Almost all facets of life changed in 2020, but for me none more so than my photography. Photography mainly involves people getting together and the photographer being with these people. As we know Covid-19 changed all of this, people weren’t supposed to get together. And although I am thankful for masks, masks cover up one of the most crucial areas for expressing emotion in photographs. The worlds of weddings and photography felt the sting of Covid very early on and it has continued without ceasing to create obstacle after obstacle for photographers and the people they photograph. Therefore, my 2020 photography review looks a little different than previous years.

The one wedding that went on as it was supposed to in 2020 was Carrie + Nate’s on February 29th. They had already planned to have a small wedding, but at this point Covid hadn’t hit too hard and wasn’t even a concern for this day.

 

Everyone at the wedding teased the groom, Nate, just a little bit for picking Leap Day in upstate New York. It was such a cold and windy day, but in the end it ended up being the best decision of 2020! About a week or two later we in quarantine living just outside of NYC.

Since wedding photography was totally up in the air, venues were shut down, and vendors and couples were all trying to predict the future after the “two week shutdown”. I began to rely on other areas of photography so that I could keep shooting. Going through all of the images for the 2020 photography review, I didn’t realize just how many families I photographed!

I basically hunkered down for a couple of months to see what was happening with Covid-19 and to review my business’s policies and procedures to makes sure that I was as prepared for Covid as possible.

My first shoot and the first time we saw family since February was in May. I unfortunately wasn’t able to photograph Ben’s brother’s family maternity session, but I did get to photograph our niece, Evelyn’s newborn session.

Ben and I wore masks and I started to learn to photograph a new way. I used lenses where I could still get close up pictures, but kept me at a distance from them. They were comfortable with me touching her, but I still limited it. I knew I needed to start learning to use my words to describe poses and actions to people, instead of touching them and moving them. It did come in handy to have Ben around him because I could use him to help me model what I was picturing for an image.

I alway love getting some everyday life photos during newborn sessions as well. Hailey, their oldest, loved helping Laura and feeding Evy.

While I was not pregnant nor did I have a child in 2020, I felt like I got a little bit of an insight into what families were going through since Ben’s brother’s family went through it and my own sister, Maddy, was pregnant and had her baby during the pandemic.

I know it was a stressful time, but these little babies coming into the world were such a light in the darkness.

So many people we knew were having babies in 2020! My best friend, Kate, was pregnant with their 3rd boy.

These are all favorite pictures from 2020, but I do have some favorites within the favorites like the first image of this post and this picture!

Our family met Ford over Zoom while my sister and brother-in-law were still in the hospital. I of course then had to get to Pittsburgh as quickly as possible to meet Ford in person and take pictures!

After coming back from Pittsburgh I decided for the first time to do mini sessions in the summer. I felt like families had gone through so much and were going to continue going through even more that it was important that they document where they were in life. Not to mention the babies that had been born!

I always love to get some pictures of just the couple without the kids, because really how often do they get professional pictures of just the two of them besides their engagement session and wedding. It’s something that I’m trying to change! I think couples should not only get professional pictures of their kids and the family together, but also of just the two of them who started it all!

I think even crying babies are adorable 🙂

In August, Kate + Jordan’s third boy, Max, was born. He was born with a cleft pallet, which we knew about, so I made the trip out to Williamsport before his first surgery so I could capture his original cleft pallet.

Love little Max peeking up at his parents with one eye.

In August I had Grace + Craig’s wedding! They ended up totally changing all of their plans and the number of guests due to Coronavirus. But the two of them couldn’t have been more joyous or easy going, they were just happy to finally be married. Even their smaller wedding at a different venue was absolutely beautiful and I think that is a reflection of what beautiful people they are on the inside and outside.

Grace’s details with the florals were just seamless.

Definitely one of my new favorite ring shots!

Craig had great details! I love when a groom puts a little extra thought and style into his look on his wedding day.

Craig wins for best reaction when seeing his bride! I have 10 more pictures of his reactions that I just couldn’t cut from the gallery I delivered to them.

 

Absolute perfection!

 

I know it’s cliche, but masks were “all the rage” in 2020 😉 So a mask picture was necessary!

The rest of the year was lots of family sessions! Since it was nice outside and cases were lower more people felt comfortable doing family sessions outside. Ben and I still wore our masks and I still used lenses that allowed me to social distance, especially since those getting photographed weren’t wearing masks.

This was one of my favorite little sessions I did for my best friend’s grandparents. I actually have known Mr. and Mrs. Turnbull my whole life and used to go over their house to play with Jess and go in the lake. I would love to do more sessions like this because I absolutely believe that marriages should last a lifetime and I love to honor the one’s that do by photographing them.

Lauren + Rob had a beautiful house and yard for us to shoot their maternity session outside. That way they were more at ease and the pictures had an extra special value since it was the place they would bring their son, Robbie, home.

I love their labradoodle, Lexie, she is so well trained and so photogenic! (I’m definitely getting tips from them one day on training when we get a dog!)

We stopped by to visit Kate + Jordan and their kiddos and get some pictures of Max after he healed from his first surgery, but before he went for another procedure.

I love the rug that Kate + Jordan picked out for Max’s nursery and I love this side-by-side comparison from his two shoots. He’s such a happy baby!

The big brothers came in for a couple of pictures too!

Headshots aren’t really something I normally do, but I did a couple this year. Normally, I just take some headshots of parents during their family sessions if they’d like them.

I did a second set of mini sessions in the fall and they were a big hit! Families love to get pictures before the holidays and I think this year especially to wrap up 2020 and show they made it through.

Look how big Evy got! I can’t believe how big all 3 of my nieces are!

 

I try and do all my outdoor sessions by the end of October, otherwise it just gets too cold, especially for kiddos. One year I did mini sessions in November and I think I made almost every kid cry just because of the cold!

Ben is my secret weapon during family sessions, even with a mask on he’s able to get kids to look at me and smile.

Let’s be honest if you don’t have a mask picture, did 2020 even happen? 😉 Just kidding, no one will ever forget 2020!

Finny will pose anywhere for a treat, he’ll even wear a Santa hat for a treat. But don’t be fooled, he’s not licking his chops to be cute, he’s licking his chops because he’s looking at the jerky I’m holding.

This family has been with me since my first mini session and I love seeing how the kids grow each year. After 3 years these girls are pros now!

This picture of Ford was taken back in July, but it’s the cutest Christmas picture. Especially for how much my sister and her husband love Christmas!

Robbie took his time coming into the world, but I guess I would have too with everything happening in 2020. 😉 Lauren was supposed to have him before Thanksgiving, but instead he was born in December! Poor Lauren! Lauren + Rob were so prepared for the newborn session like with their maternity session. Lauren had super cute ideas and outfits so I had a lot of fun taking pictures! Plus their house is as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside!

Look at those little baby lips! I loved capturing Lauren + Rob’s love for Robbie!

As I predicted, Lexie does not leave Robbie’s side! We had to put her in another room for some of the pictures because she just wanted to be around him to make sure he was alright.

And we’ll end with this image, possibly my most favorite image from 2020!

That was my 2020 photography review! I definitely ended up photographing a lot more sessions than I expected when Covid initially hit. To be honest, I thought 2020 was just going to be a wash and my camera would stay in the closet most of the year. I’m happy to report, that it was the opposite and it also allowed me to explore family photography a little more, which I enjoyed. I don’t know what 2021 holds, but I do know if you’re getting married or would like to capture your family, relationship or milestone, I’m here!