There are a lot of things I’m grateful for as I reflect on 2020.

My kids are safe and healthy. I’ve made a loving home with my wonderful partner and our beautiful blended family. My community showed up in a big way this year to pursue their dreams with determination and grace. 

But something else 2020 really drove home was this:

If photography is your calling, there will always be demand for your services.

(So there, Mom!)

A friend of mine who owns a public relations firm once told me PR was a secure bet for a business, because “whatever the state of the world, clients need just as much help communicating in bad times as they do in good.” 

And even through this crazy year, that stretched all of us in ways we never anticipated, it became clear that capturing family moments will always be a priority for people. 

A lot of brides and grooms had to forego their big family celebrations, but you can bet they had a photographer there to document the most important day of their lives, whether that  was an elopement to a nearby getaway or an intimate, immediate-family only celebration in the backyard. 

In a year when kids had to develop an understanding of some pretty complex global problems, they grew up a little bit faster. So capturing the family at this exact moment became just a little more urgent. 

Moments in time can be wonderful and they can be complicated. As photographers, sometimes we’ll capture families in transition. Sometimes we’ll capture the promise of forever love in a backyard. Sometimes we’ll shoot with masks on or from 10 feet in front of the porch. 

We may have to get creative in adapting the way we work sometimes, but how lucky are we to be in the business of capturing the feelings behind a moment in time? Something for which there will always be a need.

Did this year drive home how you’re fulfilling your purpose with photography? Send me a DM or share your stories with me in the Facebook group.