So each year I love to look back at the previous year and decide what changes I want to make in my personal life and in my business and what things I thought went well and were grateful for! It is a time of reflection for me and a time to renew my spirit! It is a sense of a clean slate if you will, when a New Year approaches. A time of great gratitude for the things accomplished and time spent with friends! I love the holidays just as much as I like the newness the New Year brings.
With reflecting back, it was a year of growth for my business! The addition of my studio proved to be a wonderful one throughout the year and I am feeling excited that the final touches continue to be added. I met many new faces this year and loved catching up with my existing clients. I was able to get my baby fix by capturing the newness of life with newborns. I saw couples who were two unique individuals taking vows and becoming husband and wife several times this year. What wonderful celebrations I was hired to record. I was able to update family portraits and follow children as they changed throughout their first year! What wonders come from taking moments and capturing them for people to forever have!
Portraits to me are something that are truly priceless.....for when we go to be with God and leave our earthly bodies, our families will have portraits and any video that was taken to remember us by. It is nice to have a piece of jewelry or something special that our loved one gave us, but pictures are what I treasure the most. Isn't that what everyone says they will run back into a burning house to get? Those priceless pictures and portraits are our beloved treasures.... I learned this all to well this year with my father passing away. The last image I have of my father with me is the one below taken on Father's Day by my husband. I am not normally insistent on having myself in portraits, but perhaps deep down I knew the time was drawing close for my dad. I wanted one more picture with him.... I made him what he requested for Father's Day and made sure we captured "that " moment in time for me to forever have. One more moment I can look back on. That is truly what portraits give you...."that" moment to forever look back and remember. To me you see, portraits are a gift.... a gift of precious moments.
So, as I have reflected on the year, I have a happy heart in knowing that I have given those type of gifts to my clients. I am thankful to all of you for allowing me this important job and thank you for supporting me as I continue this journey. You are what makes Mary Beth's Photography possible!
With a New Year, of course I love to make changes to what I think would benefit my clients and myself, to make Mary Beth's Photography even better. With a business, change is always happening to make things run smoother, to offer more and to continue to grow! You have seen the first change with my new logo and I am loving it! The second big change I would like to announce is that I will be now focusing on my true love of newborns, children and families! I have loved photographing weddings and will do a very limited amount on special request, but my passion has really evolved with newborns, children and families! I am also only going to be a natural light studio and natural light on location photographer only....for that is why I built my studio with 2 huge 5x5 windows. I just love the way it looks and as each photographer finds their path, this has always been my love....the beautiful light from outdoors illuminating my studio! There will be some more changes to come, but these are the first three I would like to share with the New Year now here! I look forward to many new wonderful experiences to come in 2014!
~ Mary Beth
