Here we are, already in the year 2020. The end-of-year pressure to reflect has been compounded by an onslaught of end-of-decade recaps. A whole decade! And here I am, a few days into the new year, still contemplating what I learned in and out of the photo studio.

It’s because I stuck my neck out real far—and I’m proud of that. I’ve also just now taken a breath. Through the nonstop hustle (isn’t freelance always?), I’m genuinely grateful for the lessons I learned as a photographer rooted in my own creative vision and authentic storytelling.

If I could describe 2019 in one word, it’d be brilliant. And I mean that in every sense of the word.

Smart: like a million, flashing light-bulb-moments that guided me in new directions.

Bright: Literally. I dove into a very focused mode of food photography, challenging myself with different lighting techniques and compositions to let monochromatic color palettes shine.

Inspiring: if any of you kept up with my GRITO project, you know that five years of working with this group of youth finally culminated into a tangible visual story (thanks to VSCO Voices), which was absolutely surreal. Those dancers taught me so much (and I’ll wax more on that in a future post).

In Spanish, brilliante implies illumination. I found light in moments where I realized who and what were helping me. And I let that brilliance radiate through my work. I gave myself permission to let go, learning it is always worth asking for help or doing something I don’t know how to do. In the past, I let my insecurities get the best of me. But in 2019, with the help of some amazing friends and colleagues, I began to think more confidently—and I started growing. As cliche as it sounds, there’s a real truth to not being afraid of putting yourself out there. My advice to any budding photographer (from my own hard-earned lessons): Be vulnerable and transparent about your work, especially when working on a story with others. The more transparent you are, the more trust you gain.

Stay tuned for detailed posts on the past year — a mix of client work, journalism and passion projects that kept me and my work fresh. I can’t wait to share more. Happy new year!