Hello!

It has been WAY TOO LONG since my last personal post.  I am sure the 5 kids, homeschooling, busy season, the holidays, an autoimmune diagnosis and a teething baby have something to do with it… lol

It is what it is, and I will try and do better. (but no promises) ;-)

So I joined a “Project 52” this year.  There aren’t any weekly themes and the only rules are that you submit 2 images each week that were taken that same week of your own personal life.  I decided to join as a way to stay accountable.  My own family’s photos sadly, fell through the cracks this past year.  We had our last baby this past year (who is now ALREADY 7 months old!) and we will be moving out of our home and in to a rental soon, to get ready to build on our 17 acres of land.  So many changes and adventures are coming our way, and I desperately want to document it.  This is our story, with our completed family, and the first step towards so many of our dreams will be happening this year.

The last time I participated in a 52 week project, I lasted until week 22 and then fizzled miserably.  Since then I have thought “if I’m not going to finish, whats the point?”, until I was going through personal photos a couple months ago…  You know what?  Some of those shots I took in the first 22 weeks are some of my FAVORITES!  Who cares that I didn’t finish!?!  I got some precious shots I would never have otherwise been motivated to take, that represented us, and perfectly documented them.  This year, I will need all the accountability I can get. lol.

One of the reasons I am so excited for our future home (which isn’t built yet) is that it will have LIGHT!  Currently, our home has the kitchen and living area in the middle of the house.  There is very little natural light, and as you know, I love light!  I can’t help but pick up my camera when the light is beautiful, but on the other hand, it is really hard for me to get inspired when the light is crappy.  Add in 5 kids worth of messes, and my house is just about the least inspiring place for me to take photos in the entire world. lol

The problem though, is that we live our entire life in the kitchen and living room!

Last week I was scrolling Instagram (Are you following Jenni M Photography, Jenni M Designs, and my personal account?) and had the thought “I can’t wait to take sink bath photos in our new house!”  Just as quickly as the thought came, I realized, “I won’t have a baby by the time we finally get the house built!” :-(  Time never slows down…  As close as we are to my dream of a light filled, more minimalist inspired home, my baby just won’t wait that long.

I have to document our “now” right NOW or else it will be lost.  I can’t document her rubber band wrists, the fascination of dripping water, her back rolls and the way she kept licking the water off her lips like it was a special treat in a year, because it will be gone.  forever.

So the light…  I had to figure something out…  I loaded the dishwasher (because I ALWAYS have dishes in my sink) cleaned the sink, filled the sink and got my camera ready.

I knew our crappy florescent bubble light on the kitchen ceiling wasn’t going to cut it.

I then turned it off to see if that would work.  Nope.  Too dark.

Then I tried the LED light by itself.  Nope. Too harsh.

Then I grabbed the milk jug, put it in front of the LED light and turned on the overhead light as well.  Yup, that will do.

My house wasn’t picked up, my other 4 kids kept trying to “help” and the rest of my kitchen still needed to be cleaned, but I kept telling myself “If they don’t turn out, I don’t have to share them anywhere.  They are about her, nothing else.”

And you know what happened?  I freaking love them!  I can’t even tell you how much my heart hurts at the thought that I was just going to not take them because I didn’t have a beautiful sink with a window behind it.  They aren’t perfect, but they are our “right now” and that is priceless to me.

So if you are still hanging in there and have read this far…

Stop waiting until your life looks perfect.  Stop waiting until your house looks better, walls are painted, clothes are clean, kids are easier, floors are clear, weight is lost…

Because as much as I believe professional photography is worth every penny, I also believe your every day moments need to be documented too.  Who cares if they are crappy cell phone photos!  If you take 20 and only 1 “turns out”, THAT’S OK!  Photos are about remembering.  We love them so much because they bring back memories.  If you want to learn how to better use your cell phone for every day moments, I can’t recommend the Every Day Artistry guide enough.  It’s beautifully written, and has so many great tips on how to get better images from your camera phone.

So what does my life look like?  I am truly excited to share some peeks and highlights with you over the course of this year.  You are welcome to join me in the Project 52 as well (hosted by the same photographer that wrote the guide I linked above)!  You don’t have to be a “pro photographer” to be a part of it.  Come document your life with me. <3