In what has been the longest January known to man we have been both reflecting on what was 2020 and looking to the future and the new hope it brings.
A little late but Happy New Year to you all, (when is it too late to keep saying it?!) We have been both busy reflecting on 2020 and planning as best we can for the year ahead. As we all know 2020 did not turn out the way any of us expected. With lockdowns and many, many restrictions placed on us all we somehow got through. Despite the lack of larger events and weddings, we managed to grow parts of the business. We photographed more families than ever before. We went to new locations for outdoor photoshoots and worked with new venues for our children’s pop-up studios.
The highlight of the year was documenting the first lockdown, we helped raise money for a local charity that have worked tirelessly throughout lockdown and continue to do so. Supporting local families in times of need, from food hampers, to clothes and furniture or sign posting to other support available, Acts of Kindness work on donations and we were delighted to make a financial contribution to their efforts. Our Doorstep photography project captured life in lockdown 2020.
Family portraits outside the home became a big hit and in just a few short weeks we photographed 50 families and our story was even printed in the local newspaper, The News. The doorstep photography idea grew from an article we had read from an American photographer, the idea captured our imaginations and other photographers across the country. It was a breath of fresh air for us, being able to get out and shoot after what at the time had seemed like forever. The families we visited too welcomed us and for some the first people they had seen in a while – albeit at a socially distanced length for a decent lens on the kit. We captured what was going on in this strange world we have all suddenly found ourselves surviving in. It was not just surviving we helped capture some special moments too, from Birthday’s to Anniversaries and the welcome home of newborns.
Once the first lockdown had ended, we were able to get out once more and photograph in the great British countryside. Our outdoor photo shoots are always a huge success with spaces filling fast. So much so we will be adding more locations when times and restrictions allow. We have our eyes on a poppy field and water meadows to name a few. We are so fortunate to live in Hampshire with a beach to one side and countryside to the other. We have even set up a new subscription mailing list so you can be the first to know when, more details of that to come. Between the countryside, beaches, sunflowers and pumpkins we had a blast. We love being outdoors and capturing you and your family spending time together is priceless. We were blessed with glorious weather for the most part. Sunshine really does make things better, as we sit typing on a gloomy January day.
Our online password protected galleries have been a big hit, this means you can view your edited photographs at your leisure without a studio viewing, perfect for a no-contact approach in these COVID19 times and no pressure to make additional purchases. We really aren’t pushy sales people, we simply love that you enjoy your photoshoots and the photographs you choose and memories to last and love.
Our Pop-up studios remain ever popular and we manged to squeeze a few in when restrictions have allowed. We returned to some of our favourite children’s play café as well as met with new children’s play centres. We have been in conversation with a few further afield for the forthcoming year. Details will follow when we have confirmed dates, please keep following us on Facebook and Instagram for updates. A new venue to our pop up studio photography is Wild Wonderland in Gosport. They opened their doors in 2020 and had a successful start with a fabulous indoor playframe, soft play and tons of space for little ones to run away and burn off their energy. We visited with our pop up studio for a pumpkin patch theme studio and plan to be back for more fun photos of your little ones. In these uncertain times for us all, small businesses matter and need your support now more than ever. Unfortunately, we cannot see Pop up studio photography returning before Easter at the earliest, but we have some new backdrops ready and waiting for the green light.
Weddings, well what can I say, the wedding industry is currently on its knees. Our hearts go out to all our couples, wedding suppliers and venues in what has and remains to be a hellish time. We have worked with all our couples to reschedule or re-plan their special days. Some Couples choosing to postpone, others making changes for a small-scale wedding. There is no right or wrong and everyone must do what they feel is right for them. We will be adding another photography blog on intimate weddings soon. We were lucky enough to photograph some beautiful intimate weddings and watched some wonderful couples have their wedding day. We will wait in anticipation on what the shape of weddings will look like this year. We are taking bookings for remaining 2021 dates and new bookings for 2022 and beyond. We have signed up to Guides for Brides book with confidence scheme. We offer a rescheduled date or refund should our couples be forced to cancel due to the pandemic; this has been our view for all our wedding photography and photo booth bookings throughout the pandemic and has been well received by our couples.
So, 2020 – what a year, it certainly was different but not all bad, we crammed in lots when we could and are mostly just thankful for all the support you have all shown us. Small businesses like ours rely on feedback, word of mouth, recommendations and support from the local community. Our clients have been amazing, we cannot wait to get back to photographing you all. Here is to a healthy and hopeful 2021 for us all.
