Life Update
It has been entirely too long since I blogged here. There are so many places photographers need to post and keep updated and this one, for me, falls by the wayside. I love me a good list, so here's a run down of life right now:
1) My son is in his 3rd year at Purdue and is doing great. Yes, I still miss him. :)
2) My daughter is a junior in high school, also doing well. And no, I do not want to talk about her being almost done with high school.
3) The hardest year, 2020, rocked our world, in the same way it rocked most everyone's. My mom passed away and we lost 3 beloved pets, including our dog, Tucker, in the span of about 8 weeks. 2021 was a process of recovering from the 2020 aftermath.
4) 2021 was the busiest photography year I've ever had. I began renting two studio spaces on the southside and enjoyed having the flexibility of those spaces in addition to all my favorite local spots.
5) In September of 2021, I introduced a trial run of my new "Legacy Sessions" and I fell head over heels in love with this dream I've had forever. Because of my love for the elderly, and specifically, my own experience of taking care of my aging parents for many years, I wanted to dedicate a part of my business to elderly portraiture. Here's the thing: your grandmas and grandpas want someone to spend time with them, to listen to their stories, to hear their hearts. While I want YOU to be that person to them, I also want to spend time capturing who they are and engaging with them in a calm, meaningful way, resulting in beautiful portraits of their souls for them (and their families) to have forever. More on that later.
6) I have also dearly loved working with high school seniors for their senior pictures. Especially the ones from the last two years: they give me hope for the future, and I don't know about you, but I can always use a little extra hope in this world. They are kind, intelligent, hardworking, and they see the future impact that this global pandemic may have on the world they inherit. They want to make changes and do better for the future generations. And, bonus: they have a great sense of humor, collectively.
7) 2022 has started out a little more slowly for me than I usually would prefer. I became ill at the end of December and I'm still not 100%. (Crazy since I have tested negative for Covid so many times... ) I needed the downtime to rest and, let's be real, take lots of high quality naps! It's easy to play the comparison game with other photographers and how 'busy' they are, but the older I get, the less I want to do that. I want to be healthy and happy and my busy season is starting to pick back up in the next month or so. I've used this time to do a lot of soul searching, journaling, meditating and working out. And honestly, it's exactly what I needed.
8) In the happiest news, August 2021 brought us our much-adored, very naughty golden retriever puppy, Milo. He is terribly sweet and while we will always miss our Tucker, Milo has brought so much joy to our house. Our cats have other opinions about this situation that are not blog-friendly. :)
9) Even through the ups and downs of the last couple years, I continue to be grateful beyond belief for the friends and family who have and continue to support me in life and in my business. Every like, comment, share and referral for my photography posts means the world to me. Truly.
10) And to every single person (or pet) I've had in front of my camera, thank you for trusting me to capture YOU! xoxo
