The Bright Sides of 2021

Looking Back with Great Expectations

Let’s be frank, the last two years have been a lot. 

And I mean, bring-you-to-your-knees uncertainty, make-you-see-everything-in-a-new-light a lot.

2021 was no exception. 

We started the year at a standstill in lockdown. We ended the year sprinting to the finish line on a dance floor at a New Year’s Eve wedding with over 400 people in attendance. 

It was one of the most challenging years of my 15-year career, and it was one of the most meaningful. I learned more in 2021 than in any of the years before. I saw the things we do so well, and the things we don’t. What we love, what we need to let go of. Summing it up, the last year, and well, really, two, have been wild. I’m sure you might be feeling the same. 

As photographer and trailblazer Annie Leibowitz said so well:

“By looking back you’ll know how to go forward.” 

Amen. 

So in honor of that, and kicking off the new year, let’s take a look back at just *some* (we have far too many amazing clients and special events to consider this list complete!) of the incredible moments of 2021. 

My hope is that you’ll take the opportunity to do the same in your own life. 

Here’s to you, 2021…

1. Celebrating 25 Years of Monique Lhuillier

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At the end of March 2020, we were scheduled to travel to Cartagena, Columbia to photography Monique Lhuillier’s most recent collection. When COVID hit, and the lockdown that followed, we were hopeful we would still be able to go. And then the borders shut. Little did we know what was in store. 

Like so many people, our excitement turned to disappointment as reality slowly set in. This year, we were finally able to create the shoot we hoped for and help Monique celebrate 25 years of design and the launch of her new coffee table book (more on that soon!). After years of waiting, we returned to Lake Como and Cartagena to create again!

2. Jaclyn + Nick’s Amangiri Wedding

Beautiful surprises are often hidden in the folds of unexpected changes and that was absolutely the case for our lovely clients Jaclyn and Nick. After 2020, their plan for a 300-person Santa Barbara wedding turned into a multi-day event for their immediate family of 12—at the other-worldly location of Amagiri in remote Utah. 

The result was one of the most intimate and remarkable destination weddings we’ve had the honor to photograph, complete with a journey into slot canyons and horseback riding. 

3. Hallie + Peter’s Croatia Engagement

There’s nothing I love more than dreaming together with my clients to uncover how we can create incredible photographs and remarkable experiences. Hallie and Peter shared my desire to have an adventurous and elevated engagement session.

Pairing it with a pre-planned trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia provided them with the opportunity to capture their shared love of travel. Through Old Town Dubrovnik, we explored and captured them in their element––embracing new lands and cultures, hand in hand.

4. Bella Belle Shoes

Shooting and creating for brands presents incredible opportunities to be creative as well as challenges to overcome. It also gives me the chance to collaborate with other creatives, which really brings the inspiration to new heights. It’s something I look forward to each and every time. 

Collaborating with Bella Belle was certainly a highlight, especially for the delight of working alongside Joy Proctor and Ale Vidal for this incredible campaign. 

5. Olga + Maurice’s Cabo Wedding

Olga and Maurice hosted a fantastically fun wedding at one of my new favorite properties in Mexico, the Four Seasons Los Cabos. With a Wednesday welcome event and a Thursday wedding, they cleared the way for a day of rest and Shabbat on Friday, and then finished with a Burning Man-style beach party on Saturday. It was one of my favorite wedding schedules to date and loaded with incredible design courtesy of JZ Events.

6. The Most Breathtaking Design

In what was one of the most impressively designed weddings we’ve ever photographed, this one pulled out all the stops. It’s always an honor to work with the industry’s best, and collaborating with Mindy Weiss for this special event was a dream.

7. Being Bold with Fashion

Early in the year, I collaborated with friend and fashion powerhouse Micaela Erlanger on a personal project. The idea: boldness. 

It felt like a timely concept with us all stepping back into the public world and when I shoot for myself, the idea is always to push the boundaries. We did just that in this editorial and that is where we often find the magic. 

8. The Monique Lhuillier Book

We helped Monique Lhuillier celebrate 25 years of design (seriously impressive) and were honored to have one of our images grace the cover and several images inside her debut coffee table book. Monique is truly an inspiration. Her passion and dedication to her craft after 25 years is something I aspire too.

9. Kristie + Jeth’s New York Engagement

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The recurring theme of 2021 was unexpected changes—and the beauty of unexpected opportunities. And after having to delay our December trip to Africa due to Omicron, we found ourselves stateside and able to fly North for the late-December New York engagement session of Kristie and Jeth. While NYC showed us it’s colder side (as in sub-freezing!), we explored the city and documented these two just days before Christmas—making it extra special. 

10. Stephanie + Pete’s Merida Wedding

After postponing for a year, we finally were able to travel to Merida, Mexico for the incredible wedding of Stephanie, of The Style Bungalow, and her fiancé Pete. Stephanie’s distinct fashion style and design vision brought to life the culture and richness of the Yucatan. I can’t wait to share more of the images with you! In the meantime, check out their impossibly chic engagement session.

11. A Family Portrait

And while we rarely make it in front of the camera ourselves, the new addition to our family called for a proper family portrait. Meet Rue—our foster pup turned adoptee. Taken by friend and photographer Chelsea Ann, we were grateful for a snap that captured us all in 2021. 

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With what was a rollercoaster of a year, filled with so many highs, celebrations, disappointments and hardships, it was certainly a year of meaning and one that taught us a lot. Mainly, how grateful we are to create, to gather and to share stories and connections with each and everyone of you. 

We’re looking ahead with lots of hope and gratitude for all the opportunity and magic that 2022 has in store.