What a year. Whether the year was good or bad or a combination of the two (the most likely scenario), I think one word can describe it for us all, it was certainly memorable. I don’t think I need to recap the world events for anyone. You lived them, you know. But I want to recap my year and reflect back on all of the things that I have to be grateful for . . .
I started 2020 by beginning my very first 365 project. For those of you who aren’t in the photography world, or familiar with the term “a 365,” it is very simply taking a photo a day. This did a few things for me, (and for the moms who are reading this, even if you’re working with a cell phone camera, I’d recommend doing this!). First, this gives you a recap of your year. You can print a photo book for the year and have your memories, the highlights and the quality moments all in one place. (When I actually get organized with my photos from this year, I intend on doing that!) The second thing that a 365 does for a photographer (or anyone looking to hone their photography skills), is it helps to better define your style. Photography style, like any style in our lives, is always evolving. Picking up my camera daily and documenting my own kids, my surroundings, my life, taught me more about how and why I prefer to take certain photos. I like to step back and document life without interfering too much. I want to capture my kiddos in their element, doing what they do. I want to remember the dirty fingernails, how they rode their new bike, my oldest helping my youngest get dressed. I learned to work with different lighting that I can’t control (guys, the inside of the National Aquarium is a serious challenge!). I learned to pick up my camera on the days when I wasn’t feeling inspired, even if it was after the boys were asleep, it was dark and I would take a photo of them sleeping and embrace the grain in the photos and the imperfections.
Before the pandemic hit us here in the U.S., there was New Years Day at the National Aquarium, grocery store trips, quiet moments playing, sleeping and being kids.
Then there were more moments at home, making “hearts for healthcare workers”, pretending to be Elsa and Anna of Arendelle, watching DisneyWorld rides on the tv, riding bikes, and practicing good handwashing.
There was lots of reading (introducing the boys to Harry Potter books), lots of dress up and pretend play, dying Easter eggs, time spent running through the sprinkler and first bee stings. (I could go on, but I don’t want to fill this post with just my 365 photos!)
And the 365 project leaked it’s influence into the crevices of my business too. The downtime, our time spent safe and snug at home this spring, gave me time to reflect on what I wanted for my business, on how I want to serve my families. I love stepping back and capturing moments and connection. I love those moments, towards the end of a session, when everyone is relaxed and I can step back and just capture the real. This led me to work in some new types of sessions, including day in the life sessions and storyteller sessions. These sessions allow me to spend more time with my families, standing back and observing, capturing adventures or the adventure that is every day life. I get to know families and individuals personalities and have a greater chance of capturing them, because I get to spend more time with them.
And because I love capturing kids in their element and capturing the essence of childhood, I added underwater photo sessions to my offerings this year. This was so much fun. I would go hang out with the family in their backyard pool, and capture kids swimming, jumping into the water, just being kids. Swimming is one of the simple joys of childhood, and documenting that was truly a joy this summer.
Kids being kids and moms being moms. I was able to take everything I love about family photography and do it underwater!
As summer faded into fall, fall family photo sessions started in full swing. One thing that I love that this year changed was that, with families spending so much time at home they really embraced their homes as the backdrop to their lives. I did more at home sessions this year than ever. Children’s swingsets were included in photos, moments with home in the background, playing in the backyard. It was the perfect way to capture the families that come to me.
All of these were taken in the families’ backyards, in the woods behind their houses or within walking distance of their homes.
And then came the tree farm sessions. These were a huge hit this year. Some families want a quick and simple session for their holiday photo, and I was able to give twelve families just that. I spent three days at Friendship Trees, and enjoyed lots of laughter, dancing and snuggles. One family told me that it gave them a moment of normalcy in an otherwise insane year. That one statement made it all the work that goes into these things worth it. It’s not just about the photos captured, it’s about having a moment to breathe, to laugh, to forget about all the other obligations and struggles of the year and just enjoy one another. These were a really wonderful way to wrap up my year in business.
Of course, in between all of the above was the cake smashes, the milestones, extended family sessions, beach sessions.
If I could sum up 2020 in one word, for me, it would be gratitude. I am grateful for so many things this year, even with all of the stressors, the challenges, the unprecedented times, I feel gratitude. I am, of course, grateful that my family has been blessed enough to stay healthy. While that could go without saying, I feel the need to say it because I know that many others weren’t as fortunate this year. I am also grateful for the months spent at home this year. It removed outside obligations for me and allowed me to focus on the things I love about my home and my family. It gave me time to reflect on how I spend my time, how I commit myself and the directions I want to take my business. I was able to connect with other moms through one on one camera lessons, enabling them to use their cameras to capture more of their moments at home. I am grateful for all the loyal families that come back to me year after year and also for the new families who found me this year and chose to trust me to document their memories. I am grateful for all of the opportunities that I had for growth this year, personal growth and professional, which are intertwined with one another more than I may have realized before.
I am looking back, to see what I want to continue, what I want to let go of and what I want to tweak. I am looking forward, to see how I can steer this ship in the direction I want, how to best handle the challenges that will undoubtably come up and how to continue to practice gratitude for all of it. I am hopeful that 2021 will continue to bring more blessings, more growth for me. I look forward to serving the families that entrust me with their memories, in ways that are tailored to them. Lastly, I just want to give a big THANK YOU to all of those families, that trusted me with capturing their milestones, their memories or trusted me to just create and capture laughter and love through this past year.
I am Britt, a family photographer located in Pasadena, Maryland, capturing families from Annapolis to Baltimore, Washington DC and southern Maryland to the eastern shore and Ocean City. I love capturing the raw and the real. I love documenting laughter and joy, and also quiet moments of connection. I love capturing childhood, all the details and the adventures. I specialize in storytelling, lifestyle imagery that can be captured in a family photo session, day in the life photography, a storyteller photo session or under the water photo session. Come as you are, and let’s make memories together.
