a year in review -2018-
thank you, thank you, thank you.
Wow. 2018 was a real game changer.
Looking back at this past year, I am absolutely floored by how fortunate I have been to work with so many incredible couples on some of the happiest days of their lives. Witnessing soo much love, laughter, tears of joy and top-notch dance moves amidst some of the most beautiful venues Chicagoland has to offer has been an amazing thing to behold.
For those who don’t know me, hello! I’m Maura (pronounced “Mara”…..it’s a long story and involves a Pittsburgh accent and a lot of confusion), the one-woman team behind Maura Black Photography. What started off as a hopeful experiment in actually doing something I love for a living (what?! Impossible, they said!) only a couple of short years ago has truly exceeded all of my expectations, particularly during this past year. If you had told me one year ago that by the end of the 2018 I would have captured over 30 glorious weddings and be booking out weddings 18-24 months in advance….well. I’d appreciate your wishful thinking as I continued working on honing my photography and business skills and send you on your optimistic way to tantalize someone else with “too good to be true” sentiments.
If you had told me that I would be a Chicagoland WINNER of the BEST OF THE KNOT 2019….well! But it’s happened, guys! Thanks to the amazing couples I have worked with, I have officially achieved the goal that until only recently felt completely out of my reach.
I’m by no means “there”, wherever that is, and will continue to work tirelessly and gratefully to produce my best possible work for the amazing people who have trusted me to capture their most important of days.
And before they start playing the “move-it-along, lady” Oscar speech music, I would be remiss in not thanking the people who have put up with all of the hullabaloo that came along with juggling a full-time corporate job and dedicating almost every free moment to editing, my clients’ needs and establishing MBP as a viable little business.
My hunky husband, Mark, is an absolute rock star. He put up with lonely weekends when I’d be out shooting until all hours and have a midnight dinner and glass of wine waiting for me when I’d crawl home, full of stories from the day. He would patiently listen to me excitedly recount tales of all of the amazing people I met, things I saw and beautiful moments I witnessed that day. He still texts me before every shoot with encouraging words of love, pride and support that have truly made this past year possible. I could not be more lucky to have him as my partner in life.
Without the love and support from my wonderful friends and family, I truly think I would have lost my mind working up to 90 hour weeks throughout the summer months. Their encouragement, kind words and belief in my ability to succeed made this wild year possible.
Lastly, but certainly not least!, I owe a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the lovely people who trusted me to capture their love stories: from weddings, to engagement shoots, showers to family sessions. My life is so much richer having met you and witnessed your magical moments.
So here’s to 2018! While not always easy, you have certainly been well worth while. I can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store :).
