As is pretty typical for our lives as photographers, parents, and business owners, this year has been filled with wonderful events, trying times, and a little bit of beautiful calm on occasion.  And, as is typical, the year has flown by faster than we would have liked.  It was in the midst of our last flurry of Fall weddings that we got the call from Richmond Bride Magazine to let us know that we had been chosen as the top wedding photographers for 2014.

Elated is a word you can use for what we felt after that phone call.  Thrilled.  Honored.  But more than that we felt a simple satisfaction.  Lindsay and I have been photographing weddings in Richmond for 10 years.  Through the birth of both children, a really trying economic downturn, and just your normal everyday affairs, we’ve built a business and a life we can be proud of.  From the very beginning of our life as wedding photographers we wanted to be known for our authenticity; that our images would reflect who we are and who our couples are.  We wanted the moments that we captured to be a reflection of more than just the trends of now, but rather something our couples would share happily through generations.  To be recognized for that by your peers, your clients, and the general public means more to us than is possible to explain.

So as responsible photographers we’ll try to do it the best way we know how.  With images.

Here is Part 1 (it was simply too big for one slideshow) of our “Best of 2014”.  It was impossible to include every image that we loved but this is a pretty good shot at it.  Stay tuned for Part 2 of the slideshow and another big announcement for Don Mears Photography.

Happy New Year!