The Promise of a New Year

There’s something about a new year that feels like a deep breath.

Not the rushed, shallow kind - but the kind where your shoulders drop, your chest softens, and you remember that you’re still here. Still standing. Still dreaming.

After battling breast cancer last year and walking through a major surgery this year, the idea of looking forward again feels especially sacred. For a while, life narrowed down to appointments, recovery timelines, and simply getting through the day. Hope didn’t disappear - but it did whisper instead of shout.

And now?

Now, 2026 feels like possibility stretching its arms wide.

This coming year isn’t about rushing or proving anything. It’s about returning - to the work I love, to creativity, to connection, and to the joy that first pulled me toward photography in the beginning.

I’m dreaming of a year filled with high school senior sessions - those electric, in-between humans standing on the edge of everything. I’m looking forward to laughter echoing through my studio again, music playing softly (or loudly)  in the background, outfits changing, confidence growing shot by shot.

I’m excited to shoot outdoors, to chase beautiful light, feel the sun on my face, and photograph seniors exactly where they feel most like themselves. Fields, sidewalks, downtown corners, golden-hour magic… all of it.

I’m excited to use my studio fully. To create, to experiment, to slow down and make intentional portraits that feel meaningful and lasting. The kind of images that end up framed on walls and held onto for decades.

More than anything, I’m looking forward to normal, beautiful things.

Busy seasons.

Creative days.

Meaningful conversations with families who trust me to tell their stories.

There is a quiet strength that comes from walking through hard things. Cancer changes you. Recovery reshapes your perspective. You learn that time is precious, joy is not guaranteed, and doing what lights you up is never something to put off.

So as 2026 begins, I’m choosing optimism—not the loud, sparkly kind, but the steady, grounded kind. The kind that says: There is still so much ahead.

This year is a promise.

A promise to create.

A promise to show up.

A promise to photograph life—beautiful, fleeting, meaningful life—with fresh eyes and a grateful heart.

If you’re stepping into this new year carrying hope, healing, or even a little nervous excitement, know this: I’m right there with you.

Here’s to 2026—and all the good waiting to be captured.