HAPPY 2022! (SUBTITLE: IT'S BEEN TOO LONG)

Another year has gone flowing by.

The older I get, the more that time starts to feel less like a line and more like a river.

The water, sometimes, is low. Very low.
Sometimes, high. Too high.
Sometimes it’s peaceful, but is oftentimes difficult to navigate.
And it’s always beautiful, in whatever form it takes.
It gives, it takes away.

2021, just like 2020, was hard. And wonderful.

If you’ve followed me over the years, you know I’m a sucker for going new places, seeing new things. That’s been difficult the past couple of years — turns out having a highly sensitive child, during your first ever pandemic, isn’t exactly what they call a “breeze.” This year, we stayed close to home, just as the year before. We also moved into a new home, an act which brought its own fresh air and its own challenges. We did manage to get outside some, though not as often as we’d hoped. There has been very little time to replenish ourselves in the ways we need it most, and we are very tired.

Business-wise, I did pretty OK. Somehow, even though I wasn’t actively seeking new work (or the work I ultimately want to do), I had my busiest and highest grossing year ever. I worked a lot, especially this fall, and learned a lot about the importance of having a healthy work-life balance while having a new family to nurture. At the end of the year, I switched camera systems after 10+ years as a Nikon shooter, which has been interesting. I shot my first big wedding since 2014 (surprise!), got some great new clients, and maintained relationships with old ones. I’m currently expanding into some new office space at my studio, which will give me more space to work outside our home and more room in the studio to shoot without clutter.

2021 brought no big travels. No big exciting jobs. Somehow, not even enough family time (or at least the right kind). But, here are some photos to show one thing: growth.

Though I felt stagnant at times, I know that things have definitely changed. Our own River is growing faster than we could have imagined. Talking up a storm with a smile that melts our hearts. In the end, the effort is worth it. He takes, and he gives — just like any good River should. He added a flash of light in an otherwise dimly lit couple of years.

I wish the best to all of you in this new and inherently unpredictable 2022. Treat yourselves kindly, so that you can treat others kindly as well.

Let’s keep being human together.

All the love,

Stephen