2018 – Wow, What A Year!

2018 has been more than I could have ever hoped for. That’s not to say its been without hardships and challenges. This year I have learnt so much about myself along with many other things. I always enjoy putting together these end of year highlights, I don’t want to dwell on past misfortunes when the premise of a brand new year is on the horizon. So please bear in mind that when reading through this post, I’m focusing on all the good points and moments of this past year. It’s quite a lengthy one so you may want to grab a cuppa.

I couldn’t mention all the amazing moments this year without starting with one of the people I hold most dearly to me, Ollie. We have had another incredible year together and celebrated our 3rd Anniversary together this April and we got to spend time off together which I cherished every moment of. Over Easter we visited the Yorkshire Dales for the week with Ollie’s family and family friends. We had such a lovely week walking through the Dales, one of my goals this year was to explore more of the UK together so I’m so glad we had that week together. In July my family spent a staycation in Thorpeness on the Suffolk Coast, one of my family’s favourite places to visit. We followed this up by moving into our first flat together as a couple. In September we went to Paris for a long weekend together that coincided with a gig Ollie had in Paris at the Eiffel Tower of all places, that’s a night I won’t be forgetting in a hurry. In November Ollie graduated which was a memorable day, I’m so proud of all he’s achieved at uni these past 4 years but I’m even more excited for what the next year has in store for him. The year ends seeing Ollie in Aberdeen performing in the orchestra as part of the city’s pantomime. I can’t wait for us to be reunited together in the new year.

Being freelance certainly has its ups and downs, but this year saw me conquer 3 years of being a freelance photographer and I’m very proud of that. I’m very much looking forward to making 2019 the best year yet, but I can’t help but reflect on all the amazing shoots, clients and individuals that I have worked with this year. At the start of the year I began working with We Are Twinset, they were my first shoot of the year and also my last! I have loved working with Philippa and Sarah and am looking forward to working with them again in 2019 and experimenting with more filming for their Youtube channel. I have continued to work with West Elm, Tanya Burr and La Redoute this year and am glad to have retained relationships with these brands and clients whom I’ve shot for in previous years.

In the summer I shot behind the scenes photos for the Girl vs Cancer and saw my friend Lauren expand her charity tees and campaign upped to the next level. After attending an event with Teapigs in May I was asked if I’d be up for being a brand ambassador and I couldn’t have been more honoured to be asked. My family have been tea obsessed for as long as I can remember, so trying all of their amazing blends is always such a treat. In September I shot a look book in Lille for La Redoute with Kat Farmer from Does My Bum Look 40. This year also saw my first invite to a press trip with one of my favourite brands Joules and it was for Mother’s Day so I got to treat my Mum to the entire trip too. We’ve been talking about the trip to Watergate Bay in Cornwall all year and are going to have to book another trip soon. I also shot for Joules a few months later in Aldeburgh for their Beach Clean event. The last three months of this year saw me reunited with an old friend Isabella. We’ve known each other and shot together for 3 years, and before the year was out I accompanied her on the most amazing trip to Meribel. My most recent blog posts have been from this trip and there are some more photos to come soon too.

Friendships have been a strong theme running throughout my year, my best friend Emily and I visited Budapest together in February and we’ve been meaning to plan another trip together ever since, fingers crossed we’ll get one in the diary for 2019! I met the gorgeous Charlotte when we shot together for our ‘Create & Inspire’ series discussing her amazing brand ‘Charlotte Elizabeth’ and we’ve been friends ever since, 2019 is going to be an incredible year for her. I also finally got to meet Kirsty and its safe to say we’re going to know each other forever, she’s a gem! My friend Sarah invited me along to Field Day with her thanks to the invite from Superdry and we bonded over how much were young nana’s at heart. My relationship with my Mum’s become stronger and closer than ever this year, we’ve always been close but I’m just so grateful to know I can always rely on her no matter what, same goes for my Dad and I am so so grateful for that and the relationship we have.

Not forgetting family and seeing my two little nephews both grow into cheeky little chaps this past year, they are constantly surprising me and I know that they will not stop learning and surprising next year! I have also managed to achieve some personal goals this year. I am still using my bullet journal which continues to be the only journal system I have ever managed to stick to. I wrote and shared my mental health story earlier this year and its something I’d like to discuss and write more about in the new year. I continued to shoot with film and document it via my 35mm Diaries series but didn’t shoot as much as I would have liked, hopefully something I’ll be able to work on in the new year.

2018 you were a corker but I cannot wait to see what the next chapter has in store. Stay tuned for my new years post to let you know the new goals I’ll be setting for 2019! Finally the year wouldn’t be complete without saying a massive thank you to you all for reading the blog, your comments and support means so very much to me. I see every like and comment over on instagram too as well as all my amazing subscribers on the ‘Remember, Rewind & Reset’ newsletter. The eagle eyed of you will have noticed there hasn’t been one for December but with Christmas I have delayed it until next week. Sending you all a massive hug and a humongous thank you from me, you are all AMAZING!! Wishing you all the very best year ahead in 2019!

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