Every year I look forward to doing a year in review, and each year…well, life hits. This year has definitely been no exception, because, you know….2020. But even in the midst of the edits, and the cleaning and the repairs of shower curtains that the kids have pulled down (yes….that just happened about five minutes ago), I am finally making myself sit down and write out my thoughts and memories of the past year. Hopefully this will be the start of an annual tradition.
So, where to begin. I started 2020 off at an all-time high. I had taken the last two weeks off in December 2019, which was so nice to focus solely on my family and the holidays. I also love to spend the last week of December reflecting back on the year and looking forward to the new one, and I had had ample time to create new goals for myself. I was so excited to start the new year and these projects I had created for my business.
And then I got sick, the very first week of January. At the time, I thought it was maybe a really bad case of the flu. High fevers that kept coming and going, absolutely no energy to do anything at all. And every time I felt as though I were getting my feet back under me, it would hit all over again, and I would be laid out on the couch with no energy, sleeping the day away. It took me nearly two months to start feeling like myself again. Looking back now, it makes me wonder if it was the flu after all or if I maybe did manage to pick up one of the early Covid strains during our holiday travels. Who knows.
But the point is, by March I finally had started to get my energy back and was so excited to start tackling some of my photography projects that I had laid out for the new year. And then Covid hit, and everything shut down.
Like many of you, I had no idea what the future held for my little business. I was certain, absolutely certain, that it was done for the year…and maybe for good. Which is why I was shocked when the quarantine lifted…and people started to get in touch with me. Not only did my photography business stay afloat, it actually turned out to be the best year I have ever had. I had the same number of sessions in just seven months that I had had the entire year prior.
So thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for turning out to (safely!) support my business. It feels so wonderful to be able to make money doing what I love. I know that sounds cliche, but it is the absolute truth. I love providing these images for you, and it means the world that you entrust these memories with me.
That is the main thing I really wanted to touch on about this year. You are what makes my business. With your support, I try to spend my down time with my family, as well as educating myself further, so that every year that you return to me, it will be an even better experience. You help make that a possibility.
And while every year is full of its disappointments and fallen attempts, and this year has seemed to have more than its share…there have been some achievements that I am also proud to share with you.
1. In March, I was thrilled to be listed by Clickin Moms in their annual ‘100 Female Photographers to Watch‘ list. I’m not going to lie, this is a goal I had hoped to achieve someday, but really didn’t expect to actually happen. I can’t describe what it meant to see my name listed amongst so many of my personal photography heroes.
2. I was also excited when Click magazine contacted me to do a very short writeup in their May/June 2020 edition. Another goal of mine that I had not expected to happen this year!
3. I decided to enter the Shoot and Share contest for the second time. I’m happy to say that I had four finalists and one top 100 that placed #29 out of 47,626 images in its category.
4. I also submitted to the Voice photo competition this year, and had 2 images selected as top 15 within their respective categories, as well as 3 other semifinalist images.
5. And on a personal note, I finished my third consecutive 365 project, which I hope to do a blog writeup about soon (crossing fingers).
Thanks so much for sticking with me in this year in review and celebrating these little wins with me. While they are so exciting, they also don’t show just how much time is spent feeling like I’m slogging through mediocre image after mediocre image. But I guess that is what keeps us going. Every once in a while we as photographers make another image that excites us and keeps us going. So thank you again for sticking with me this year and entrusting me with your memories. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us all in 2021.
Christina Freeman is a family and child photographer based in Anna, TX, serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. If you have loved everything you have seen so far, be sure to check out my details page for an idea of my general pricing, and be sure to get in touch to start the process today!