Spring is arriving – and it’s raining again!

Yep, that’s the price we pay for living in such a beautiful area. I for one am happy to pay for it. With  2 sessions this weekend (an elopement and an extended family with cake smash)  I would be lying if I said I was totally chill about the forecast. But if I’ve learned anything during my 7 + years of being a photographer it is this – It will work out, it  always does! I don’t always know how, sometimes its a reschedule, more often than not we just go for it and we are blessed with weather windows and get the beautiful pictures and everyone goes home with thankful hearts!

Stay tuned for next weeks blog when I will let you know how this weekends shoots went.

Last week I was blessed with the opportunity to photograph this cutie patootie! 6 months old and a pro at blowing raspberries! This wooden box is one of my favorite props to use. It makes me giggle every time! 

I have two cake smash sessions scheduled for next week. I can’t wait!

Best In Battle Ground – Who Me?

I was very surprised to receive this notice last week and very excited! It’s always very nice when you receive good news about your business. I didn’t even know I had been nominated, but I will gladly accept it. I will continue to strive to be the best photographer I can be.

WWI – April 1918

I have mentioned before that one of the things I love the most about being a photographer is the variety of my job. A woman reached out to me last week. She was in search of someone who could produce some digital images as well as prints of two photographs she had from WWI. Her plan is to donate the originals to the Library of Congress. Somewhere in that sea of faces is her Great Uncle. 

Naturally the history teacher in me was very interested and we agreed on a time for her to come by the studio. I hadn’t asked what size the photos were. I assumed they were of some standard size like an 8×10. Nope! One photo was 31″ wide by 7″ tall and the other was 37″ wide by 9″ tall. As I looked at these amazing pictures I was very concerned about being able to reproduce them.

The first picture with the men facing the camera was the biggest challenge. As you can see there was no wiggle room on the edges. The original photos had them men to the very edges of the print. That is the photo that gave me the most grief. It is an amazing photo. It is so clear and you can see every man’s face. These were taken towards the end of WWI in Virginia. As I look at each individual I think of the families represented and the stories that could be told. These pictures are filled with histories and stories that I would love to hear!

One Year Ago 

Here is my post from a year ago – when living with a pandemic was new to us and for many we never in a million years thought that a year later this obnoxious roommate would still be hanging on https://shellyfryphotography.com/my-everyday/coronavirus-covid19-shelly-fry-photography

If you took the time to click over and read it you will be reminded of  how mind blowing and confused I was (and I assume the majority of us) when this all began.  It’s mind numbing that we have journeyed through this past year and we are still battling. For some they have the vaccine and new hope is born. For others they have survived illness, job loss and all of the uncertainties of the past year and remain hopeful with an eye to the future. Life is a wild ride friends! I stand behind what I wrote last year now more than ever! We must remember to be kind and to reach out in love to those around us. 

It’s been a hell of a year. When we are allowed to emerge from behind our face masks will we remember to smile at each other? I miss the casual interactions with people as you pass them in the grocery isle. I miss eye contact, casual chats and smiles. However long this journey is the good news is we have the first year BEHIND us! Here’s looking forward to new starts and lots of smiles. 

Daylight Savings – This happens every year

Yep, we survived it once again. An hour stolen from us. But frankly I don’t mind. I love the longer days! I just wish they would keep it and let us keep these longer days all year long. With our longer days there are more opportunities to schedule evening sessions which really opens up my calendar for you! By mid April the sunset is almost at 8pm! I love evening sessions! The light here is at it’s finest and I’m always so thankful to have opportunities to work with it. 

The first day of Spring is Saturday! How will you celebrate? Even with a rainy forecast I hope you find something (planting flowers in pots for your porch, going for a hike…) to do to celebrate!

Shelly