Exhaustion and Gratitude

Spring has brought its usual flurry of activity. I am nearly finished up with one wedding and about to dig into the editing for two more, all while doing pre-work and prep for an additional four that are coming up and have yet to be actually shot. That is on top of three boudoir sessions, a handful of portraits, a few engagement sessions, a smattering of head shots, and a couple of other various events and things that need my attention. As always, I am not complaining, because busy is good and busy is completely preferable to bored. I am feeling a deep and yet strangely satisfying form of exhaustion, the type of exhaustion that only comes from knowing that you are getting near the end of one project while several others wait, knowing that a lot of people are relying on you, and feeling intensely glad for all of these things. My job and my life are never boring, never dull, perpetually busy, and always full of blessings. For this, I am grateful despite the deep tiredness inherent in these things and this workload. I can handle it. 

Falling Through Fall

I say this every year, when I hit my high stress levels as fall gets deeper and deeper into its crazy throes, that I shouldn't shoot weddings in the Autumn. Never, never again, I tell myself, and then every year I have a fit of amnesia and forget how hard it is to try and post-process a wedding in a timely and efficient manner while also dealing with HHN, portraits, and the pre-holiday rush, and I do it all again. This year I double-whammied myself with one wedding in September and then another one less than three weeks after that in early October. Add those to my Horror Nights shot load and various other things and toss in an early November wedding that I just photographed, and I'm just about at my max right now...and I still have the Horror Nights party circuit to assist with planning and execution of. Yeesh. At least I'm conditioned for low amounts of sleep...that's my saving grace. 

So I say it here, committing it to digital paper: never, never again. Until next year when I inevitably forget. 

Even still, check out some of these beauties from my recent weddings. They ARE quite pretty...I suppose that makes it all okay. 

Summer Slammed

I'm getting ready to travel out to Colorado for the first of two weddings I'll be shooting in the rockies this year; next week, Sheena and Max will say "I Do" at Ascension Lutheran Church in Littleton and then celebrate with their family and friends at the beautiful Denver Botanic Gardens for their reception. I'm greatly looking forward to this; it's going to be a gorgeous day! Then in September, I'll return to Colorado once more for the wedding of Grant and Jyssica; this time the big day will take place at a lovely lodge in the mountains, and I simply can't wait.

Things here on the home front are chugging right along as well; along with the two Colorado weddings, we're busily planning some weddings here in the Sunshine State as well; Allison and Jon will be married in early October, and Bryan and Phalicia say their vows on the beach in Jupiter in November. Next year we're already booked for the nuptials of Nikki and Stephen in March for their wedding in Auburndale, and then we'll head down to Key West for Kristen and Thomas's awesome wedding on the Schooner Western Union and the weekend of partying to follow in the Southernmost City. All this on top of our usual portrait sessions, events, and an on-going contract fashion project for a local screen-printing and apparel company. And of course, just as always, the specter of Halloween Horror Nights looms larger every day; we have some really cool kick-off festivities for the Season this year and auditions are rapidly approaching. Suffice to say, it's an exciting and very, very busy time for us; but I'll say it again...busy is good and you won't hear any complaining from this happy photographer!

Enough from me for now. I'll leave you with this: we're celebrating summer with a portrait session giveaway to kick off the season of fun in the sun. If you want a crack at winning the session, simply visit www.rachel-sullivan-photography.com and click on the summer portrait giveaway tab. Want to earn some bonus points? You got it. After you fill out the form to enter the contest on our website, hop over to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rachelsullivanphotography and leave a comment on our WALL, and we'll gladly double your entry into the contest. Twice as much chance to win, whoopee!

Hoping you are all well, happy, healthy, and behaving yourselves!