Ahhh 2020. So many words spring to mind. Long, brutal, ridiculous, heart-wrenching, terrifying, hard, depressing, embarrassing, infuriating, unbearable. And I tend to be a positive person! I think one thing we’ve all learned is to not say “what else could possibly happen?”
At the end of any year, I take the opportunity to look back and think about what all has happened over the course of that year...what I learned...and where I want to go next year. Looking back at 2020 is going to be like no other. And I know it’s only 10:00 in the morning, but wine might need to be involved.
As I look back at 2020, I’m going to share with you what this year taught me. Because I truly believe that no matter how hard or frustrating or even maddening something is...everything is a learning opportunity.
So let’s do this!
I can do hard things
PhotoFluent was just a baby in 2020. I came up with the idea at the end of 2019. So 2020 involved figuring out a website, teaching style, connecting with an online community. There was SO much technology involved and I actually figured it all out! (well a lot of it anyway)
And besides the technology of it all, I also figured out that being isolated is hard. I have worked from home for a really long time, but starting a business, being at home alone all day, AND having a pandemic stop all travel. THAT was hard for me. But you know what? I met some AMAZING people in the process and figured out how to connect in different ways. To reach out when I needed connection and put myself out there a little more. Which is hard for an introvert like me. But I can do hard things...right?
One of the hard things I learned to do was to teach courses online. One of those was about printing travel photos.
It’s important to find inspiration at home when we’re not traveling
The biggest disappointment of 2020 for me was not being able to travel. Oh I had grand plans (France and Italy I’m talking to you)! And traveling is when I get really inspired. To see new things, experience new cultures, try new food.
But I also learned that if I made an effort - even a small one - that I could get out my camera and find inspiration everywhere. Even my own backyard. And inspiration...creativity...is just the thing that a person needs to maintain sanity when living like a hermit.
I actually wrote an entire blog post on finding inspiration. I highly recommend it if you’re needing some tips.
This photo was made in my backyard. When I actually looked around, there were all kinds of gorgeous models for my photos!
Schitt’s Creek was the best escape from 2020 madness that could have ever happened.
I’ll admit the first show (or two) Neal and I weren’t quite sure we loved it. By mid-way through the first season we were absolutely hooked. So much so that after we finished it, while we were waiting for the final season, we watched the whole thing again. We laughed even harder the second time! And it sure felt freaking good to laugh for a change.
Thank you Levy’s!
I don’t need an airplane to explore new places
When air travel ground to a near halt this year, I was pretty devastated. I had big plans to go to Europe, visit my parents on the East Coast...and there I was, stuck.
Okay, but I had to think through what “stuck” meant. We weren’t sick, Neal was still employed and I was still working away at PhotoFluent. AND we live in California for goodness sake! Once I got over feeling sorry for myself and being grateful for what we had, I decided that there’s a whole lot to explore and experience very near to us.
And yes I should have done a LOT more of that local exploring. It’s almost like once I hunkered down into hermit mode, I couldn’t leave my house or something (note for 2021 - get out of the house more often).
A different perspective of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
There are some AMAZING and INSPIRING people out there!
I saw a lot of things in 2020 that depressed me. The political climate, the hatred, the name calling, the racism....and to top it all off a pandemic with no real leadership to guide us through. It was hard not to get down and think that our country has sunk to a new low...that I wasn’t sure we could climb out of.
The way I handle thoughts like that? Prove myself wrong. Look for the positive, the inspiring. And boy did I find it! Thank you Zoom! Over the past year, I’ve connected with so many inspiring, brilliant, smart, funny people all over the world. I’ve laughed with and been guided by some fabulous people who gave me hope for humanity again.
Elizabeth Goddard, Lisa Lisson, Diane at Oui in France, Amy Porterfield, Adrian Leeds...oh I could go on and on and on.
I’m incredibly grateful for all these amazing people and more. ❤️
A cemetery photo I took as part of a guest blog post I did for Lisa Lisson at Are You My Cousin?
I CAN go live every week on Facebook and even enjoy it!
This might not sound like a big deal to you...but to me? It was HUGE! The first time I heard this suggestion - that’s it’s a good way to connect with and build my community...I thought “hell no, I’m not doing that”. You see I have a long history of not really loving myself - the way I look, my voice….or a whole lot of things that we don’t have time for here.
So the thought of going live was not just intimidating but not even remotely a valid consideration for me. But then I saw other people doing it. And I loved the connection that it built. And that is what I truly wanted with PhotoFluent. Not just me teaching people how to create fabulous travel photos...but connecting as a community. Sharing photos, travel stories, frustrations, joys… And the best way to do that in this day and age...was to go live and talk to people. Fine.
So I did it once. And then again. And then every single week (almost) for the rest of the year. And you know what? I actually LIKE doing it now! I love it when people join in and comment and I love sharing my tips, tools, photos, and lessons learned.
Now I haven’t gotten so far that I actually want to WATCH any of them - uh no. But I enjoy doing them now. Baby steps.
Going live on Facebook. I’m a star! 🤣
I really REALLY missed being able to travel, but looking back at old photos brought back some amazing memories AND taught me a lot about my travel photo skills.
Sure we were all disappointed that we couldn’t travel like we’d planned this year. But think about all those previous trips you’ve taken. ALL those old photos just sitting on your hard drive! I think it’s easy to get caught up in the ‘what’s next’ and forget about where we’ve been. Well 2020 was the perfect reminder for that!
So I went through a lot, I mean a LOT of old photos. Thousands of old photos. And I had such incredible memories of the experiences as I looked through them. And I learned SO much about creating those memories with photos that will be invaluable for my next trip.
What I learned was that I didn’t take nearly enough photos on some trips. That I didn’t capture enough details. That I got the iconic scene or view, but didn’t get as many of the behind-the-scenes or not-so-pretty photos.
Here’s an example. Neal and I went off on an excursion to the Loire Valley, Normandy, and Île de Ré while we were living in France. We boarded our train in Toulouse and were off to our first destination which involved a few connections. So at one point we disembarked the train and went into the train station to watch the sign and wait for the announcement of which track our next train would be departing from. We waited, and waited. And the time of departure came and went.
So then I looked more closely at the sign and said “why does our train (the little symbol on the sign) have wheels on it and none of the others do?” Well that’s because our “train” was actually a bus. That had already departed.
I mistakenly thought that when I booked a trip through SNCF that we would only be on trains. That, however, was not the case. Sometimes connections come in the form of a bus. Bien sûr.
We laugh about this experience so much now. It all worked out fine. We “talked” to the attendant (the best we could with our pitiful French) and got booked on the next outgoing bus. In the meantime we walked over to the nearest cafe a block away and Neal had a beer while we observed the locals betting on some sort of race on TV.
And how many photos do I have of this experience? Absolutely none. Because at the time, I didn’t see anything that was pretty enough to warrant a photo. Now that I’ve developed into more of a documentary style photographer, I see all the missed opportunities. The sign, the train station, the cafe where Neal had his beer. So many photos that could have been made.
I don’t believe in regret, but rather lessons learned. So now I know to get that camera out and capture the experience and the details. NOT just pretty. Let’s face it, pretty is overrated. Maybe THAT is my lesson learned from 2020!
Château de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley of France. One of the photos I DID make once we figured out how to get to Tours.
I think I could go on for many many more pages. It was quite a year...as you well know. But I think that’s a good summary for me. How about you? Do you look back at the year and think about what went well, what could have been better, where you want to go next? If you do, I’d LOVE to hear about it! Let me know in the comments how 2020 went for you. I can take it.
And if you’re looking to expand your travel photo knowledge in the New Year, I’ve got some great options for you! One of the things I worked on like mad in 2020 was creating courses. Topics like camera settings, editing in Lightroom, creating prints or photos books, and even how to create photos in that harsh midday sun. Check out all the current courses ...and if there’s something you’d like to learn that isn’t there, let me know!