End of the year wrap up - 2021!

Well…. the time has come. 2021 is coming to a close. In many ways this year has been difficult and in many ways this year has been totally rewarding.

Since the end of November, we have been finishing up the purchase of our first home, painting that home. moving into that home, and cleaning up our apartment. It has been so much work but we also were able to enjoy a little bit along the way. There was no November blog post as a result, but that’s how life goes!

If you didn’t know, I am trying to challenge myself to learning something new or being creative every month in some way. In November, it was learning to paint our house. I am documenting these things over on my YouTube channel - you can watch November’s video here:

December’s video will be up shortly, but for now, please enjoy some of the photos I took this month:

Lee enjoying a latte in our front yard.

We also decided to explore the neighborhood during the terrific weather.

Our neighborhood sure has changed from our location in Ballard! Look what my neighbor has parked in their yard!

Enjoying one of our local parks.

…and exploring another local park that we may or may not have been allowed at!

Finally got to decorate a little bit for Christmas, as well as wrap some presents while Max judged me about how long his next meal was taking…

Went to a holiday market at the Tractor Tavern back in Ballard to get some last minute hand made gifts.

A beautiful ornament from my mother.

A day out in Seattle with my best friend, Angela!

Some family time with my nephew, my mother, my sister, and both Lee’s.

And of course… the snow. The second big snow of 2021. We got some on Christmas Eve and then a bunch more on the 26th. It is still here, going into the new year…. hopefully it will start melting soon when the temperatures allow it!

Capping this year off with a snow-filled view from my back yard.

This year has brought along so much change. I am trying to embrace it, and actually lean into it. I want to grow as a person, and can’t wait to see what 2022 will bring.

As a side note - I only made a few posts this year on my blog, so a true end of the year post with the “Best of” photos isn’t necessary - it’s all right here for you to look at! I also am skipping 2021’s top albums. There were many great moments in music this year, but albums themselves did not capture me this year. Perhaps it was a slow year, or perhaps I was just so busy focusing on exercising, laying my father to rest, moving, and getting back into creative ventures again, during year 2 of the pandemic, that I just was neglectful.

There was only one album this year that blew me away. That was Turnstile’s album Glow On.

The album is phenomenal frontwards and back. I could not stop listening to this one. It was reflective, catchy, and filled with momentum. Here’s a bit to tie you over with:

Thanks everyone, and see you in 2022!!

And then, everything changed...

A big part of why I love photography is the ability to document. There can be concepting and artistic vision in a photoshoot, but then there are also the photographs that are important because they represent truth and transparency in history.

Suffice to say, as an American, my life slowly started being affected around February-March dramatically as the novel coronavirus became a larger concern in our country. I normally commute into the heart of Seattle every day, and that slowly halted, as public transportation became less safe, and then eventually, our governor issued a Stay-at-Home order.

I have been taking things very seriously, and unfortunately that means that for me and many other photographers, it is a lot harder for us to take the kinds of photographs we want to. Collaborating or shooting with other people is more difficult, and not something I feel comfortable pushing the limits on, until things are safer. In the meantime, that means I get to shoot what is around me, which is the mundane. But in a time like this it is important to document all things, so we can remember this time when we are in a more fortunate position. Hopefully, people will keep safe and help to stop the spread of Covid 19, but right now, none of us know what the future holds. Concerts, my favorite pastime, are likely not coming back for a long time.

It is time to find new hobbies and time to be thankful for what we can. Also, to document. Some of the best art has come out of times of desperation and I love seeing what everyone has been creating in their environments during this pandemic.

I finally got around to that gradient puzzle.

I often cook dinner, even before the pandemic hit the US, but we’ve done a lot more home cooking since March.

My boyfriend also decided he wanted to try some cooking of his own…although we had some delicious home-made orange chicken, we also experienced a small house fire and had to replace our range. It was scary and we were very lucky things weren’t worse.

Groceries in 2020 - ours are almost always delivered now.

Max was exploring while we moved the furniture around to set me up with a desk space for my new working-from-home station.

A bird on a telephone wire outside, in the reflection of my work desk. A juxtaposition of how indoors I have become.

How to keep track that I’ve checked my work voicemail from home.

A Summer rain - a beautiful night spent on my porch. Where we spend a lot of time these days soaking up fresh air.

Drying some freshly-washed masks.

My best friend and companion while I work everyday.

My other child who likes to nap in the other room while I work.

Peeking.

I also did have a “quarantine birthday” which I suppose most of us will experience at some point. I was lucky that friends and family stopped by and I got some socializing with them from the street. It was so good to at least see some of the people I love the most even if we couldn’t hang out inside my place like normal.

Ashley visiting me for my birthday!

Shayna and Lee visiting me for my birthday!

Birthday lunch from Joli!

Here I am at 32, trying my best to look happy. There’s a lot to not be happy about right now, but for me there is even more to be thankful for and I need to hold onto that.

I’m not sure what will happen next or where my photography will go from here. “Normal” isn’t coming back - there may be a new normal one day but things aren’t going back to how they were in 2019, and maybe there is a silver lining to that. We are all learning and growing from what is happening and coming to light in this world. I hope that we can become kinder people from this experience.

In November, We Take Portraits

November is one of my favorite times of the year… and one of the busiest! I love this time of year because everyone is feeling festive and also are looking to get their holiday portraits done for the season. Check out a few of my favorite portraits for a few sessions this year… which included a few furry friends!

Melissa, Jonathan, Lil Miss and Ozzie!

This was my second year in a row shooting some holiday photos for Melissa and Jonathan, but this time we decided to take things inside their under-construction home so that we could get a few intimate shots with the rest of their family as well! Lil Miss (kitty) and Ozzie (husky) were both patient sports as they posed all-together for a festive shoot.

Rina & Travis

Two of the most absolute fun people to shoot - ever! This is my fourth year shooting with Rina and Travis for their holiday photos and they always know how to have a fun time and bring their personalities to the shoot!

Kirstin, Derek and Ruff Puff!

This was my first official photoshoot with Kirstin and Derek, and I was so happy the photoshoot included their newest edition as well, Ruff Puff! One of the fluffiest dogs I’ve ever seen, he is quite the stunner - everyone at the park we shot at wanted his attention. This trio really sold the holiday cheer in their red outfits.