Behind the Scenes with The Ganeys in 2020

December 15, 2020

It is time for our annual “behind the scenes” blog post – but unfortunately, this year – there weren’t as many “scenes” for us to be “behind.” There are still a few, but it seems like the blog this year will be more about personal memories that Thomas and I made.

We started off the year with three sessions down in Southern California! We got to cross “Joshua Tree” off of our bucket list and explored LA with two of our couples. Thomas’s sister and her husband came to visit and we explored Big Sur. In February we shot an incredible wedding that I had been looking forward to for so long. I’m so grateful that this day was perfect for E&B. In March, one of our sweet couples flew over to California from Louisiana and we shot in the windiest conditions during their engagement session. It was truly crazy! We drove all around the area trying to find protection from the wind and finally settled in at Muir Beach.

After those first few sessions, everything changed.

More than anything, this year taught me to be more flexible. I am a planner. I like to think through plans A, B, and C. I like to add in buffer time. I’m organized. I keep my inbox clean. But this year, everything got flipped on its head and I had to give up control and “let the chips fall where they may.” Every reschedule meant rearranging plans and shuffling existing engagement sessions around. There were weekends where we were forced to cancel plans less than 24 hours beforehand. And there were times where we were meeting our couple for the first time just days before their wedding. We had to learn to be more flexible – and take a deep breath. I hope those are lessons I can incorporate for many more years.

As hard as this year was, there were also so many positives. We were able to document a few weddings that we weren’t expecting to. Meeting these new couples and seeing their joy was a breath of fresh air! Truly, the emotions that I felt during weddings this year were stronger than ever before. I don’t think I’ll ever forget one of our events this year where the post-ceremony hugs were filled with so much joy, relief, gratitude and grief (for those who could not be there) – everyone broke down into tears – including me.

And, on a personal level, Thomas and I purchased our first home! This was a major win for us! We are so excited to put down real roots in California. Our weekends transitioned from photographing weddings to working on house projects (because this place needs some love). We fell in love with the quiet neighborhood and the incredible view. It feels like we have room to breathe (and we all need a little more fresh air this year). The dogs love hanging out on the porch and roaming the overgrown back yard (still working on that…). I feel incredibly grateful that we were able to accomplish this!

Our other adventure for 2020 included backpacking in Desolation Wilderness. We hiked every day with all of our gear, set up camp in a new spot, slept under the stars, filtered water along the way, and didn’t run into a bear – all the while listening to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It was so nice to get away from 2020 for a week and unplug. (Read more about our Desolation Wilderness backpacking trip).

Overall, this year was hard and heartbreaking. There were so many disappointments and I feel so incredibly badly for all of our couples that had to reschedule, postpone, and evaluate what decision was best for them. I am so proud of how resilient you all were! However, there were also some remarkable positives that came out for it – and I’m so grateful. I appreciate each and every couple that we worked with this year. I appreciate every couple that purchased an album or a print this year. You all were so good to us. Cheers to 2021!

Got to spend New Year’s in Palm Springs with T&E!