How is it almost the end of January already!? Hey ho, it's never too late to do a roundup of the best of 2024 + some reflections!
2024 was excellent! I met so many wonderful couples, photographing them in beautiful settings, or whilst dancing about and laughing in the rain or cavorting (this word is not used enough) on the dance floor!
I was trusted with some of your most precious memories and, looking back on 2024, I am also reminded how completely rewarding this job can be and that, especially for wedding photography, it is NOT just about the end result.
I genuinely want couples to have the best day they can - by helping plans run smoothly or leaning into the hiccups when they don't - and often this is providing a calm and fun presence for people to bounce-off for the day. I hype you up and give you space in turn, and am here to smooth nerves and worries. Recently, a couple thanked me for helping them really enjoy their wedding photos, when ASD had them worried it would be an angst-inducing experience and too much pressure on their big day. But we laughed, messed around, got gorgeous photos and their relief & happiness was a huge compliment.
I photographed business owners, stunning architectural conversions, press calls and whiskey VIPs.
And looking back, this might seem less than 2023...
but in 2024 I also took more time for me.
A couple of crazy busy years post-covid and some scary family health news meant that in 2024 I deliberately set more time aside for me and my family.
- Took my 6yr old daughter to her first music festival (I never went to one until I was 19!)
- Was invited to be an expert guest speaker for the Skillfluence entrepreneur Impact30 program.
- Flew kites with friends and family on beaches up and down the West Coast.
- Photographed an amazing group of women with life-limiting cancer for a Calendar Girls themed fund-raiser.
- Took the wee car ferry across from Port of Nigg to Cromarty for the very first time.
- Forged new professional relationships with exciting architectural firms across Scotland.
- Had photographs of my own taken with my husband beside a breath-taking (and absolutely baltic) Loch Cluanie.
- Successfully piqued my daughter's interest in both Roald Dahl & Harry Potter, so bedtime stories have happily ramped up a gear!
- Took the time for my first collaborative shoot in ages, and am so proud of the gorgeous bridal portraits we produced with a lovely, talented team (blog post soon to come about this!)
- Sold 45 items on Vinted (ha!)
- Continued to grow in confidence with my band - Strange Weather- by singing at various gigs, open mics and concerts, plus earned the nom de plume Alison 'The Pipes' Gilbert whilst dolled up to the nines at The Edge of the World Cabaret.
- Grew my own potatoes :-)
And you know what? All this makes me a happier, more well-rounded person.
Which, in turn, lets me avoid burn-out and keeps me a happier, more chilled and imaginative photographer... And one who is very excited to grab all the amazing opportunities 2025 already promises to bring <3
