2016 was incredible! I was truly able to pursue my passion for newborns. In January of last year, I couldn't even imagine that I would be finishing off the year like this. First off...a HUGE thank you to each and every family who allowed me the privilege of snuggling their babies this year. Wow! Without all of you, I would not be here. I love all of these kiddos so much.

I opened a studio...wow. It still doesn't feel real. Like someone pinch me, please. Every time I walk into that space, my souls fills with so much joy. This is what makes my heart happy, and I can't believe I get to do this full time. And now I have a dedicated space to do it in. Say goodbye to a cramped dining room session (thanks to all my clients who endured my home and putting up with my dog, Emma). The studio is a small, comfy space perfect for mom and dad (and grandma if she wants to come too) to sit back and relax while I work to create art and memories of their little baby love. I will be doing a blog post soonish to "reveal" the space. So stay tuned for that.

I challenged myself this year. One thing I am most proud of is my #100daysofsummer challenge with my own children. I blogged about it here (there's an awesome video so check it out). I am a part of several groups on Facebook for photographers. And one of the groups hosted a 100 day challenge. Take one lifestyle photo every day for 100 days during the summer. Basically, document your life for 100 days. I have always loved the idea of shooting every single day, but I NEVER thought it was something I would be able to stick with. Well I did! I not only photographed my children in our daily lives every day, but I grew SO much as a person and as a photographer. We had so much fun! The photography challenged inspired me to come up with fun things to do with the kiddos that I never would have thought to do otherwise. Like spraying them down with the water hose while holding my camera haha (that was a tad crazy, but the results were awesome). And I found another photography love...free lensing. I won't go into detail here because this post is already a little long, but oh man! It's one of my favorite ways to create art. My most favorite image for all of 2016 is this: my kiddos, in their element.

This image was free lensed. And I shot it toward the end (day 97) of my 100 days. I feel like it really brought together everything I learned from the summer. And that tire swing, it was a giant pain getting it install, but it has been the most wonderful feature to our backyard. Just yesterday in 15 degree weather with snow on the ground, little Nora was asking to swing on the tire swing. No thanks kid, how bout some hot chocolate instead. This image is hanging on the wall in my living room, and I love it so!

Thanks for stopping by the blog. I'm sure I could write forever, but I think it's time to wrap this one up. Please leave a comment below. I love to hear from my readers. 

~with love,

KatieLew