In June of 2022, I went on my first “destination” session by myself. I boarded a plane at 3:45 am in Cincinnati with nothing except a fanny pack for my money, ID, car keys, and phone, and a backpack full of my camera gear and a change of clothes and toiletries. Sacrificing a piece of equipment for another pair of shoes wasn’t an option – so the tennis shoes I was wearing were it. Unknowingly, I needed this trip more than anything. Looking back on it, it might be a turning point in my life both personally and professionally. Not too often is a 20-year-old handed the opportunity to travel alone, navigate her way through a new city and be in charge of conducting a session that could potentially change the face of her business. 

Destination sessions are something I had wanted to do for a while. However, it’s not something you can just jump into. You need the right couple to make your first experience a positive one. I was blessed to know Madison and Gage and catch them at a time when they knew what I was trying to do and wanted to give me a chance. So after much discussion, some last minutes decisions, and a roundtrip plane ticket later, I found myself at the airport bright and early. I hopped on the plane and made it to Savannah, GA about two hours later. I don’t typically consider myself an anxious or nervous person. I am relatively level-headed and unphased by the unknown. BUT this was different. I wasn’t nervous at all about strangers or getting lost or anything like that. My biggest fear was wrecking my rental car! For some reason, I was terrified the entire trip. Nonetheless, I ventured out and location scouted all day long to prep for my evening session with Madison and Gage. I dropped some pinpoint locations on my phone of places I wanted to make sure to go back to. Savannah is gorgeous with its Spanish Moss, cobblestone streets, and lively culture. We even ended up on Tybee Island which was beautiful. I was in awe of the idea that I got paid to come here and explore. I came to the realization that this is what I want to do as a full-time career. I knew that in order to make that happen the next few months of summer were going to be game-changing for my business. I was ready to do whatever it took to launch myself into this hobby and make it a full-time career. 

Sometimes it takes scary experiences to learn and kick-start. Growth isn’t always sunshine and roses, especially when you’re passionate about learning and growing so much that mistakes don’t scare you. I would’ve done plenty of things differently if I could do that trip and session over again. My approach now would be very different than it was – but all of it is due to my journey, and I wouldn’t know differently otherwise. I can’t wait to see where I go next and what I can learn from it – because imagine all that I’ll have learned when I hop back on here to talk about my 10th trip, then my 20th trip, then my 50th. I know I’ll be a pro by then.