the struggles still ahead.

Throughout the year I’ve had the chance to network, meet and shoot with a handful of amazing photographers and artists from around the country, including Josh and Amy Johnston, Ken Cravillion, Kim Anderson, Amy Gaerthofner, Eric Johnson, Molly Michel, Michael Howard, Jon Canlas, Cliff Brunk, Joe Milton, Heather King, Brooks and Leigh Whittington, Dennis Lee, Melissa Laggis, Charo Donahue, Christy Marks, Johnny Arguedas, Audra Colpitts, Erin Antognoli, Brett Stoddart, Erik Dixon, Tony Pulsone, Neil from Frontroom, Brad Knapp, Cameron Gille, Kim Klein, Heidi Lee, Michio Sano-Giles, Chad Tafolla, Andrew Verboncour, Gary Flavin, Rob Dobi and many many more.

I am even more grateful for my crew. The ones who help make all this happen. First and foremost is Melanie. She has done an amazing job managing the business throughout the year. As I’ve said before, without her I would not be doing this. I’d still be wearing a badge, pulling shiftwork and dealing with the worst the world has to offer. She is not only a great mom, but a loving and understanding wife. And to my amazing photo family of Rob, Adam and Trevor. Both Rob and Adam are my shooting assistants, be it weddings, shooting on-location or traveling around the midwest to make pictures. Without them, this year would have been utterly humor-less. I’m also excited to announce that Trevor is the newest addition to my family, taking on the roll of Studio Manager. He will be more active in the business this year, handling many marketing, scheduling, conceptual and administrative tasks. I welcome him to the fold!

For once in my life, I can acknowledge a gift the God has given me. The gift of art. The gift of family. The gift of love. No words can explain feelings I hold for it. And for that I am truly grateful. My sights are set high for this year. I have hopes of taking this whole thing to the next level. I’m excited for many projects coming up in the next several months and look forward to sharing it all with you!

God Bless,
~dave