At the end of last year in My 2010: the best bits I said how much of a life-changing year 2010 had been for me, as my first full year of working totally for myself as a photographer, and how I was hoping for a bit more balance in the coming year. As with many things in life, things didn’t really follow the plan and 2011 has been even more life-changing than the year before – for both professional and personal reasons this year has been so pivotal and unbelievably emotional.

On a professional level, I feel very much that after the crazy first year of setting everything up and finding my feet, this was the year in which I finally found my confidence and my personal style and voice as a photographer. A huge factor in this has been the personal 365 project I began at the start of the year, which has given me so much more than I ever expected it to. Professionally, it has helped to inject freshness and variety into my photography by forcing me to shoot things that I’d never usually take the time to focus on. It completely refuelled my passion for photography and helped me to think more creatively about how to present my subjects in my other streams of work. It also helped me to stop pigeon-holing myself professionally and to focus on developing myself as a photographer and artist, rather than specifically as a wedding photographer or a portrait photographer, and this freedom has been so exciting for me and opened up a whole new raft of possibilities for projects in the future. Personally, it has been so cathartic – a creative outlet through which I was able to reflect on and document this year’s rollercoaster of ups and downs. I’ll write a little more about this 365 project in a separate round-up post devoted to the project, but suffice to say it became a photographic diary for one of the most emotional years of my life, one which started with terrible sadness but which has ended with unbelievable joy.

As with last year, this year’s work has been filled with the pleasure of working with hundreds of amazing people and being part of the warmth and fun they share with their families and friends. It’s been chock full of love and laughter and I’m so grateful to be able to continue to do this fun, exciting and emotional work. Thank you so much to all the couples, families and individuals who put themselves in front of my camera this year and brought me so much happiness. It’s been an amazing year. Here is my 2011…….