Most of my friends and family have never met Maggie, but they feel like they know Maggie. I talk about her all of the time because when she began editing my images in November 2021, she gave me my life back. 

I began to sleep 7-8 hours per night for the first time in years. The mysterious nervy pain in my neck and wrist subsided. I began to feel more present for dinner and returned to the morning rituals that help me feel centered. I experienced true days (and weeks) off where I got to vacation without photos to edit and client deadlines looming over me. 

You know how food just tastes better when the cook loves the experience of cooking? That’s how Maggie has improved my work via editing. Her passion for the artistry is evident in the end product. I imagine her approaching her standing desk, stretching her wrists and neck, and saying “I am so excited to edit these images.” I think that’s actually how she feels about editing, which is, of course, in stark contrast to how I feel about editing. 

Prior to photographing their proposal, I’d never met her boyfriend, Michael, but I felt like I knew him because Maggie talks about Michael all the time. Their devotion to each other is sweet, and they’ve been together since high school or maybe before that. That true soulmate type of love. 

When he reached out via Instagram for some help finding a photographer to photograph their proposal, I sent him a few options, and at the end of the message I said “I’d be happy to do it for you.” 

Wait, you would? 

Yes. 

But, he didn’t have the budget to pay for my travel. 

Who cares— another client will. 

When would it happen? 

The weekend of my birthday. Serendipity. Meant to be. 

I’ve been at this photography thing long enough now that people new in the industry want to know how I’ve done it. How did I go from begging my friends to let me photograph them to running a super successful photography studio? I’ve always looked for the signs. I believe “coincidences” are the way in which the Divine nudges me.

I said yes in March, but on the day of their proposal in May, I wanted to throw up, all day in anticipation, as I did early in my career. I couldn’t quite figure out how to get to Governor’s Island, and I knew I didn’t want to be on the same ferry as them. Fancy seeing you here, Maggie. I’m just taking the ferry wearing three cameras like I always do. Their ferry was late, adding to my already overwhelming anxiety. When they finally arrived, I could see her. She is tall and stunning in a confident yet nonchalant way.  If I could see her, I knew she could see me, so I ducked down into a cabana with four or five men. I was wearing my Contax and a Sony as well as a Leica, so they knew something was about to go down.

My friend is about to get engaged. I was nearly hyperventilating.I haven’t had a panic attack in many years, but I was weak in the knees. I have played this tape back a dozen times since then. Why was I so afraid? She was definitely going to say yes. It was just I couldn’t be the one to give it away. 

Get in here, Honey. The boys made a place for me. Do you need a margarita? 

Absolutely not. 

When Michael got down on one knee, the boys cheered, and I remembered how to click the shutter and suddenly felt like I could breathe again. 

That night we created some portraits. Maggie has always encouraged me in my work. Not everyone will value the artistry of what you do, she told me one time. 

She’s a beautiful person, inside and out. One of those old souls who spews wisdom of a person twice her age. Her talent for editing is beyond anything I’ve seen. (And, it’s worth mentioning that I’d hired and fired a few editors prior to her.) 

I felt nervous to send her the photos. The film took forever. It was, of course, worth the wait. We joked on the night of their proposal, “Hey, I know a great editor!” Don’t worry– I didn’t make her edit her own photos. Although there was this unfortunate bicycle parked by the fence line, and I do think she removed it for me.

I loved photographing this moment and seeing her shock when she realized that “the photographer” was me. This was a moment I’ll never forget. I have the best job. It’s the people who make it so. 

Loren and I did our first branding session together in 2017, and it’s been incredible to create content and photography for her through each season. She owns The Studio, a yoga studio on South Jennings  in the Near Southside of Fort Worth, and she does web design, logo, and coaching for business owners via her business, Level Up with Loren. She frequently sends her design clients to me for photos, and I recommend her design services to many of my branding photography clients, too. It’s a beautiful collaboration, and she’s easy to recommend because of her attention to detail, professionalism, and creativity. 

She sends out a newsletter each month, and this month asked about what’s blooming in your life. It gave me pause. If you’ve been around here a minute, you know I love to garden, and honestly I haven’t made much time for it this year. This week I noticed that some of the delicate appearing plants that I cut back down to the ground before winter have returned— smaller but more vibrant than before, and I thought, “Wow, there are some instructions for growing through life.” I could unpack it for a while how we are not meant to bloom all the time and how sometimes things fall apart and then later come back together more beautifully, the strength of the unseen inner resource, and so forth. I’m still figuring out what’s blooming in this season, but as I look around I feel grateful for the people who have supported me along the way. How beautiful is this studio branding session?! We created a couple of distinct looks for a mini refresh. 

You can see all of my branding package options HERE. If you’re an entrepreneur in need of some new images and content, I’d love to help. 

This project to create product / e-commerce photography for a kids hooded towel line called Baba and Bear was so fun. These towels are soft and plush, and as any mom knows, an absolute necessity when kids get out of the pool. The creator of this line specifically wanted a towel that doubled as a poncho so the kids could carry their own stuff to and fro the beach. It is as they say “Necessity is the mother of invention.”