Well, here we are again … the end of another year and a new one looming on the horizon. I’m always gobsmacked as to how quickly a year in life can pass by. I guess this is a good sign as it means you are busy, you are engaged in what you are doing in both your personal life, and business life, with little time to just sit back and observe what is going on around you.
As usual, we The Crawleys have been busy racing up and down the country visiting amazing places, meeting amazing people, and doing our very best to unleash the Crawley awesome whever we go. It has been another incredible year for our business – we got to make 35 couples insanely happy with the pictures we created. We put huge smiles on the faces of 10 amazing families as we continue our ‘Life is Crawesome’ adventure. We were so so humbled and honoured to be asked to teach at one of the biggest wedding photography workshops in the world ‘Summit’ alongside some of the most influential photographers in the industry. We teamed up with two of our very best friends, Pete and Laura Lawson (who also happen to be two of the top UK wedding photographers!) and held two very successful ‘Hangout’ workshops. And then the biggy! To top off an incredible year in business for us we scooped North West Wedding Photographer of the Year in The Wedding Industry Awards 2017! This is by far the biggest award we have won to date and we are so very grateful for this accolade. We are very much looking forward to travelling down to London in early January for the national competition.
So yeah it’s been another fantastic year for us and it kinda feels like groundhog day writing this. This is now our 15th year together as The Crawleys and each year we do our write up and reflect on our achievements and finish the year on a mental high. 2016 has delivered many highs but there have also been lows and it is with anxious hands I type this as my father begins his battle with newly diagnosed terminal pancreatic cancer. The next months are ones of uncertainty and worry and it’s at times like this you start to see a clearer picture of life and the realisation of the things that actually matter – your loved ones and the relationships we have with our loved ones. I see a lot of myself in my father – he’s a family man and everything he has ever done has been for his family. He’s super laid back, takes everything in his stride. He’s very successful at what he does and this has come about through sheer hard work and determination … he doesn’t know how good he is! I always try to tackle life with the same outlook as my dad and I try my best not to sweat the small stuff. In this industry I see so many people completely obsessed with recognition, likes, followers, awards, blog comments, ego. Does all this shit really matter? It never has that much to me and seeing my dad going though his struggle only realigns my beliefs … it’s the family and relationships we have with them that matter, and we are lucky enough to be able to photograph family and relationships week in week out. Keep your loved ones close, look after them and they will look after you – and a happy and content heart can only fuel your creativity when that camera is around your neck!
Happy Christmas and a Crawesome New Year … peace out.
