If there was one word to describe April it would be renewal, which, I guess, is fitting since it’s spring. I got to fly, travel, hike, relax, and create. I kicked off the month with a trip to Duluth and a massage, and ended it with a party for Glenn’s work. Overall, it was a steady, relaxing month and it was sorely needed.

A SUPERIOR EASTER
Glenn and I went to Duluth again for Easter and it was AMAZING. I’m absolutely smitten with Lake Superior. The colors are palette-worthy. We visited an air museum and got to see a P-38 Lightning, hiked the Park Point Trail (that, of course, begins behind an airport), took a scenic flight up to Two Harbors and back, and explored the Superior, Wisconsin Airport which had on its ramp a Beech 18 (pictured below) and a Catalina. Getting to fly again was really good for my soul, too.

While we were up there, I started thinking about what more I could offer in my business. One thing I love doing is teaching, and so I’m test driving a 16-week photography course for people who enjoy photography but don’t want to go pro. Glenn thought it was a good idea, so I think there is something about traveling to lakes that uncovers good ideas. Stay tuned for more on the photography course, especially if you’ve been wanting to learn.

COVID VACCINE
I started my course of COVID-19 vaccinations, so when I shoot weddings, I’m probably not going to be bringing COVID with me. I will continue to mask up to protect you and your guests. I don’t know how effective that will be in terms of protecting others, but that’s just it. I don’t know. If it’s a step I can take that might save someone’s life, a trip to the ICU, or even just a miserable time, I’m more than happy to do it.

My experience with round one of the Pfizer vaccine was rough. I felt fine the night I got it, but the next morning I felt off. Within a few hours, I was miserable. I felt horrible. I had chills, a fever, headache, weakness, and I was just exhausted. I was miserable pretty much the entire day. The next day I woke up feeling perfectly normal. I get my second shot on May 13 and come June, I will be fully vaccinated.

FIRST COURTHOUSE WEDDING
Courthouse weddings, microweddings and elopements are all the rage these days. This pandemic has changed how we get married, and how we enter into married life. People have seen the value of of small and intimate. It’s more budget-friendly, and you don’t have to worry about having a hundred people there that you have never met.

Next week, I am doing my first courthouse wedding. I plan to go into it just like I do every other wedding. Contract, check. Shot list, check. A plan to get as much of everything I get at an 8-hour wedding as I can in two hours, CHECK. I am really excited for this one, because the bride, Katie, is a friend I have known for over 10 years. We met climbing, and then found out that at the time, we both went to the same church. She was one of the first people I did a portrait session with, so to be able to be apart of her wedding is an enormous blessing. Katie is one of the most gentle-spirited people I have ever met. She is just a lovely person, and I cannot wait to create some stunning images for her and Yura.

April was pretty uneventful, and I think I say that a lot in these posts. Running a company is busy, it’s a lot of work, but it’s not always interesting. I spend a lot of time planning social media, working on client work, working on my business, and the truth is, sometimes that’s ALL it is. We see the social media feeds of other people, and we think their work is taking them to these glamourous locales, and on exotic trips. They’re constantly posting new work. Sometimes that can be misleading. When I set out to start a company, I didn’t promise anyone that it would be interesting all the time. I promised myself that I would be real, honest, and authentic, regardless of how glamourous or fancy it looks. Sometimes the work slows down, sometimes it’s super busy and really uninteresting to those who follow me. And that’s okay because that’s what’s real. And that’s what I’m here for: the real, the honest, the authentic.

Until next month,

cheers.