I can’t even believe I’m sitting down to write my “Best of Blog Post” for 2020. Honestly, when I think back to around late April/early May when we were in complete shut down mode here in the Denver area I really thought my days of owning a photography business may be coming to an end or an extended pause.

Not only were things shut down, but there were so many unknowns about Covid-19 (which I lovingly still call the Rona), that I didn’t know if it was even realistic to own a business that is built on serving people in person. AND then to top it off, I broke my left ankle (scootering with my girls) and could not put any weight on my ankle for…gasp…at least 6-8 weeks. The other burning question was when could I actually get work done because my kids were at home doing remote learning and had soooo many needs. I know I wasn’t the only one in this position, because I have multiple text messages and text groups going ALL the time and we were all in about the same position.

Well fast forward to mid-June, somehow I made it to mid-June elevating my ankle for hours at a time and getting around on a knee scooter; and my ortho doc released me to start putting weight on my ankle in my walking boot. In the meantime, it seemed as though most areas of Colorado opened up enough so that both my clients and I felt like we could safely do photography sessions with some precautions in place. Things started looking up. It was slow going at first, because ya’ll, I was shooting in a walking boot in places that had tons of gravel, rocks and hiking paths that went up and downhill. As my ankle got stronger and I moved to a hiking boot, my lovely clients and friends started reaching out for sessions. So my August - December of 2020 looked like any of my past 5 years in business, except I was wearing hiking boots, lol!

I am just so proud of the magic we were able to create this year given the personal circumstances that many of us were dealing with. Let’s get the party started with the magic we were able to create:

Families with Little Kids

Families with Little Kids will always hold a special place in my heart. This is the client group that I built my business with, and although the littles (as I call them) can be challenging, I am up for the challenge! This year, since I was hobbling around in a boot, chasing toddlers was hilarious. Imagine me in a walking boot, trying to move fast and also carrying my bag with camera equipment. Basically I was walking around looking like a penguin, BUT I got the job done!

Families with Tweens and Teens

Families with Tweens and Teens are quickly becoming about half of my business, and different from toddlers, I don’t have to chase them around to get the shot, haha! For many of these families, it may be the last time they use a family photographer until it is time for the kiddos to have Senior photos done. So I like to knock these sessions out of the park because they end up being hung on walls for a long, long time.

Extended Families

Extended Families are really important to me because I love a good multi-generational portrait that includes Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. Many of our extended families are spread all over the country and the opportunities to get family portraits when everyone is together is rare. And thanks to 2020 and travel being limited and the need to protect our elders, Extended Family Sessions were few and far between last year. So I was grateful to get these three Extended Families in front of my camera. I know these images will be treasured for years to come.

Seniors

My Seniors this year were nothing short of amazing. They are experiencing a Senior year like none other and they are handling it with so much grace. My Seniors this year are musicians, athletes (football, cheer, diving, soccer), actors/actresses, community servants and scholars. They are still working hard and excited about their opportunities for furthering their education next year. And we are all hoping and praying that they get the Freshman year of College that they deserve. Congratulations Alexandra, Camy, Kristoff, Kennedi, TJ, Jarrell, Dyson, Parker, Aspyn, Marissa, and Morgan! You will do great things.

Headshots

I typically have more headshot clients than I did this year, but we can all get behind the statement that this year was a weird year and there wasn’t too much movement as far as careers go. I do have to say, I had a great time with these two guys. One was getting ready to get his career started before the Pandemic hit and one did a mid-career change due to the Pandemic and jumped into the world of Real Estate. I know both of them are doing great, even admits the chaos.

Maternity and Newborn

I don’t do a ton of Maternity and Newborn Photography anymore, and it’s mostly for existing clients who are welcoming a new little one into their family. But nevertheless, I love being a part of all major life changes, and a new baby is one of the best life changes there is!

If you’ve stuck around to the end, yay!!!! And please know, I’m so thankful for each and every one of you that I was able to serve this year, including those of you not pictured in this blog post because you weren’t ready to share publicly. Even with everything going on in 2020, you came prepared, excited, ready to have fun, and were flexible with all the ever changing guidelines (even when my own kids got quarantined and I had to swap dates. I am grateful for all of you!

I can’t wait to share more blog posts this year (crosses fingers that I blog more this year) to showcase some new locations I really enjoyed including Mt Falcon East, Wallace Park in Greenwood Village area, and new ares of Downtown to name a few! So make sure you’re on the lookout for my future blog posts. And if I didn’t see you this year, and this is your year for family, senior, or milestone photos reach out to me and let me know so we can start talking about what you want your experience to be. If you don’t know where to find me, makiaimages@gmail.com is where I am!

Warmly,
Danielle