Every year, I like to do a “Year in Review” Blog post to share some of the learnings from the year.. and 2020 is no different. I feel like we all learned so much (at least that’s the hope, right?) this year that it’s worth summarizing the biggest takeaways from 2020.. both in terms of business and my personal life.

The year of “family first”

Every year, I seem to have this expectation of finally being able to devote a full time’s worth of hours to my photography business. And every year, none of that happens. 2020 was interesting to say the least and none of us expected to have to homeschool our children come March, or to go back to what felt like preschool hours come September.. not to mention cancel any and all travel plans. It has been a year of not knowing what is coming next and learning to accept things as they come.

I am definitely fortunate in that I have enough flexibility and control over my day that I can take care of my boys and the household while juggling the every day demands of running a business - I know many women aren’t as lucky. Survival is the word that’s appropriate to describe this year, I think. I did all I could in order to make sure my business survived while I focused on taking care of my family. And instead of feeling stressed or worrying about the future, I simply learned to take it one day at a time, knowing that nothing is permanent and that things always work out in the end.

Website design and build with personal branding and product photography in Westport Connecticut.

Pivoting

My photography business has always been about photographing families, but this year, I did significantly more headshots and personal branding sessions, instead. This was due to the fact that headshots are usually one-on-one and safer than having 4-6 people in the Studio at one time with a family. We are all lucky to have so many great outdoor and in-home family photographers in the area and I was able to refer them to all the wonderful clients who reached out to me for outdoor sessions (for reasons why I 100% prefer Studio to outdoors, you can read my Blog post here: https://www.nlalorphotography.com/blog/8-ways-a-studio-is-better-than-outdoors-greenwich-connecticut-photographer).

I also expanded my services within Personal Branding. I have a long history of web design work and it seemed only logical to start saying YES when my clients needed a website redesign or even to get a new business going. Because I’ve spent so many years testing, failing, and learning in my own business, I’ve been able to quickly relate the methods that have worked for me and figure out how to build a digital strategy that will do that for them. And a bonus perk is that all website work can be done remotely (and safely) during times of quarantine.

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Certified professional photographer for portraits, headshots, personal branding in Westport Connecticut.

Professional achievements

Taking the time to quarantine with the rest of the world, I was able to devote some energy to professional achievements this year. From becoming a Certified Professional Photographer through the PPA to appearing on The Portrait System Podcast, opportunities presented themselves and I was able to gratefully accept in-between the homeschooling and business tasks.

A new Studio

Some changes we can’t possibly predict ahead of time. I knew that my Studio lease in Greenwich was coming to an end in 2021, but as I loved the space, my plan was to simply continue the lease. In October of 2020, however, a long-time friend and partner in business, Kelsey Morey who is the owner/founder of Haus of Pretty (if you’ve gotten hair and makeup done for a photoshoot, you’ll know who I mean) suggested that we get a Studio space together in Westport (her lease was also coming to an end at her current spot too). I’ve definitely been dreaming of a Studio closer to home (see the “more time with family” part above) that would cut down on travel time, which can be up to an hour on a weekday morning.. but the cost was always the prohibitive factor. Westport, for some reason is about double the price of commercial real estate in Greenwich (probably due to the fact that it’s a smaller town).

So we took the leap.

We signed the lease in November and renovations are underway as we speak to prepare the space for the move. The hair salon (Kelsey’s space) and the Photography Studio (my area) will be separate, but all part of a cohesive whole (just like when we work together!).. in a 1,000 square foot space with it’s own private bathroom and a prime location in the Saugatuck area in Westport. To say that we’re excited is an understatement. We’ve been working together for the past 3 years and the fact that we will now be in the same location (quite literally) will make that process so more enjoyable for our clients! Stay tuned for all the updates next month as we finalize the space and move in!

Favorite books I read in 2020

My habit of devoting time each day to reading (versus spending that time watching television) means that I’ve read 90+ books this year. I read on a wide variety of topics, from business to spirituality, with some fun fiction thrown in, too. You can learn more about my reading habit and how you can read like a CEO here: https://www.nlalorphotography.com/blog/what-i-learned-from-my-60-books-a-year-goal-in-2019 and see below for a list of my favorite books from this year: