As I type this February is now behind us. I have been adding photos here all month so I would be ready to share and blog about another month of living the 365 photo project life. When I look at the images again I can see those days where we (or really I) was in the thick of it being February. So many indoor photos of homebody life, or occasionally getting outside only to meet up with people back inside. The days when I photographed a detail like my car or my kitchen counter or my floor, with only a few photos of anything happening outside. Maybe that will change now that March is here! (she types this as she looks out her window at the snow falling and another coating of white starting to cover the dirt and the pavement…)

But, here we are and here is how my February unfolded in front of my camera….

2/1 Olivia | Scarborough, Maine | waiting her turn to be photographed after her mom.

2/2 A hit to the face at roller derby | Happy Wheels | Portland, Maine.

2/4 Trader Joe’s Parking lot | Portland, Maine.

2/5 at trivia | Gorham, Maine. ps we won!

2/8 Another afternoon with Jamma and Button.

2/10 Hanging with the niece and neph, and creating animojis until my battery wears down.

2/13 Snow storm day, so here’s more finding light and home decor.

2/14 Valentine’s and afternoon distraction.

2/15 Leaving the Hospital | Portland, Maine.

So, confession time: I have a policy with myself to not change my mind once an image is picked, but on the 15th I posted a different photo and I now feel I made the wrong choice. So the photo above is the better photo, in my opinion, than the one I posted on FB. The one I chose originally was a little more dramatic and had more colors and light happening, but there are technical issues with it that bother me. SO, I went back to the one I felt I should pick. Yet I still question if choosing this one is the easy choice. The bottom line though is this image is better technically, and I like the different pockets of color. AND the human in the corner. I was intentional on my part to keep him in the frame.

On a personal level this was also a week where more than one family member was in a hospital for varying (hopefully temporary) life setback kind of things. It’s possible my head was not in the best place during this week, so my decision making was a little clouded. It’s also possible I wanted to somehow capture what was going on that week, but didn’t want to share other people’s personal happenings on my FB page because that’s not really my place.

This is one of those 365 photo things I still haven’t mastered. At times I am definitely protective of other people’s privacy, which seems like a contradiction when photographing and sharing your life everyday. But I know it’s not always my story to share, whether that’s a family member having medical things or even clients needing photos but not wanting them shared until they are ready, since it’s their story and their message…

Privacy in an era of oversharing. Ha! A whole different topic, so let’s get back to February and photos, shall we?

2/16 Roller Derby spectating with my heartshadesquad pals | Happy Wheels | Portland, Maine.

2/17 Sunday lunch and shopping with GG and Ablock | Sebago Brewing | South Portland, Maine.

2/18 Kitchen | Playing with my old 50 and shallow DOF.

2/22 the day we celebrated National Margarita Day.

2/25 Art in a coffee shop | CIA coffee shop | South Portland, Maine.

2/27 Oh, there’s a snowflake in one of our windows I forgot was there!

2/28 Brunch with Chem | shooting with the nifty 50 and my coffee comes to me in this mug | Sinful Kitchen | Portland, Maine.

And that’s a wrap for February! I always want to end it like a film set with a big “THAT’S A WRAP EVERYONE” and we all clap, but also that’s more attention than I really like. So for now, just a quieter mini high five to myself and other photog pals for completing another month in the world of documenting your every day life, every day of this year.

* (Insert Judd Nelson fist to the sky final image at the end of The Breakfast Club here and every month of 2019)*

The holidays are over, and a new year has begun. I like this time of year as a chance to regroup, reassess, maybe reorganize, and get ready for the year ahead. In the world of family photos, this time of year tends to be very quiet for me. But the thing is, family photos in the snow are actually really fun!

I know. Sounds crazy. But trust me. The only catch is snow day photo shoots are not for everyone. They are, however, great for the fun, silly, outdoorsy, or adventurous ones. And after we are done having fun in the snow, it’s a great excuse to hang out and do something warm and cozy back inside. Hot chocolate, baking, pj’s for the rest of the day… or grab the sleds and keep keep the outdoor fun going.

Jan and her girls, always up for whatever.

This year I got to hang out with Jan and her girls again. Lucky us, because it snowed the night before their shoot. So what started with pj’s and a photo-bombing cat, moved outside to the yard with fun, jumping, and laughter. Plus a color palette that had this photog nerding out a bit.

I’m not sure if it was the snow that had us laughing almost the whole time, or just how hilarious they all are when they are together. Either way, my cameras and I were loving it. The light was great, the fun was plentiful, and even the parking lot made for a good back drop because that is the magic of a fresh pile of snow (and most of the cars moved out of their normal spots for plowing).

It would have been easy to decide we should reschedule (except not really, considering the time of year). But we knew this would give us photos we haven’t gotten at our other sessions. I’m so glad we both agreed it was game on because we would not have gotten these images and these colors had we rescheduled.

So, I’m here to encourage you to schedule the photo shoot, not worry about the weather, and find a way to capture you and your people living and having fun together. Sounds like a great way to kick off 2019!