Back in the fall, I was thinking about upgrading my camera. Before investing in something so expensive, I decided to rent the model of camera I was considering to see how much I liked it. I had it for a week and asked my daughter Hope to be my test subject. Being the good sport she is, she agreed. I had two senior sessions scheduled later that week and wanted to familiarize myself with the camera and settings before doing an official shoot. After I took the photos of Hope I checked a few I had taken and was very happy with the camera and decided to purchase it as a Christmas gift for myself. Then I got busy with editing photos for paying clients and a million other things in life and her photos were put on the back burner. Well, the past few months have been pretty slow with the shelter in place order, so I finally managed to get busy with putting the finishing touches on Hope's pictures. I'm so glad I did. I love these photos of Hope so much! I am one lucky mama and looking at these photos makes my heart swell. So proud of this wonderful girl of mine.
Hope just finished her sophomore year of college--dual majoring in Musical Theatre and Biology. It was a much different semester than expected, most of it spent at home doing online classes due to Covid-19. Like many young people she has dealt with disappointment over the many things that have been canceled. She had been cast as the lead in a production of Footloose and was so excited about that, only to have the theatre close a few weeks after auditions. But she is understanding of the situation and handled it with such grace. I think of my seniors from this past year--prom and graduation ceremonies suddenly swept away from them. I know some young people have gotten a bad rap for not being responsible, but the young people I know have been handling things with maturity and a remarkable attitude despite all normal rights of passage that have been taken away from them. Many have lost so much more than they have and they are well aware of that. I have had the best seniors and am looking forward to working with the next new batch of seniors who will be graduating in 2021. I hope their year will be trending back to all the normal landmarks and that better days are ahead for everyone.
When I snapped these pics of Hope we didn't have a clue as to how the world would dramatically change in a few short months. It has been a strange journey for sure. But one thing remains constant and that is love. The love and care we have for those we know and even those we don't know. It is what gets us through difficult times and I take comfort in that. And I'm glad I was able to shelter in place with this girl that I love so much.