Olivia Leigh Photographie Blog :: Photos and Experiences from a Chicago Wedding Photographer

I was recently talking to someone who has known me very well for the past two years or so. We were chatting about how different this year has been for me, how many changes I have seen in my work, my personal life, my own life. We reflected on where we were last year around this time; what our states of mind were, how we were feeling about the year that was to come, etc. To be honest, I was pretty terrified about 2009. I was so excited about the couples that I had booked for 2008, but it was my first year as a solely full-time photographer, and I had absolutely no idea how 2009 would shape up to be.

Needless to say, it shaped up to be phenomenal.

I have been reflecting on 2009 for the past few weeks, and I feel such a strange and wonderful mix of humbled, surprised, excited, flattered, and many other emotions of the positive variety. My clients this year were, in a word, wonderful. Just absoultely wonderful. I watched the slideshow that I made below and felt so excited for all of them — for all of you — remembering back to their wedding days and how incredible all of them were. I think what has struck me most about the clients I have met this year has been their overwhelming authenticity. They are such true people, so kind, so honest, so real, and I hope the truth of who they are as people and as couples has come across for their friends and families, as well as readers of this little blog.

I know my words are flowery, emotional, maybe silly to some. My friends make fun of me sometimes for saying how amazing all my clients are, such that I tried to go into a few weddings this year thinking “It will just be an okay wedding. They will be just ‘nice.’ Not amazing, or the nicest groom ever, or the most thoughtful bride ever, or whatever superlative I might choose for them.’” but every couple has really shown me unique things this year, been brought to me at I think the right time to be able to show me something I needed or wanted to see.

It was a wonderful year.

I hope you all enjoy this little retrospective slideshow I made with my favourite wedding photos of the year. There are a lot of images. I am not a very judicious person, unfortunately, and I doubt many of you will sit through the whole thing, but I hope a few of you enjoy it. There are actually two weddings missing from it — a great wedding from the History Museum last weekend, and one from the Modern Wing tomorrow (!), but those will be coming soon.

Thank you so much to all of my clients this year. Really truly, you were the best and I don’t ever know if I will get a better group of clients in a year. Thanks to everyone who took me to amazing places around this country! Thanks to the amazing couples for 2010 that have already booked me and made me much less nervous about 2010.  Thanks to all the photographers I worked with this year including Daniel Kreiger in NYC, Debbie Hinz in Minneapolis, Kelsey Thompson in D.C., and Luis Bueno and Frank Lieu in Chicago, and my intern Jordan Freeman. Thank you also to all the vendors who have been so fantastic this year (too many to name), particularly Natalie Walsh at Hello, Darling; Renny Pederson and crew at Bliss Weddings + Events; the amazing, amazing group of people at Kehoe Designs; Kiri and Brett at Pen Carlson; Josh and Melissa Mitchell at Continuum Photography; and Carolyn Dunahoo at Sutton Place,  all of whom have been particularly encouraging of my business and its growth this year.  Thanks as always, too, to my wonderful parents who were so helpful when I started this little business, my wonderful friends (Laura!), and my wonderful boyfriend, Joel, who has learned more about weddings in the past nine months than any twenty-something guy deserves to.

I hope everyone has a blessed holiday season and a wonderful New Year’s Day. My studio will be closed Dec 22-27, and Dec 31-Jan 4. Can’t wait for 2010.