Since I didn’t manage to post a year in review blog for 2013, I definitely wanted to make sure to share one this year. And even though I’m excited to share what a fun and blessed year it was, I want this blog to mostly be a thank you. A thank you to my incredible clients for trusting me to capture their memories in a creative and beautiful way, a thank you to my friends for staying my friends even though I missed hanging out on weekends way more this year than in previous years, a thank you to my wife for believing in me and cheering me on as photography provides more and more great opportunities, as well as a thank you to Javi, my good friend and assistant, for helping make the work I create possible.
Before I get in to my images and some of the moments I’m most proud of from this past year, I want to start this blog post making much of my assistant Javi. I’ve known him since he was 16 years old and I first asked him to hold a light for me on a senior shoot. He now is my main assistant and 2nd shooter and it’s been amazing watching his eye and his talent grow with every wedding. I love that when he started that he really didn’t know anything about photography and now I can trust him to go shoot whatever I ask, has launched his own website this year, started building his own client base, and is beginning to find his own voice as a creative. Check out his work here: Zavier Aguirre Photography
I wanted to do more than just talk about how great he’s become but instead show you – so here are just a few of my favorite moments/images he’s captured as well as a few fun ones to start with since he also serves as my lighting test subject for family portraits!
Sorry i’m not sorry for posting this Javi. 
I love that I can trust Javi to capture a completely different angle, especially during moments like a first look. Kevin and Rachel wanted to do a more unique first look where they would open up these sliding doors in their home so that they saw each other at the same time. Javi and I were able to place ourselves at such an angle where we could get each person’s expression while also not getting in to each other’s shot. I love how this moment turned out.
While these next two images are mine, it’s photos like these that wouldn’t be possible without Javi. We typically are able to get 2 very different looks to our images during a first dance and this look is always my favorite. Javi will hide behind the couple and point a strobe back at them so that it wraps around them creating this glowing affect. The second image is captured in the same manner and Javi will run around to the other side of the exit vehicle so we can potentially get the last few moments as the couple is about to leave.
Thanks Javi for your hard work and dedication to the craft – love what we get to create together!
2014 was a rather crazy year with a jump from 18 weddings in 2013 to 29 this year. That may not seem like a lot to some photographers but it was for me considering that 21 of the 29 fell within an 18 week stretch. It was also fun getting to travel a bit more and capture weddings all over Georgia as well as in Charleston, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Lonesome Valley in North Carolina, back near home out in the country in northwest Illinois, Sun Valley Idaho, as well as my first international wedding located in Ireland – this wedding was also published which I’ll highlight later in the post! It was humbling to watch the business grow so much this past year and grateful to see that things are shaping up to be the same if not better for 2015. Again, thank you so much to all of my amazing clients who make it possible for me to do what I do.
There are two things that I really try to seek and capture/create during a wedding day: creative portraits of my couple together and individually as well as moments that happen in a second but you will remember forever.
Here are some of my favorite images from 2014.
I was honored when an editor from Confetti Magazine based out of Dublin reached out about wanting to place a spread from Erin and Peter’s Cabra Castle wedding in their Autumn issue. Here’s the photos from the magazine as well as a few of my favorite’s from their day. 
