I'll never stop shouting from the rooftops that I'm the luckiest person in the world. A few years ago I made a change in my business to slow down and be intentional with what projects I take on and who I work with. I can truly say that this year I worked with exactly who I love to work with and am so fulfilled with what we've created. Although I still worked a lot, this is the first year that I repeatedly said "no" once I reached my quota. It's tough because I LOVE my job and WANT to work, but it's so important to take time for me and my family too. I am just so, so grateful that I have the ability to say "no" and that this career supports me and my family!
Some number fun for this year:
In 2024 I photographed 116 projects!
33 weddings and elopements
31 portrait sessions (engagement / proposal / family)
22 families for holiday minis
30 personal branding sessions
Those sessions culminated in 24,467 photos uploaded to my online gallery hosting site
Some other fun stats:
Photographed projects in six states; MA, NH, VT, RI, CT and NJ.
16,902 total miles driven.
I reached 128 five star reviews on Google!!
This year I opened my very first photography studio, The Lumos Room! While I got the keys in March, the space needed extensive renovations and wasn't ready for rentals until September. It's been a joy to create a space that is functional for my needs but to also connect with other local photographers and see how they use it as well!!
Trends
Here are a few of the different themes that consistently popped up throughout the year:
White Flowers - While I thought this year would be the year of color, almost all my brides opted for classic white and green bouquets. Maybe we'll see more color in 2025!
Content Creators - More and more couples are adding on content creators to their day to capture the authenticity. A content creator takes BTS with a phone and sends you all the photos and videos the next day! I wrote a blog about it so click here if you want to read more.
Dance floor props - I think every single wedding I went to included those foam glow sticks on the dance floor! It creates for some super fun photos and let's guests do something with their hands which can be easier for our dance-shy friends. I also saw a lot of big cut out heads of people (or pets!) to include people that couldn't be there. We had some fun wigs, hats, and other props you might see of a typical photo booth floating around the dance floor to help liven things up.
On a personal note
I saw two positive pregnancy tests this year. Once in April, that was very quickly followed by loss. Then again in July which cultivated into a little boy that's currently squirming around in my tummy as I write this. I am SO excited to start a family with my husband but am equally as nervous. I know they say that no one is ever ready, so I just hope we'll be the best parents we can be to this little nugget. It'll be an adjustment balancing motherhood with my business but I'm looking forward to growing and learning through the challenges 2025 may bring.
Having kept my pregnancy news a secret for so long really just put into perspective for me that you really never know what other people are going through and to be gracious and patient in all situations. It can be so tough! But a great lesson to have learned this year.
Travel: I traveled to NYC for my birthday in Feb to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway (highly recommend!). Visited Austin four times; a bachelorette party, brother's wedding, to tell my family I'm pregnant, and for Christmas! We bought a teardrop trailer and road tripped in June up to Nova Scotia for two weeks. In December we went to the Bahamas on our baby moon!
2024 Recap
I usually aim to capture candids throughout sessions but this year specifically I tried to take even more of a backseat on wedding days to capture more and influence less. I’ve been influenced from documentary photographer Tracey Jade and her viewpoint on how humans inherently do really interesting things of their own free will and there is no reason I need to be a puppet master to make people do things they wouldn’t naturally do. Many typical poses throughout a wedding day result in beautiful photos! But wouldn’t it be great if those moments weren’t concocted and instead happened organically and I just photographed them?
My hope for the new year is to be more intentional with each frame I take. I also want to be more conscientious of my time. Lastly, to evolve my viewpoint for weddings from a new lens as a mother!
Below is one photo from every wedding + portrait session in 2024! To see a recap of my personal brand sessions from 2024, head over to my other website. And to see a recap of my holiday minis, click here!
It never gets easier to choose what photos to showcase. In previous years I tried to choose photos that had a storytelling aspect, but this year I just chose photos I was drawn to most.
Also, be sure to check out previous years recaps:
Weddings & Elopements
Portrait Sessions
To see a recap of my personal brand sessions from 2024, head over to my other website. And to see a recap of my holiday minis, click here!
What an incredibly beautiful year I got to live because of all my sweet clients! Thanks for making it to the end with me!! If you're interested in working together, please reach out!
Before you go, check out previous years recaps:
Cheers to 2025!
xx,
Tam
Tamara Merri Photography
