The older I get the more I fall in love with what I do, and the further I dive into my business the more I learn about myself. The harder things get in my business, the more I learn… and the older I get – the more I love to learn. I am a super nerd for my photography business; for photographing weddings, engagements, families, toddlers, and my own family, vacations, wild life and all the things I capture not for profit.

I said to some friends last night over dinner that some times, in my business, I ask myself why I’m doing what I’m doing. Some days I want to give up because it’s hard and I feel like I can’t win. But I’m a really stubborn person. The kind of stubborn that when I start something, I wont quit. Unless of course it becomes something that could harm me emotionally or physically – we all have to learn when to say that enough is enough and it’s time to move on. But ultimately, I’m the kind of stubborn that reverse psychology works on. If you tell me I can’t, I wont cry and say ok and walk away; instead, my blood will boil a little, I’ll probably curse a lot (sorry Mom), and ultimately I’ll prove you wrong.

So although I do have days that are hard in business and almost make me want to quit… or I have short moments of envying those with a 9-5er who get to shut it down and go home (because my brain never shuts down even if I turn off my computer for the night… which I don’t even do because, what if something comes up and I need to send an email or look something up? Am I supposed to wait for the computer to start up all over again? No thanks.) – 99.9% of the time I love running my own business. It is worth every tear I have shed over it, every sleepless night I have experienced, every drip of sweat that has formulated in moments of chaos, and every ounce of self doubt I have felt. Because at the end of the day I have created this company… I get to live my passion and share it with others; and truly the greatest reward of all – is hearing how happy my clients are. I genuinely, deeply thrive on creating beautiful work that brings tears of joy to people’s eyes… And in times of deep sadness I have often received emails from past clients telling me how grateful they are that I captured such special moments with loved one’s who have since left this earth. To me that is priceless.

I get to freeze moments in time for people. Time goes by too quickly… and memories are all we have at the end of it all. My greatest honor is being able to stop time for people in the form of photographs that allow them to relive those glory days. Everything I capture, for profit or for fun, I capture with intense love, care, and a deep respect for those who will receive it knowing that each moment is a treasure. I will never put my camera down.

If you’re struggling today with why – I hope this blog post reminds you to search for your “why” and remember that it’s worth the struggle.

Onto a wedding that still makes me smile from ear to ear. I loved working with Desiree & Dustin and their families. Desiree’s father had me laughing all day, along with everyone else. Through his jokes and silliness, his absolute adoration for his daughter was so evident… as was the love between Desiree & Dustin. Take a look at some of the priceless moments from their day:

For more information on wedding photography in Orange County or around the globe – please visit http://www.BriannaCaster.com and say hello! 🙂

Also – if you’re not already following me on instagram, please do so: @briannacaster

❤