The year I stopped // The year I started

2023 was the year I stopped. I stopped forcing myself to chase freelance work outside of my full time job as Gonzaga’s photographer. I stopped telling myself I had to burn the candle at both ends to feel justified in calling myself a professional. I stopped sacrificing my mental health to shoot freelance jobs because I didn’t feel like I deserved to say no.

But that’s not what I think of when I look back at 2023.

Instead, I think of all of the things I started. I started shooting images for myself again. I’d spent these last handful of years shooting for everything and everybody except for myself. I began to break free of my endless pursuit of perfection, replacing it with an appreciation for the simplest aspects of photography: natural light, moments, feeling.

In so many ways 2023 has been a year of growth and healing. I’m thankful I paused and made space. This life is beautiful and gutwrenching and overwhelming. I feel honored to look back at the moments I captured this year - I can’t wait for the moments that 2024 will bring.

- zack