How do you encapsulate an entire year’s worth of time in just a few short sentences? Let me tell you, it’s really hard! This past year was a rollercoaster for me. There were highs and lows around every corner. Personally, it was an extremely challenging year for me. My brother was hospitalized because of a flesh-eating bacteria, and his life was potentially in limbo. Thankfully, after several surgeries later, he was released from the hospital and suffered no loss from the bacteria. My mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers around 7 years ago, and was finally able to find housing to provide more intensive care for her needs. While it alleviated some pressures for my father at home, it is still extremely heavy for us. I share these things because they shape how I photograph weddings. When my mother was first diagnosed, it didn’t really hit me. Not much in my day-to-day was shifted, and she seemed pretty normal still. As time progressed, we could see the memory drop. Little things here and there, repeated questions, and forgetting to do small things. About 3 years ago, it really hit me when she asked the same question twice within 10 minutes.

I remember my first wedding after that night. During the parent dances I just started crying. I wondered if I would ever be able to have a mother/son dance of my own with her. We’re not really a sentimental family, and it’s such a standard tradition for weddings, but the thought of potentially not having one of those dances with my mom wrecked me that night. I started to understand the importance of photographing parents at weddings just a little bit more than I had in the past. From then on, I made sure to talk to all the parents of each bride and groom a little bit more than I had historically. The intention shifted for me when any parent was around their soon-to-be-wed child. I would try and look for their subtle smiles, or soft tears if they were there. 

While the things that happened in my life were, and still are challenging at times – they are shaping how I see and document weddings. It’s difficult, and also really good at the same time. I often tell couples that I’m thankful for my experiences in life because they shift how I see wedding days. This year has amplified that. Again, I believe in the positive. Being a wedding photographer is something I do not take for granted. I truly love that this has turned into a career. 

As I look back on 2024, I’m incredibly grateful for the couples who allowed me to step into their lives and photograph one of the most important days of their lives. This year felt like the year of backyard weddings. Maybe a quarter of my weddings had their reception in the yard of a parent’s home. To me, this is incredibly special because you’re getting to make more core memories in such a special place. This year held laughter, it had tears, and it held a lot of beautiful memories. This blog represents a snapshot of the past year’s engagement sessions and weddings. It is nearly impossible to pin down 1-2 photos from each wedding, or every part of a wedding day. These images might not even be the best moments from any specific wedding, but they are some of my favorites – and that’s why they’re here. Most are on digital, some are on film. 

As always, thank you for taking a peek at this post, and if you’ve read everything that I’ve written, I appreciate you so much for taking time out of your full day to read and look at what I’ve shared. 

All the love,

Gabe