Hello!
Wow what a busy couple of weeks. We have had big changes around here starting with my Daughter starting school and my Son starting pre-school. Both started the same day which means I was an absolute emotional wreck!! I didn’t think I would be so upset but I cried (ugly cries) in the school car park and all the way home! I then just felt so emotional all day. I will really miss my little sidekicks but they are both loving their new little journeys and have soooo many fun adventures ahead of them!
It feels funny to have school starters in such a strange time that we now call the ‘new normal’. I know other Mum’s are finding it odd too. It’s great for the children as I think the separation is so much easier at the gate when you can’t hang around. Quick and easy with no fuss. But for us parents I think we have really missed out. Not walking them in and seeing their classrooms or getting to hang their little bags on their pegs each morning. I doubt there will be face to face parents evening or any Christmas festivities at school that we can be involved in this year. I feel a little robbed of my Mummy duties and I know everyone is in the same boat and will be feeling the same too. But as long as they are happy that is all that matters!
So now that I have lost my two little people after four years of constantly having them around I need a new focus to take my mind off it! This is where big changes are happening for me. I LOVE my photography and will forever be a family photographer but changes are happening at this end. Last year I finished photographing weddings as they just don’t fit in with my family life anymore and after 10 years of photographing lots of gorgeous couples I made the huge decision to stop and focus on my family photography. It has defiantly been the best decision for me. I think Lockdown made us all look at what we are doing and where we are going and it made me realise I want to be with my children as much as possible especially now they are both at school and pre school. Photography is a lot of weekend work and I have decided I want my weekends to be spent with my family. I will always have to work some weekends as that is just part of the job but I am going to try and limit it to two shoot’s per weekend and have more shoots take place during the week.
Which leads me onto my exciting news!!!! To work alongside my photography business I am training to be a Foot Health Practitioner and Reflexologist! I am SO excited and have already started the Foot Health Practitioner course which I hope to complete in Birmingham early next year. I will then start my reflexology training. Lots of you may say why this??? Well my lovely Mum is trained in both and runs a very busy little business on our family farm treating lots of lovely clients. I have always had an interest having grown up with it and now its my turn to train and follow on from my Mum. I am so excited for us to work together and it will fit in perfectly alongside my photography once my youngest is in school & I can work full time again in a couple of years. I have so many plans for it!!!
My photography will always be a HUGE part of me and I will continue photographing all my lovely families but I am excited for a new challenge to run alongside it. I can never stay still for long! So far I am really enjoying the challenge and studying again. I am a self taught photographer so the last time I did any assignments were at school! So far so good though and I can’t wait to put what I am learning into practise.
I felt so nervous telling my closest friends- I thought they would all think I was crazy! But every one has been so supportive and positive. So hopefully you will all feel the same too!!
Finally I just want to say THANK YOU!!!!! During lockdown I worried (like everyone else!!). I didn’t know where my business would stand after this pandemic. I offer a luxury service and in such uncertain times I didn’t know what would happen. But my clients have been beyond supportive and I have been busier than ever since opening back up in June. I will be forever grateful to each and everyone one of you that has booked with me, recommended me or even just supported me by sharing my work on social media. I know we are a long way off from this pandemic ending but at the moment I am feeling positive and excited for the next year and what it has to bring in both my photography work and my new studies. So thank you for all your continued incredible support.
So thats it. Lockdown has been beyond hard, but it has also been great in so many ways. It has made everyone re-evaluate, make changes and realise what is important to them. Sometimes it really is the simple things & the simple life we all know and love.
Helen x
