The Year That Was 2020

The Things I Loved About Lockdown

Coffee, peanuts and dark chocolate. Eggs from my chickens. Sunbathing. Learning new things and not having to go anywhere. And Netflix, of course! I also had the best glamping 50th birthday party, in a field with my top 10 girls. Sitting around the campfire in the rain on beanbags whilst drinking gin and dancing to 80s tunes was a definite highlight!”

The Calm Before the Storm

I left 2019 on a bit of a high and went into 2020 super excited to get cracking. I had tons of great weddings planned, new venues to discover, an engagement shoot in Amsterdam. All that, and I was going to be celebrating my 50th too! It started well, with me shooting three normal weddings right at the start of the year. But you all know what comes next. Yes, that’s right. COVID-19 hit and, suddenly, everything went out the window. Well it wasn’t a total washout, I still managed to shoot 20 weddings albeit micro affairs. Half the amount I’m used to but still not to be sneezed at!

Dealing with a Pandemic

I got off to a very positive start when the pandemic first took hold. I completely embraced home life. I spruced up my cooking skills, planted vegetables for the very first time and even got some hens! I also jumped into a serious exercise regime and starting walking 10k a day, every day. And to keep my photography skills up, I started documenting home life in a pretty intense way. As spring moved into summer, I worked on my tan and my handstands. I spent very little money, and life was feeling pretty good. It seems weird to say it, but I really enjoyed lockdown. Even despite having to cancel several trips abroad and a trip to a yoga festival I’d planned for my big birthday.

The “New Normal”

In July, things picked up a little when they reduced restrictions. Weddings resumed, although differently to what we knew before. I was so excited to get back to it though and, by the end of August, I was getting used to weddings of 30. It was almost beginning to feel okay again.But it was short-lived, unfortunately. And as a new lockdown and restrictions came in, weddings went back to zero.

How a Photographer Does Mindfulness

Dealing with negativity in only the way a photographer can, I decided to upgrade all my camera gear and switch to a mirrorless system this year. Lockdown meant I had plenty of time to learn how to use it. I’ve read the entire manual and followed a whole bunch of tutorials online to get it all set up correctly. It’s led to me dabbling more in video, and I’m excited to start bringing that into my service offerings soon!

The 2020 Best Bits

Being able to do complimentary engagement shoots for my couples who have had to postpone has been wonderful. And I also managed to make it to Amsterdam for that engagement shoot without having to quarantine, so that’s a bonus! And, as soon as the Canary Islands opened up, I was able to get a week in Tenerife and the Spanish sunshine. And an almost-empty hotel meant I was able to get the best sun lounger at the pool, along with my own waiter!

What I’ve Learned This Year

Apart from all the philosophical lessons this year has taught us, I’ve loved digging into learning video. Don’t worry people, I’m not moving into a wedding videographer career any time soon! But I do want to start offering little videos along with photography packages. I’m still working on getting an example together, but you’ll be the first to know all about it here on the blog when it’s time!

Looking Forward

So, everything is grand! I’ve got some mini weddings in December where I’m hoping to get some video to start playing with. 2021 looks to be a quiet start to the year, but it’s shaping up to be a busy year ahead. I’ll be shooting those postponed 2020 weddings as well as some of the new bookings waiting in the wings! I’m looking forward with positivity and excitement for what’s to come. And I hope it’s as excellent for you all too.

Don’t forget to give me a shout if you’re interested in booking me for your wedding! And have a great festive season. I’ll leave you with a random collection of  my lockdown photos, mostly of Alice and the dogs as there wasn’t much else going on!