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NEW YORK + DESTINATION 
est. 2008

seven

Something has changed, and it’s not just the bangs. For the past six years that I have been photographing weddings I have been moving forward. I have slowly been coming away from my starting point which could be summed up with this sentiment : I am not sure I am good enough. Seriously. It sure […]

mary_dougherty

Something has changed, and it’s not just the bangs. For the past six years that I have been photographing weddings I have been moving forward. I have slowly been coming away from my starting point which could be summed up with this sentiment : I am not sure I am good enough. Seriously. It sure motivated me to work hard in the beginning, but once that hard work just turned into more work I started to lose sight of my direction. Before this starts sounding super dramatic it’s always been in my personality to push myself to be better. However, I worked more instead of smarter and sacrificed goals in the process.

That’s the thing with goals. When you have them all of your efforts are focused and your actions have intention. Without them life looks similar but flows much differently. Maybe it’s the new year, the fact that I know how precious time is now that I have a baby, or that my 30th birthday is waiting around the corner… but I don’t want to waste any more time!

This is my seventh year as a wedding photographer and I feel just as passionate about it as when I started. The difference is that now I feel like I can communicate that to people. I believe that life is so beautiful it should be documented, that seemingly insignificant moments can be the most powerful, that your happiest days are there to balance the saddest ones, that the only thing that lasts in this life is what you share with others. Not only have I shed insecurity but I have a new vision for what I can offer as a photographer and person.

I started this year with some really good conversations. Some of them were not about anything in particular, but they allowed me to get to know a person. Others were eye opening, shifting my perspective and being inspired with where I see myself headed. All of them were actual conversations which covered more and took less time than any social media interaction – and without the misinterpretations. I love staying connected to everyone but I know you just can’t replace real interaction – which is why I want one of my focuses in 2014 to be on people. Getting together more, learning more, sharing more, being more.

Is anyone with me? Or ahead of me?

My goals for 2014 are still taking shape as it seems all of January has been a month of discovery and planning. However, I’m going to blog my goals monthly because if I say I’m going to blog about it then it really happens. For some reason you keep me incredibly accountable… which is why I’m not telling you about my dessert habits.

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