2020 – Year in Review

2020, what a year it has been!

Starting a Studio Wardrobe

In January I started collecting and offering a studio wardrobe for moms. I’m constantly curating this collection of robes and dresses to fit a variety of figures that will go well with the intimate maternity sessions that I’ve been offering at the studio. They are complimentary with a booked newborn session. So far the response to the wardrobe and the maternity sessions at the studio has been very positive and I’ll be continuing these into 2021.

Studio Lighting

This year I also made the full jump into studio lighting. I’ve been going back and forth between natural light and studio light for YEARS (since about 2017, I think!), but for the past six months or so, I’ve done every session with my studio light. I finally figured out how to make big, soft, light with it. I love the consistency it brings to my work, and I love not having to worry about the weather or what kind of natural light the sky will give me today: dark, blue, orange, etc. I never knew what I’d be dealing with from session to session. And then having to compensate for that in-camera and with editing was a headache.

Homeschooling

Honestly, I think the biggest impact the pandemic has had on me is the fact that our schools here in Oregon have remained closed for so long. I’m here in my little corner of the world juggling the same amount of workload (thankful for that!) and homeschooling my two girls in the 4th and 2nd grade.

While part of me has loved getting to see them more, the other part is tired of carrying this extra burden. I figured it was sustainable for a time, but now that it has been 9 months of this…I wonder how much longer can I shoulder this? It doesn’t seem like we have any clear end in sight to this or answer as to when the schools will open.

The only way I’m able to even remotely make this work is the fact that, as a divorced mom, I share a parenting schedule with their dad. My days are either full steam ahead momming, or they are filled to the brim with work. No rest for the weary!

I know many of you are in the same boat. The camaraderie that I’ve found in swapping stories with other parents helps!

Here’s hoping we are at the beginning of the end now. I’m hopeful our kids will be able to return to summer camps this summer and school in the fall.

Covid Shutdown – Front Porch Newborn Sessions

Then, of course, mid-March came, and our part of the world shut down. I closed my studio for 8 weeks. This was especially hard to do for my newborn clients. I felt terrible that they were not going to get the newborn photos that they had planned on. I saw other photographers offering front porch sessions and decided to do this for my newborn clients who couldn’t get into the studio yet. You can read more about the front porch newborn sessions here.

During the shutdown, I spent some time going over my business systems, pricing, and offerings. This year I have started offering albums again! This is a change I’m really excited about; seeing your photos on the computer is wonderful and so easy to share in digital format on social media, etc., but there is nothing like holding your prints in an album.

School Photos

Fall arrived, and I decided to do a very special mini session event for school photos. I know that I didn’t want to miss out on school photos for my kids, so I wanted to offer my clients the same. I had about 25 school photos to take!

Sigma Art Lenses

This year, I’ve also fallen in love with the Sigma Art Lens! I purchased the 35mm and the 50mm. For years I was unhappy with my Nikon 50. It was so soft and was extremely hard to focus with. It pretty much just stayed in my bag and my 35mm was my workhorse.

I kept hearing people rave about how much they love their Sigma Art 50. So I tried it and Saw. The. Freakin’. Light. Wow! Yes, it really is so much sharper than Nikon. I still feel weirdly guilty for ditching my Nikon lenses, but the truth is in the pixel peeping, guys.

Christmas definitely looked different this year. No Santa! Hopefully, 2021 will bring my 2nd annual Santa Sessions back.

2020 Newborns and Babies!

So while many things looked different this year with events canceled, masks have become the new normal, homeschooling, etc. There has been great growth to my craft, and the babies have continued to be born and photographed! It has been my honor and privilege to take their first portraits.

Below you’ll find almost all of my 0-12 month baby sessions held at the studio. I’m missing a few because they are still in the ordering process, but this is pretty close!