In the Fall of 2010, I wrote out a photography bucket list with hopes my list of to-do’s would find its way deep into the Universe’s soul and somehow “ping me” back with dreams comes true. It’s funny because I wrote that list so long ago and last year life was such a non-stop blur I never got the chance to look back at that list to see how I faired.

Well, I looked at it a few minutes ago and I honestly cannot believe how many of the things I was able to cross off my list …

• almost meeting our wedding goals for 2011 (just needed one more wedding — so close!)
• booking three destination weddings (Washington DC, the Bahamas, Akumal, and NY)
• shooting a wedding in Akumal (WOO HOO, yay Malia + Joshua for next week!!!)
• shooting an e-session in Central Park (Tammy + Kenny we LOVE you guys and can’t wait for your wedding in NY next month!)
• photography projects galore along with lots of donated sessions to good causes and awesome people
• lots of portrait sessions booked and shot (we have the best clients!)
• adding lenses to the collection? Yeah Canon owes me a big time Christmas Card with cookies + cupcakes LOL
• almost got the chance to take a photograph of my wonderful parents in Philippines in December 2011, but our trip got put on hold because of Mom’s battle with cancer (BUT she is doing great and the Philippines is in our future plans!)
• adding video to our services — YES Tommy is taking this by the reigns and we’ve got lots of photo+video clients booked and can’t wait to share these videos in the future

So listen up Internet, these are my dreams, my hopes, my goals and maybe somehow somewhere … someone will have that magic marker to check mark somethin off my list …

PHOTOGRAPHY BUCKET LIST 2012

1. Book at least 2 more weddings in 2012 and 15 weddings in 2013 — We’ve already been blessed with booking 10 weddings this year, so we’re hoping to add two more wonderful couples to that list. We’ve got an awesome wedding already booked for 2013 and hope to add at least 14 more next year. Each year we hope to increase the amount of weddings we shoot because we simply LOVE being a part of such a special day in a couple’s lives and relish in the opportunity to document moments that our couples and their families will treasure for a lifetime to come.

2. Shoot at least five destination weddings in the next two years, including one in Europe — As a destination wedding couple, Tommy and I absolutely LOVE the unique vibe that comes with destination celebrations. It is not only a wonderful celebration for all, but also gives way to so many fun and festive moments for the couple and their guests. Everyone is in vacation mode and we love the images and moments we’re able to capture with the atmosphere so at ease. And because we LOVE destination weddings so much — this includes in the U.S. or worldwide — we always offer couples an awesome “bucket list” destination wedding deal, so inquire within!! Yes Internet, we have passports and we will travel to any corner of this earth because traveling fuels our souls … To die for wedding locations? Hmmmmm …. anywhere in the tropics, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Canada, Australia, Italy, Spain, London and Greece. But who am I kidding? I would love to shoot anywhere really …

3. Shoot photos and video for a Southeast Asian (Indian) wedding before the end of 2013 — There are so many things that absolutely LOVE about these weddings … the colors, the 3-day celebrations, the incredibly gorgeous attire, the culture, the people. I hope that one day we’ll get the chance to be a part of such a beautiful occasion.

4. Take photos on the beaches of Thailand, Brazil, Australia and Costa Rica before the end of 2015 — Would I love to do shoot a wedding at any of these countries? HECK YES!! But I’d also be happy just to step foot in these places. And if that snapshot consists of me going all “Corona-beer-commercial” on you, then so be it. Being able to visit any of these countries would be a dream and the opportunity to shoot a wedding or engagement session on top of that would probably make me cry and squeal every other minute 😉

5. Shoot an Engagement Session or Wedding in San Francisco in 2013 — True indeed San Fran is just a 6-hour drive from home, but Tommy grew up in the Bay area and every time we visit I love the atmosphere even more. We’d love the chance to take some really fabulous photos of couple roaming the streets and capturing the architecture. I basically want to “Leave my heart in San Francisco” — yes that old school plug was for you Dad, see I do listen to your music xoxo

6. Launch my Beauty Portrait line for Women by the end of 2012 — A few months ago I spent the weekend enamored and glued to my computer watching a photography workshop by the incredibly talented Sue Bryce, who is an icon when it comes to creating beautiful portraits of women all over the world. Like her, I too believe that every woman should have at least one gorgeous photo of themselves. Being a woman, I know that there are times when I am filled with self-doubt and then there are those days where I feel like a rockstar. Well, I want women to always be able to find that inner rockstar and help remind them through my photos that the beautiful and vivacious spirit in them never dies … no matter what age, weight, or point of life you’re in. Beauty is forever in each and every woman and I’d love to photograph a lineage of beautiful ladies — from groups of families, generations, friends, etc. So stay tuned for details on this, I truly cannot wait to begin this project!!!

7. Get our images published in at least eight blogs/publications by the end of 2013 — This is the one thing I have really neglected to do since I started shooting and as someone who works full-time in the news industry as an Editor/Journalist I’m embarrassed 🙁 Perhaps my apprehension ties back to my insecurities of potential failure or rejection, but I know it’s something I have to just get over and just do. I’m really going to make a push to submit our work for publication and with a little luck and fingers crossed, I hope that our photos get picked up so our couples can get some shine!

8. Create and Photograph our own Styled Shoot by the end of 2012 — Styled shoots are so much fun, but also take a lot of careful planning. But I would love to organize one of these before the end of the year with a group of talented artists and vendors because these shoots often produce some of the most amazing images. And I always love working with others who aren’t afraid to mesh and combine ideas and inspirations into something pretty fabulous 🙂

9. Host our own Photography Workshop by mid 2013 — Yep, I said it. For more than a year now, we’ve gotten some emails from folks wanting to know if we’d be willing to take on interns, offer mentorships or do one-on-one sessions. Frankly, these emails always make me blush and most of the time it takes me days to respond because I’m not sure what to say. Tommy and I have been really blessed to have come so far in the two years we’ve been shooting but we also understand that we have so much more to learn before we can be confident in offering others something they will find of value to help them grow. It is definitely a goal of ours — well at least for me, LOL. But hopefully in the next year we’ll be making an announcement on hosting our own workshop because ever since I was little girl I’ve always wanted to be teacher who got apples 😀

10. Continue to forge lasting friendships with each of our couples — It’s not really a bucket list item but it is something that’s really important to us. We hope that with each couple we work with, we’ll continue to keep in touch and continue to photograph their lives as they progress … with anniversary sessions, maternity sessions, family sessions and maybe even vow renewals! Tommy and I are always grateful to couples who allow us to be a part of the blessing of their union ~ we understand how important this day is and we hope it is just the beginning of many wonderful moments we’ll be able to document in that couple’s lives …

And that wraps up my bucket list. I seal it with a kiss and wish it strong wings as it ventures into the universe, hopefully finding a comfy spot in the world of dreams turned reality …

P.S. Yes some of these photos are sneak peeks of what’s to come on the blog very soon!!!