Somehow, the start of a new year is always surprising. Not surprising in that, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming!” kind of way, but surprising at how fast the year seems to have gone by. I love taking the time to reflect on the year and look back at how far I’ve come (here’s a look back at 2009 and 2010), and also to consider the goals I have for the year ahead. Ah, I find it such a refreshing time! So here’s a look at a few snippets from 2011, and some goals for the coming year.

Highlights/Things I’m proud of:

–Documentary work in Guatemala. Oh, how I love Latin America and its people! I could go on for some time about this one, and I do feel it deserves its own post. But for now, I’ll say that I was so blessed to be able to go on this trip with my sister and her church in August. Thank you to all of you who supported us in our trip.

–Second shooting a few weddings (one of my goals).

–Shooting a bunch of portraits in the spring (also one of my goals).

–Shooting my first wedding(s)! I don’t think I could have been more nervous, but it was such an amazing time. Having Rich there as a support and second shooter really helped. I feel so blessed and honored to have been a part of Kyle and Dana’s and Evan and Hilary’s wedding days.

–Tackling off-camera flash! This was a goal of mine for 2011…well, it was actually around manual flash, but I learned oodles and oodles by reading Speedliter’s Handbook by Syl Arena about both those things. I used an off-camera set up at one of the receptions, and I experimented with it for portraits as well. I’m pretty stoked about the results, though I know I have a long way to go and can’t wait to practice more.

–Growing in my faith. There have definitely been some challenges this year, but I can truly say that I’ve grown closer to God this year in many facets, from learning to pray more often to relying on Him for provision. I’m blessed to be on this journey with Him and desire continued growth and change in my heart.

Things I could have done better:

–Had a work schedule for photography.
–Had a schedule and plan for my entire workflow.
–Watched less TV and wasted less time online (i.e., facebook). Time suckers. Distractions. I want to live life doing the things I love!

2012 Goals:

–January Simplicity–>disconnect from the noise and chaos of technology. No facebook (only logging on once a week to respond to messages), very little TV (2 favorite shows/week). Instead, spend time: walking the dog, with God, with my hubby, making photographs, reading, writing. See where January Simplicity Adventure takes me in living a simpler (less distracted) life.

–Complete a 52 Project: 1 photograph per week. Shoot with intention.

–Passionately pursue more documentary and humanitarian work–study and learn from humanitarian photographers (David duChemin), take a Spanish class, continue contact with Food for the Hungry and take a trip to document their work.

–Create work schedule for photography.

There are more, several more, but for now they are on my whiteboard calendar that sits by my desk. Each month, I break down some steps I want to take towards those bigger goals into goals I have for that month (and I LOVE crossing them off when I accomplish them!). If you haven’t done it yet, it’s still a great time to think about 2011 and plan for 2012. What are 3 things you’re proud of, 3 things you could have done better, and 3 goals for the coming year? Write them down, and in a year (or two, or three), you’ll be amazed when reflecting back on just how far you’ve come!

Blessings on this wonderful journey!