It was short and wonderful and long and agonizing: 2017 represented a total upending of life as I knew it. It was our first full year of parenthood, and therefore one giant adjustment period! In 2017 my daughter bloomed from sleepy infant to chatty, goofy, sweet-hearted toddler. My husband got to spend a whole summer being with us full-time. And as for me…
I spent the first half of the year on “maternity leave” (a phrase I use with quotes because as a self-employed person, it was just unpaid time off… but I still had to answer my emails.). Once “back” to work, I photographed 8 weddings and dozens of portraits. I also shot the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival from the pit with my first press pass; took a photography class; renovated my office and my website; completely redid my portfolios; joined The Beautiful Mundane and Show Me What Democracy Looks Like; started an Instagram account for my business; changed client management systems (which is excruciatingly dull but at least it takes an eternity!); found one of my photos in the first volume of The Maritime Edit; spoke to some local Girl Guides about what it’s like to be a photographer. You GUYS. It’s busy, it’s hard, it’s the best damned job.
And because there is more to life than work, I also planted a vegetable garden that died from drought and neglect; saw about a dozen movies in the theatre; knit 2 ornaments and 2 novelty hats; traveled to Grand Manan, Advocate Harbour, and Forillon National Park; went to the art gallery and the zoo; threw a 75th birthday party for my house; read 15 books; put over 150 bags of yard waste to the street; hit 150,000 on the odometer; baked bread; went to the Women’s March; produced over a litre of backyard maple syrup from our one sugar maple; hosted friends; hosted Thanksgiving; threw out my back; celebrated my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary; celebrated ten years with AG. It was a full year indeed.
Oh and I was professionally photographed six different times. 😬😇
Through it all, I was taking photos. Tens of thousands of photos. Which brings us to my point: my best photos, 2017 edition.
I call them best because they’re my favourite. Why are they my favourite? All kinds of factors. The location, the light, the expression, the unexpected. The decisive moment. The way I felt when I clicked the shutter and found that which I had been seeking. The revelations of who you are and who I am keep me coming back for more.
