Over the last few years, I’ve found my way back to photography. But not in a way I would have thought. But then again, I never imagined a world where photography would be so low on my list of things I want to do for fun.

 When I first picked up a camera in 2012, I had no idea how deeply it would shape my life 15 years later. And when I started my business in 2014, I never imagined how many pivots, lessons, and hard truths would come with it. What I was least prepared for, though, was the moment when my passion for photography, and for business, quietly disappeared.

When Passion Fades

No one tells you that overwhelm can steal your love for the very things that both pay your bills and keep you grounded. Somewhere along the way, I lost my focus, my drive, and my vision. I didn’t know how to get them back, so I stopped taking photos. From the summer of 2023 to the spring of 2024, outside of paid jobs I don’t think I picked up my camera once just for fun.

Looking back now, that season breaks my heart. I see so many moments where choosing to pick up my camera and share my work could have shifted my path. Instead, my camera sat untouched, gathering dust, while I stepped into the corporate workspace and away from what once felt like home.

Falling away from what I enjoy

Everything changed in the spring of 2024, when two experiences reshaped how I see life and photography.

The first was illness. What began as a common virus turned into a permanent autoimmune disorder, one I still navigate daily. My body shut down, forcing me to relearn how to care for it without constantly crashing. I didn’t know my new limits, and fear kept me from testing them. Afraid of making things worse, I pulled back from work, from activity, and from life itself. I showed up to my day job, fulfilled my responsibilities, and clung tightly to my closest relationships, all while trying to understand what healing might look like.

The second turning point came through a trip to Nicaragua with my church. We travelled there to encourage the churches we support and to build relationships with the people behind them. The goal was simple: to remind one another that we are working together, even when countries separate us. Spending just over a week immersed in the culture, listening, learning, and living alongside the people, shifted something in me.

My role on the trip was to photo-document our time there. For the first time in a long while, I carried my camera with me all day, every day. I didn’t set it down unless I was eating or actively engaged in conversation. I stayed present. I stayed curious.

Reigniting the spark

During the trip, we spent several days helping a local woman with her business. She was a grandmother supporting her family through her own work. An entrepreneur, just like me. And she carried the same weight I had been carrying: isolation, fear, financial pressure, and a growing distance from the work she once loved.

Our mission was encouragement, so we spent time helping her rebuild her piñata inventory for the markets where she sold them. The piñatas were incredible, some as tall as a child. She taught us how to make them properly: how to stretch supplies on a budget, mix the paste just right, cut the paper with intention, and choose boxes that could become something beautiful.

As she taught, something changed. With every explanation and demonstration, her spark returned. By the time we said goodbye, she told us she had found it again, her passion, her joy, her purpose. Watching that unfold softened all of us. And it opened my eyes.

The little donkey is the Pinata we brought with us, the childlike one is the Pinata she made while we were there.

But I didn’t just witness her rediscover her craft, I had the privilege of documenting it. I photographed real moments, untouched by posing or performance. Honest joy. Quiet pride. A woman reconnecting with her work.

At that moment, God made it clear that my business needed to change if I was going to continue with photography. I needed to return to sharing images in a way that served people, helping them feel confident, seen, and able to communicate the “why” behind what they do. Understanding how to do that didn’t come quickly. From April 2024 to October 2025, I wrestled with timing, strategy, and direction. Every plan felt fragile. Every setback pulled me backward.

Creating Without Pressure

Still, the pull never left. I knew I needed to return to photography, to business, to my calling. I needed to fall in love with the craft again and build something sustainable around it. So I’ve started blogging. I am sharing what I know and finally releasing the images that had lived quietly on hard drives for years, never seen.

I’ve stopped telling myself that I had to share only what I created that day. Instead, I’ve given myself permission to honour work I was already proud of, while returning to photography simply for the joy of it. Removing the pressure to constantly create “the next best image” has given me room to experiment, play, and breathe again.

Her smaller pinatas that she sells at markets

Stepping Into What’s Next

For the first time in a long time, I feel aligned. I’m not financially free, at least not yet, but I feel at peace. Peace with how I spend my time. Peace with how I serve my clients. Peace with the direction God has called me to walk in.

If your passion for your craft has faded, or if you’ve been carrying your work alone for too long, maybe it’s time to loosen your grip. Maybe it’s time to remember why you started. I began photography to show others how I see the world and to help them see it more clearly, too.

And if you’re ready to use photography to communicate clearly with the people you serve in business, I’d love to talk. Together, we can create images that speak on your behalf, images that feel honest, grounded, and true to who you are. Photography should be fun. It should feel real. And it should reflect both you and the world you move through.

As we step into 2026, I’m carrying these lessons with me—returning to what I love, honouring my body as it heals, allowing passion to re-emerge, and helping my clients feel confident and at ease in front of the camera.

What are your plans for 2026?