2018 Year in Review, Kathleen Dreier Photography

Wishing a Happy New Year to each and every person who reads this post. 2018 has been year of radical transition for me. I left my full time social work job in September to pursue my photography business full time. I have been b-u-s-y adjusting to my new life, marketing my services, networking with others in addition to all of my photography appointments. Astonishingly(even to me) in 2018, I photographed over 230 distinctive events and portraits sessions, over 35 of which was just in the last month including a wedding this past weekend and 5 individual sessions yesterday. So trying to cull a sampling from all that was a challenge.

That being said, this Year in Review needed to be done rather hastily as it's, well, 2019 and I'm already into my next action steps. Below are some of my "favorite" images from 2018, not in any way necessarily representing my best work but rather a reflection of important aspects of my photography for 2018. I'll include a brief description. Thanks for taking the time to check it out.

1. Another year of protests and marches.

From teachers going on strike to people being killed based on the color of their skin or who they love, to immigration/refugee gross mistreatment, there was no shortage of combating the division that is so prevalent in our society today. As much I was able, I continued to document people fighting the good fight. From my perspective, these folks are on the right side of history.

2. Mid-term elections

I was very politically active in documenting the election campaigns of many Democratic candidates. I am proud to say that the majority of the people I photographed won their races. In the above image, Senator Steve Farley shares a moment with former US Representative Gabby Giffords. In the image below that, US Congresswoman-Elect Ann Kirkpatrick is flanked by reporters on 11/6/18 when it was announced she won her race.

3. Deeply personal stories

People allow me into their homes to document who they are. It is a humbling experience when I am trusted to be the photographer to record these private matters. One such example, is that the parents of Wren (pictured above) allowed me to photograph the exceedingly delicate and intense nearly 4-hour process of preparing their daughter for the day with the changing of her dressings and bathing her. Wren has Epidermolysis Bullosa which is a family of rare genetic disorders that affect the body's largest organ, the skin.

This year I began a relationship with Homicide Survivors, Inc., a non-profit agency that provides supportive services free of charge for families whose lost a loved one to murder. To be trusted as a sensitive photographer for their events has been one of my greatest honors in 2018.

4. Weddings

Love is love. When 2 beloveds trust me to document their most sacred day, I do everything I can to make it perfect for them.

5. Community events

I am involved with many non-profit agencies, photographing their events, both paid and unpaid. I've been a media photographer for the All Souls Procession for 8 years. This year, I challenged myself to do something different so I photographed the event while stilt walking for 4 hours. To photograph the happening from 7 feet off the ground creates a very different orientation. Here is an image that my friend Scott Griessel took of me during the Procession:

6. Soul Portraits

For years, I have been exploring my own unique expression of doing portraiture. Late in 2018, Soul Portraits were born and it is a process of being photographed while contemplating one's own self-love and appreciation beyond the roles and demands placed upon us by others. I will eventually write a detailed explanation about it so look for more in 2019. In the first 30 days of doing Soul Portraits, over 40 people have come to me to have theirs done.

7. Of music, nature, my family. Just because.

8. My first museum exhibition.

The capstone of 2018 for me was to have one of my works selected for the Tucson Museum of Art Biennial, a prestigious 3-month exhibit. In nearly 13 years of doing photography, this was my first museum show. "Tannikin and The Circus Campers" was one of 78 images or so selected from 1500 entries. Friends donated money to help me produce the 34 by 48 archival print and frame. I donated the piece to a silent auction fundraiser and a collector purchased it for their family home. (Note: image above by my friend Rick Kopstein was taken on opening night).

Thanks for reading this post and joining me in revisiting 2018. I am so excited for the year ahead and look forward to sharing the journey with you. Wishing the best to each and every one of you.

~Kathleen