Emily Tebbetts Photography

There’s something special about portraits. Getting to create a space that allows someone to be vulnerable, or to explore new sides of themselves, or to just their radiance shine through and be captured. The connection with another human being. The feeling of collaboration in expression.

For a long time, consistency has trumped creativity for me - and I think that’s a REALLY easy trap to get caught in as a professional photographer, especially when it comes to one-time events like weddings where there are no do-overs.

I’m feeling the seeds of creativity and expression start to stretch and poke their lil heads above the earth. And it makes me really excited about exploring portraiture more in 2019, especially since I’m at a place where my perfectionism isn’t killing my creativity for the first time in my life 🖤

And on that note, I’m thinking of taking on a 52 weeks project in 2019. I love the diary aspect of it, and I love the idea of giving myself a reason to create each week. Anyone else thinking of doing one?


@ Boston, Massachusetts

I’m feeling a sense of budding freedom - a freedom to explore, to be curious, to fall in love with my current medium in different ways and to explore new ones.

I have no idea what 2019 is going to bring for me. None. My only intention is to pay attention to my needs and satisfy them, and to thoughtfully create space in my life for play, socialization, and whatever else comes up.

This is the first year ever where I feel almost no obligation to hold on to what has made me money in the past or what I thought would make me money in the future.

Instead, I took on a handful of carefully selected weddings that I’m really excited for - just enough to get by financially next year - and I’m letting my heart lead and trusting the universe to support me in the process.

Here are a few things I’m feeling really led to explore right now:

• self portraiture (photo and video)
• music
• retreats and workshops at
• massage therapy (I want to learn! Esp in relation to how it can be helpful in the trauma healing process)
• modeling, or really acting in creative collaboration with a visual artist with me as the subject
• acting - always been curious about learning more about this!
• yoga and meditation
• exploring pleasure of all kinds
• cooking and discovering new tastes

What are you excited to explore in 2019? How have you made space in your life for these explorations? I want to know!


📷:

I’m waking up on the final morning of the first retreat I’ve ever hosted feeling deep gratitude for the incredible group of women who attended.

Thank you for stepping into your vulnerability with me. Thank you for being tender and open. Thank you for allowing yourself to just BE. Thank you for sharing your heart and your pain and your joy.

You have made this into a week I will always cherish. Thank you thank you thank you! ❤️

Today is the LAST day to sign up for my Rest + Restore Retreat at !!

This casual, intimate retreat will be centered on providing an intentional space for you to rest, re-center yourself, while discussing and practicing self-compassion, vulnerability, and authentic connection with the others in our small group.

There will be hot chocolate and getting cozy by the fireplace while admiring the mountain view. There will be guided meditation, guided and free journaling, and supportive discussions. There will be board games. There will be restorative yoga (no yoga experience needed). There will be free time to hike or nap or shop or read or chat. There will be deep connection and radical vulnerability. There will be mini portrait sessions to document who you are during this experience.

And I hope you’ll be there, joining us with your whole heart, showing up courageously even when your hands are shaking. Taking the time to listen to what it is YOU need right now, and taking this time and space to allow yourself to have it.

Dec 10-13. In the beautiful mountain town of North Conway, NH. With an intimate group of incredible women. Come join us ❤️ https://emily-tebbetts.com/retreat

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- 40% off all prints and canvases for my photo clients (ALL years, not just 2018)!! CODE: BF40

- $250 off any albums or parent albums when 50% deposit is put down TODAY - email me at [email protected]!

photo by Lexi Mire !!

I’m making good on a promise I made to myself in a big way today.

If you’ve been following along with my journey for a bit now, you know it’s been a year of major growth and transition for me - personally and business wise.

Every year for the past 5 or so years, I’ve made some sort of post on social media announcing that I’ve “officially learned my lesson about being too busy!”, and then claim that I’ll never let it happen again.

But somehow, I find myself drowning in work again each year, wishing I had a better work-life balance. It took me a long time, a lot of therapy, and blooming passions (hellooo education + Airbnb!!) to realize I had been putting work above every other thing in my life, and the only way that would change would be making a drastic change in how I approach my work life balance.

I made a promise to myself. I want to spend more time photographing families and portraits, educating other photographers, growing our Airbnb business, and leaving space for new passions to bloom.... all without working more than 35 hours a week or 12 weekends per year in 2019. YUP. Terrifying but exhilarating.

But making space for that to happen means significantly cutting back on the thing I’ve focused on for years - weddings. Rather than taking on 25-30 as a business each year, I’ll only be taking on 8 awesome couples in 2019.

And that brings me to the most bittersweet part of this - realistically, I won’t have time to continue my Associate Photographer program.

It was a really hard decision to end the program - Hillary is AMAZING (I mean HELLO, look at this gorgeous photo she took during her last ETP wedding!), her couples love her, and it’s been a great way for me to be able to serve couples who love my style when I’m unavailable or out of budget while growing my business. But when I looked at my less business-focused goals for 2019, I realized I had to choose - would I prioritize business growth, or my own well-being, my life, my relationships? Unlike the past 5 years, I chose the latter.

Fortunately, I’m SO excited to say that she’ll be continuing to take on her own weddings under her new business, !! Make sure you go show her some love and support as she begins this new journey!! ❤️❤️


Photo by Hillary for ETP!

Filing this under decor inspo for our next Airbnb... the aesthetic at is what my lil dreams are made of friends 🙌🏻

has been one of my biggest delights this year. I LOVE sharing a place and space I adore with people from all around the world. And I love only working something like 1-2 hours per week and making money while paying down the mortgage even more 😉

After years and years of hustling and working myself to the bone, it took owning Vienna Lodge to show me that it’s possible to make money *without* being so damn busy all the time.

And as we evaluate the way we want to build our lives, it feels clear that we want to start shifting our focus to income streams that support the lifestyle we dream of.

Don’t forget to dream, to try new things, and when you find something that clicks with the life you dream of, chase the heck out of it friends. ❤️

If all other thing were equal (awesome couple, gorgeous details, distance from your house, etc) what’s your favorite kind of venue/location to photograph?

For me, it’s definitely any kind of mountain wedding. I mean LOOK at this gorgeous setting 🙌🏻 🙌🏻 🙌🏻

What about you?

:


@ Loon Mountain Resort

So I recently downloaded this app that tracks moon cycles and has you set an intention for each one, then draw cards and journal for each phase. This cycle’s intention for me? Security, balance, joy.

This entire past year - since last September - has been filled with stress, anxiety, hard work, and major shifts in identity + mindset + life paths in multiple areas.

I’ve grown more than I ever knew I could, and felt more unmoored than I ever imagined I would at this stage in my life. I’ve worked harder than I knew was possible. I learned that for my own health and life’s sake, I never want to work myself to the bone that way again. I’ve felt grief and pain in ways that were new to me, but also unmatched joy and freedom.

I’m ready to savor more of the good. I’ve been doing so many things that scare the crap out of me this past year. I’ve taken huge risks. Risks that didn’t always pay off the way I wanted them to, but now I’m seeing... they paid off the way I needed them to.

I sense that I am not quite done with this confusing season of shifting and growing and risk-taking.

But right now, it’s time for me to create some stability in the midst of this unpredictable stormy sea. To build a nice lil metaphorical boat to keep me secure while the sea continues to roil around me. To allow for a balance of that security and that unknown, of the hard work I still have ahead of me and my need for rest and pleasure. And to seize joy where I can find it in the meantime.

What is your intention for this next month? What do you need to make space for in your life right now?


📷: the brilliant

Tender moments on a cloudy day that was just made for cuddling up 💕

There’s truly no better feeling than watching as your couples become families - whether that’s with little humans, furry friends, or both.

Getting to document love and life and the way it weaves and grows throughout the years is the most incredible gift.

So thankful to all the couples who have let me into their lives throughout the years and continue to ask me to document them today ❤️

Starting at the end of September, I’ll be taking on more family + newborn sessions - for past couples of mine and new-to-me families alike!

I’ve reconfigured my pricing to offer both documentary-style and portrait-style family sessions, with several different options depending on what you want, need, value, and what your budget is. Tell your friends with cute lil fams to get in touch! 😍 @ Hanover, Massachusetts

Got to spend two nights up at for some relaxing bestie time after traveling through 5 states in 48 hours for a double-wedding weekend + the most intense, work-heavy month of my life, and it was wonderful.

There was delicious food at , , and , a wildly small-world chance meet up with , wine, movie-watching, gin-rummy playing, endless good conversations, a lot of oatmeal cream pies, and stunning views as always.

All that goodness, and I’m actually saving a few of the favorite parts for a post tomorrow 😛

I am so grateful for this house. I love being in the mountains so much. And I’m especially grateful for a real good bestie trip with to close a season of intensity with a celebration and a day and a half to relax, laugh, cry, and process it all ❤️ @ North Conway, New Hampshire