A Year in Review | Dragonfly Photography
Another year is coming to an end and as always we love to share our year in review. 2023 was a full year for weddings, especially in the fall! While autumn was full of weddings, the earlier part of the year had us traveling all over the country and globe. From Chicago to France and lots of places in between, we’re grateful to be serving our clients wherever they are. We explored some of the most beautiful venues and locations, capturing the joy of weddings in new and creative ways. We still focused on keeping the timeless classic style we’re known for and our couples love.
The privilege of our couples inviting us into such important moments with the people they love will never get old. But thinking of our year in review, this time of year makes me feel extra introspective. Even more than that, deeply grateful. I will always be thankful for our couples that allow us to be a part of such beautiful and intimate moments. I’m also grateful professionally. Grateful to serve such wonderful couples, work with such a fantastic team, and have the opportunity to capture such monumental moments in people’s lives. I’ll never lose sight of what a privilege that is.
Even bigger than that is the people I get to document those moments alongside and the impact we get to have as a team. If you know me at all you’ll know I am not a lone wolf photographer. I’ve always believed in filling the room with people smarter than myself. One of the things that we passionately believe as a team is building a better world together together. You may not know this but as a company, Dragonfly Photography donates 50% of our profit to organizations that are working to do good in the world. Year after year.
If you’ve been around for any length of time you know legacy matters to me personally. A number of years ago as a company, we decided that we LOVED the idea of caring about it as a small business. I remember where I was, getting so excited about all the possibilities of what could be. What if, I thought, while we photographed and preserved your legacy we also helped build someone else’s legacy? Together.
I’m a very visual person, plus you haven’t even met a romantic until you’ve met me. My idea was (and is)… you invest in your legacy. Preserving how you felt on your wedding day is, and should be a priority. But that investment is then multiplied to help others build their legacy too.
In 2023 alone we’ve helped support Baby Mario’s fight against his aggressive cancer, helped Firefighter Martinez purchase a Mobility Van for her disabled son, we donated teacher grants so teachers could have much needed supplies in their classrooms (some of them using the money for things as simple as snacks for the kids so they could focus on learning without being hungry), we supported a local wedding vendor and her family while she fights cancer, we donated to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Providence House Charitable Campaign, Reach out and Read, Down Syndrome Association of NE Ohio, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, United Way of Cleveland, we helped support a single mom whose house burned down rebuild everything, and we sent gifts to foster children.
I am beyond grateful for your partnership with us that makes this possible. Without your belief in us, none of this would be this wouldn’t be happening. It’s an incredible privilege to be involved in your lives and one none of us take lightly. I’m also grateful for living life with these people. Our team is filled with some of my dearest friends. We laugh, we poke fun at each other, we group text the worst photo of ourselves caught on camera from the weekend (and crown a winner)… We drink lots of coffee and chai, as you can see from the photos below.
As we look at our year in review: To our couples, we cannot thank you enough for your trust and love. We adore you. To my people, you guys are the BEST. Our couples are so fortunate to have people like you. I cannot wait to see what next year holds. ❤️
Oona