As 2024 comes to a close here in Chesterfield, Virginia, I finally have my husband with me! If you don’t know our story, we met a year and a half ago in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, through the Upward Christian dating app. I did not have the foggiest notion that when I opened my account, I was in Oklahoma shooting photo sessions. The app set my location as Elgin, Oklahoma. I kept wondering why in the world I was getting Oklahoma dudes coming up on my profile. Then I realized, with good use of that Doctor of Science degree I received from Baylor University, that I was in OKLAHOMA, not Virginia!
But, I digress. This year has been SUCH a struggle for so many, us included. I remain grateful for all of you who chose Sarah Creal Photography for the first time or for the fourth time. Whether you chose me in Lawton, Wichita Falls, Richmond, Fort Hood, Fort Gregg-Adams, Fort Sill, Midlothian, Moseley or Amelia, Virginia, your memories matter to me. Your families matter to me. Your friendship matters to me, and your experiences light up this beautiful, wonderful world.
I photographed 80 sessions this year. I had the ultimate honor of being invited into three birth photography spaces this year; two were home births, and one ended up being a C-section birth after a long labor. Birth photography sessions are my favorite because they are so sacred. I did three mountaintop maternity photography sessions at Raven’s Roost on the Blue Ridge Parkway. One cannot ask for a more stunning backdrop for maternity photos in Virginia!
I photographed a killer elopement for one of my favorite couple clients, Jake and Molly Anne. They flew me to Estes Park, Colorado and got married in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We then had a wonderful dinner and celebration at a bang-up Italian restaurant afterwards. I also enjoyed staying with my cousin Erin in Fort Collins, Colorado. It was a once-in-a-lifetime honor!
Scott and I flew back and forth to Oklahoma numerous times. He went with me to the Wildlife Refuge as my pack mule and was my newborn assistant. That was a new job title for him, indeed!
All in all, my small wedding, Audrey returning home to me from her father’s house, stunning sunsets, lovely mamas, dads, newborns and babies, and quite a few new clients made my 2024 a roller coaster ride. Hopefully, 2025, which is my ninth year in full-time business, will serve many more families in Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and anywhere else this amazing journey leads me!
