It's been quite the year of adventures! I love looking back on my goals to see which ones I achieved and which ones might carry over ;)
Magazine Article
One of my big goals was to be published with my own full article in Click Magazine. I applied as soon as I wrote my goals last year and was immediately accepted which was so exciting. Not only that but when it came to it, I was given a 6 PAGE SPREAD!!!
I am thrilled with how it turned out and loved seeing my photos and words in print in such a well respected international magazine!
Travel
We wanted to travel more this year and we certainly managed that!
We visited family abroad in Kenya and France, had lovely holidays in Belgium and Dubai and Nik and I even got away for our 12th anniversary with a short getaway in Malaga using the prize I won last year from H10 Hotels.
I also loved getting to enjoy a couple of great business trips to Scotland and Spain. You can read more about all of these trips in my travel round-up here.
Health
It's no secret that for the last 4 months I've been focussing on my health. This was actually a goal from 3 years ago before I turned 40 but for various reasons I struggled to stick with it.
I'm happy to say that with the help of my new coach and personal trainer, Nicolle, I'm thriving on my new fitness plan!
I've lost almost 3 stone, feel great and can wear my old clothes again (and a few newer smaller ones)! It seems I'm partial to a sequin number!
Prioritising my health meant I had to take a step back from business recently, there's only so much I can manage to fit in a day but I'm happy to say I'm already fully booked in January despite my lack of marketing and I'm raring to get back into my office (once I clear it out of the piles that have been building up on my desk of various non-urgent things to deal with).
I have also been sharing some of my tips and healthy recipes on the blog here if you fancy reading more about it or trying some of my yummy but low calorie meals yourself.
Awards
After spending 2022 focussing hard on my business and seeing great success, I wanted to find a little more balance this year between creating for others and for myself. I wanted to spend time on creative projects as well as entering awards again. They're fun and a great way to look back and evaluate my own work.
I'm pleased to say I have had some exciting successes with a few Honourable Mentions, Editor's Choice Awards, a blog feature and another Vogue acceptance.
I've also just received the news that I am the Lifestyle Photographer's Association's 4th TOP Business Photographer in the world in 2023! (2nd in the UK!) Pretty chuffed with that, especially after I missed the summer contest so only entered two of the 3 contests it's based on. Here are my Pro Awards from 2023...
And in the final competition of the year I also received my first gold medal for this one of Victoria...
Projects
In early 2023 I had lots of project ideas, hoping to expand on my Paint Project with local artists (I only managed one so far but have a few others in the pipeline). This is very much an ongoing project and I'm always looking for more local artists to collaborate with so do get in touch if you are interested or know someone who might be!
One project really took off in a splendid way! My charity headshot fundraiser was a great success, raising £1853 so far (there are some donations yet to trickle in). I photographed 32 amazing people in 2023 in return for their donations to Rainbow Trust Children's Charity and I adore the gallery filled with so many different colours and personalities!
Above are just a few favourites. You can read more about this project here.
A new BFF and business partner
Whilst I was in Dubai on our family holiday, something rather special happened. I wrote about my "holiday friendship romance" on my blog at the time and how meeting Natalie led to not only a great friendship but also a brilliant new business! Camera Chameleons was born out of a mutual love of colour, fun and creativity and we are delighted to be running our first workshop retreat here in Brighton in April 2024!
(We still have a few spaces available if you'd like to join us!)
Photoshoots
Of course there have been some amazing client shoots too, often with an apple and/or green theme this year, and I've loved it! A great mixture of headshots, lifestyle and products to really tell the story of these awesome brands and show the personalities behind the businesses throughout the seasons.
I've also really enjoyed photographing lots of photographers, despite the nerve-wracking pressure! Lol.
Where I Failed - Top Tips
Well, it probably doesn't come as a surprise that I am yet to be consistent emailing my list of Iridescent Insiders! Ha, this one is definitely number one on my list of goals for 2024.
I have however still been sharing tips, on Instagram where I'm post most regularly and of course, here on my blog. I've almost finished writing my series on Colour Theory And Your Brand and will be sharing more of these posts in the new year. See part one, the introduction, and part two (red) here.
2024 Goals
So watch out for next year's goals. Ideas usually hit me in Jan and Feb when things are quieter and I have more time to reflect and plan!