Real talk, I'm so tired of reading "2018 wasn't my year, bring on 2019" posts. And you know what, sometimes it won't always be your day, your week, your month, or even your year! I totally understand that we all go through rough patches in life and no one told you life was going to be this way! *clap clap clap clap* Things happen beyond our control that undoubtedly bring us down or "ruin our year." Sometimes LIFE IS HARD. That's a sad fact. But, you can't tell me that in 365 days there isn't one thing you're proud of, excited about, or want to relive. Personally, I believe that even just one measly milestone can make your year a good one. Did you graduate college? That’s 4 years of stress, anxiety and hard work that you survived! Did your family get a new dog? That’s a lifelong loving companion brought into your family. Did you discover a new hobby or passion? You found something that made you happy and that you truly love to do! If you can't think of one thing that made this year a good one, you best make a life change ASAP because you just wasted a whole year of your very short life throwing yourself a pity party.
But, enough of my preaching. In case anyone was wondering, my year had its ups and downs too. Thankfully, the beauty of my career/hobby/passion for photography is that I get to capture some of the "ups" forever in an image. So below, you'll find 18 of my favorite photos from the year ranked from 18 to 1. They're all photos I have taken that I believe share a moment, an emotion or a memory. They are not photos of me, per se, but they're photos that made me feel some type of way this year, whether it was the experience I was living, the emotion I was feeling at the moment, or the way I feel when I look back at it.
18. Partners on Main Street
I took this photo at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It was my first experience at this party and I truly loved it! And, the colors are pretty neat!
17. Sisters with Sparkle
I'm not overly pleased with this shoot, if I'm being honest. But, this was my first experience with my new camera, in a low light situation with shadow trouble. Most definitely a learning experience! And, how stinkin' cute are these two?!
16. Attention all Expedition Everest Team Members:
I love the movement of the flags on this one, along with the colors and the fact that literally no one got in my way for this shot. If you know Disney crowds, you know how rare this is! One thing I truly love about Disney is that it takes you where you never thought you would go. This photo takes you outside of a theme park and into *a whole new world.* (badum-chh)
15. Blue + White besties
This one totally started as staged, but these three were truly cracking me up! I loved taking senior photos of groups of college besties!
14. The bosses
If you don't smile when you see Mickey and Minnie in all of their glory, on the castle stage, opening up the Magic Kingdom, wyd?
13. Beaver Stadium
Four years of memories packed into this place with 100K of my closest friends. During my last few weeks at Penn State, I took a stroll around campus and took some photos of my very favorite places and landmarks. Ever true to you, Dear Old White and Blue.
12. THON 2018
I love this photo because you can feel the emotion through the faces. This little girl was part of a THON family-- a family who, in some way, is affected by pediatric cancer. But in light of this moment, she didn't have to worry about any of that. She was simply being a kid.
11. Illuminations
I'm pretty proud of this photo. I had never shot fireworks before, and Disney fireworks are a totally different breed. This photo was taken by me, with the help of incredibly talented Nikon ambassadors. I had dinner at the Italy Pavilion and got to set up a tripod next to some of the most talented photographers. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
10. Nikon Media Event
For the event I mentioned above, the Nikon team brought in a team of makeup artists, designers, wardrobe and models to be our "muses" during the shoot. Yes, I was "working," but when you do what you love, nothing really feels like work.
9. Strutting their stuff in Morocco
8. Toy Story Land
I never thought I would have the opportunity to stand in the middle of an Imagineer construction site. If you guys haven't noticed, I love my job. I have been given opportunities beyond my wildest dreams. This photo was taken before the official opening of Toy Story Land, as I was dressed in a construction vest, boots, and helmet.
7. Playing Big with Imagineers
Ryan and Dave are the creative brains behind Toy Story Land. I had the opportunity to watch them both in their element doing a final walkthrough of the land before it opened to guests. Also, if Ryan looks familiar it's probably because you saw him in a Disney Channel commercial (which I was also on set to see filmed).
6. Throw some glitter, make it rain
This shoot was extra special to me. Three of my "college-made" buddies asked me to take their senior photos. I love the colors of the glitter and how perfectly they blew it at the lens. But make no mistake, this was about the 10th take...
5. You are most beautiful
I took a nice stroll around Disney's Animal Kingdom one morning to visit my favorite wall. The light was hitting it perfectly, and even though there's a whole mess of wiring and junk, I think that kind of adds to the message the wall wants you to remember-- You are most beautiful, no matter any imperfection.
4. Sweet Treats
The sweetest morning spent at the caramel apple kitchens across Disney property. I'm so happy I was in the right place as this little cutie watched, mesmerized by the sugary goodness!
3. DAK Drummers
I was in the parks for a totally unrelated compliance project for work. I had my camera around my neck when I stumbled upon the Africa drummer show in Disney's Animal Kingdom. I crouched down next to the stage in my khaki pants and ballet flats, and these guys gave me a show. You can tell, simply by looking at this photo, that these dudes really love their job.
2. Ed + Bravo
For my final collegiate project, I created a photostory about service dogs. I had the privilege of meeting some pretty awesome people in my community and hearing the stories of them and their faithful companions. Ed is an amputee veteran, and his dog Bravo has saved him in more ways than one. One of my favorite moments, not only in my year, but in my career as a photographer.
1. My brotha
This is my favorite picture, ever. My brother is a one-of-a-kind dude. He's not always emotional or smiley; he doesn't always express himself as often as I do; he's not a true extrovert and he doesn't brag about his talents or brains. But, he is a truly amazing human being. During my senior year of college, I only got to see my brother play baseball twice. Once during a regular season game, where this photo was taken, and another when his team won the national championship. He was up to bat, the boys were down by one run with two outs. He got on base and helped bring home the winning run. AND in an earlier game of the series, he hit a homerun clear out of the park. I have never felt prouder or screamed louder than I had when I saw that ball leave the stadium. While it may be a struggle to get my brother in a Christmas photo, or in a family picture on vacation, this picture makes up for them all. This photo is and always will be my favorite of him-- doing what he loves in a true moment of happiness. His words right before I snapped the photo-- "You're going to wanna take a picture of this homer." And that my friends, is a memory.
If you can't remember your finest moments from this year, that's okay. Take 2019 as an opportunity to remember. Not every moment is going to be picture perfect, or glamorous, or happy, but every experience teaches us something about ourselves and the person we can learn to become. Take pictures. Write things down. Embrace the life you're living. And please, in the name of all that is good, don't post on social media at the end of this year saying you're going to "try again in 2020" because, let's be honest, waiting is a waste of time (and I will most definitely unfriend/unfollow you).
Stay smilin' -- Steph