I don’t know about you but part two feels very different to part one. In someways it’s going to be harder, we had the seasons on our side during the first one. The days are shorter, colder and darker, being outside will start to feel less appealing than staying inside. And winter feels more bleak without the promise of Christmas and all the joy that it often brings. No big switch on, no singing, no Christmas Markets. Most importantly December is the month to reconnect with family and friends and my gut says it will be a very different Christmas this year.

However depressing the situation is, this lockdown is different. The kids are at school. For us parents, this is a game changer. I am grateful for the routine and what being in school does for my children. It also gives me a few hours a day to myself (OK, 2.45 hrs if we are being precise) that I don’t want to waste. I want to use some of this time (OK, it’s closer to 1.45 hr once I have made and had lunch!) for me (well, it’s more like 1 hr if you take of time I spend tiding up so I can enjoy said lunch). So I have planned a new fitness regime, books to read, Christmas gifts to make, and an extension to plan. I’m going to stay creative, healthy and positive. I’ll say this again louder for that part of my brain that doesn’t believe I will. I’M GOING TO STAY CREATIVE, HEALTHY AND POSITIVE!!

I wasn’t sure if I would shoot through this lockdown. With the kids going to school for a large part of the day, there is less to shoot, plus I am lucky enough to actually have a little work which is keeping me busy. But this time is still historic, and for the same reason I picked up my camera during the first lockdown, it is the same reasons I am picking  it up again. I want my kids to remember how we, as a family, got through this pandemic. In isolation any of the photos I have taken could just be showing a typical family image. But it’s when they are looked at as a collection that you understand what 2020 has meant as our family, and that is a LOT of time just the four of us. I am just so bloody grateful that we all like each other. I also really love photography. Not only is it my job but it’s still my hobby. I know it can pull me away from my family at times, sometime capturing the moments, rather than being in the them. But I am ok with that, for every moment caught I know there are a thousand more where I play a central role in my kids life. I think I use my camera as a tool to sometimes take a bit of a back seat, observe and watch, rather than up front parenting. So in that respects its my ‘me’ time.

One of the things I also want to focus on during the pandemic is how it is affecting Hitchin. I want to use photography to capture some of the stories happening on my door step. Back in the summer I got really excited about this project and then I got unexpectedly busy with 3 weddings in a row, so it took a back seat. Now feels like a good time to come back to it. Having these little projects on the go is so good for my mental health, it balances out some of the anger, frustration, worry and anxiety this year has brought. My wedding work has been put on pause and I fall through the cracks in terms of financial support. This has been a real kick in the belly and watching an industry get left high and dry when they have been forced to shut is painful. But it has forced me to pivot my business in new directions, to have the confidence to say yes to projects that I may have said no to in the past. So I am adapting, looking to the future again and getting exciting. I’m heading into this lockdown with plans, good intentions and gratitude and 1 whole hour a day to put this all into action!

I will use this blog to share my work during lockdown part two, swing by regularly if you fancy seeing what I’ve been up to.

Week 3-4