Cheers to 10 Years: Fairport NY Photographers

WARNING: Long post ahead. (In a good way.)

It took us a full year to pull the trigger. We met for hours, daily to plan and prepare. We worked on our branding. We researched our target market. We wrote a business plan. We did everything the books and our mentors told us to do.

And on January 3, 2013, we went to the county clerks and officially began Lori & Erin Photography.

10 years ago. A lifetime ago, and a blink of an eye all in one thought.

It hasn’t always been graceful, and we’ve overcome a lot.

For example:

- We’re constantly adapting to life with children.
- We’ve lost loved ones.
- A freaking global pandemic.
- We’ve had quarter life crisis. (I mean, c’mon, freaking global pandemic.)

And none of that takes into account the ups and downs of running a partnership business.

Who does what?
Who gets what?
What do we do when finances are down?
What direction should our future go?

No question about it, it’s hard as heck a blast to work with your best friend, every. single. day. But it’s been worth every hard thing. We’ve overcome a lot of challenges, and we’ve evolved in the past 10 years - personally and professionally.

To our spouses, our family, our friends, our fellow photographers.
To every single client who has become family.
To every person who has in some way been a part of our journey.
Thank you to each and every one of you who have supported us from day one. We truly love you.

Dang am I proud of us, because this year we celebrate 10 years of Lori & Erin Photography.

Cheers!

Pandemic Reflections: Fairport NY Photographers

One year ago, he left his Kindergarten classroom and everything he knew about life changed.

We were already knee deep in learning so much about him, things that before the end of 2019, we never fully realized. Then toss a global pandemic in like a hand grenade, and everything we thought we knew blew up.

Our first days at home, March 2020.

We fought every day about doing “school” together. We fought about which parent would be the “teacher.” We each battled our own emotions, stormed out of the house, took long walks apart, yelled, cried and fought some more.

I fought with myself, while trying to keep working, and simultaneously creating STEM activities and art projects for a confused, frustrated and bored 5 year old. We made hard decisions on a daily basis, which at times, were paralyzing in ways I’d never felt before.

Don’t get me wrong, our family’s challenges were (and still are) minimal compared to many, but they were still felt to our very core.

Fast forward to now - vaccinations are happening, and there’s buzz that school might go from 2 days, back to 5 days a week. We can soon visit our vaccinated friends and family inside their homes. At long last, that ever distant light at the end of the tunnel is growing closer.

But the difference is, now I’m sitting next to my child, who is doing his school work independently. There have been no tears or fights over school in a long time. And not only that, he’s getting all the answers right. He’s risen to the challenges with a strength that most adults are still struggling with.

And I know, he’s going to be ok.

I’ve learned more about myself, and have found strength to both keep fighting, and also to let go.

And I know, I am going to be ok.

I’m so proud of him, and of us. We’re a team, and we are stronger together.

Maybe that’s why it hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized that when he goes back, I will miss him.

I’ll miss midday walks in the woods, and going out for ice cream on a random Tuesday afternoon. I’ll miss reading with him on the couch him during the middle of the day. I’ll miss his hugs while I work at my computer. The desk, the art wall, and the space we created for him will be eventually changed back into the office it was before.

Before - a lifetime ago, yet gone so fast.

It’s weird that the thing we’ve complained about all this time, is now the thing I’m going to miss the most. Going forward, my hope and prayer is that not everything goes back to what it was “before.” 

At least, not in our home.

I know my feelings aren’t felt by everyone, but that’s the thing about feelings - they don’t have to be. So tell us, how are you doing one year into pandemic life?

School in progress, March 2021

The KonMari Method for Pictures: Rochester NY Photographers

It started with Lori - Over the course of the past year she has been in a constant state of decluttering. She followed along the lessons from the book below.

She inspired me to get my own photographs (and well, my life) better organized. So I've also been in the process of getting my own little house, a little less cluttered. With a two year old, their toys, and boxes of hand me down clothes piling up, things get more cluttered with every passing day. The struggle is real.

In the end, the biggest hurdle for both of us has been what to do with the boxes of pictures that were scattered all over the house. 

I am my family's historian.  I know that as time passes, I will inherit even more photographs from family. And that's ok with me.

Except, I already had a ridiculous amount of old photo albums, most of which made no sense. When I was younger I would just take prints I had and stick them all in one book randomly. On the same page of a cheap plastic album, I would put my own baby pictures alongside high school pictures (bad fashion and all).

So clearly, there was work to do. Someday I'll be leaving all of my history in the hands of my son and I can't leave that it in shambles.

Here's some of what I did to cleanup and a few tips that might help you with your own photo organization:

• Gather. Start by collecting all of the pictures you find (from every room) and put them in one location.

• Get photo boxes. Or something that works for you. My preference was the basic storage boxes (like these) you find at any craft store.

• Start sorting. Use as simple or complex a timeline as you wish. Personally, I kept it simple as there were a lot of photos I couldn't be sure of their dates. So I sorted by "childhood, high school, college, etc."

• Consolidate. If you can. I did, mostly for space reasons. I removed photos from old torn apart albums with the sticky plastic pages, and sorted them into boxes. I discarded photos that were too blurry, duplicates, or if they were people I just didn't remember. I kept any family pictures, ones that held special memories, or told a story about who I was. My thought process was simple: If I can't explain why that photo is important to my son, is that particular image worth keeping?

• Don't dwell. So what happens if you just can't bring yourself to get rid of anything at all? Just organize them and move on. You'll drive yourself crazy wondering what to keep and what to toss. Don't let it get to that.

• In my world, done is most of the time better than perfect. My kids won't care if I was 11 or 12 or 14 in any particular series of photos. So if you can set aside any potential OCDs, it will go faster than you think.

My final tip? Take your time, take breaks and enjoy the process. I found that it was actually fun to go through them, reliving moments and fondly remembering days gone by.

So whatever your process is, enjoy it, because this is your life - literally.

~ Erin

Our Fairport NY Headshots and Personal Branding Session: Behind the Scenes

Yes, we are photographers, so you might be thinking, why didn’t you take your headshots and branding pictures yourselves? The main reason is that it’s pretty hard to get us both in photographs together. But there are other perks to hiring someone from outside your circle.

We choose to work with Sarah Heppell Photography out of Syracuse. Along the way, we discovered some unexpected benefits of working with Sarah and her team.

1. Outside Perspective on our Business. As much as we love, and are good at, helping others create a plan for their business headshots and branding sessions, we struggled with planning our own. Even though we have a strong social media presence and regularly have new photos to post (granted, more of clients than of ourselves), we had trouble focusing in on what would help people connect to us. Going through this process helped draw that out of us in a way that hasn’t been done before.

2. Efficiency. We think of great shots all the time, but shooting them one at a time would be an inefficient use of time. By brainstorming several locations and themes in advance, we captured them all in one day, and now have several months worth of content to share. It was more work upfront and requires planning, but worth it to have so much ready to go, especially during the busy summer season!

3. Fresh eyes. We stare at the walls of our offices all day long, so it can be hard to see them in a new way. Fresh eyes from someone who hasn’t seen them, we knew Sarah would see things in a different way.

These are all the things we offer our clients, and Sarah was able to offer them to us. So pop on over to Instagram to see how we are using these photos, and if it gets your idea factory running, give us a call or check out how we can do the same for you!

Highlights from Valencia & Barcelona, Spain

There was a request for photos from our trip to Spain, and well, twist my arm!

Most of our trip was spent in Valencia - the Tancat de la Pipa to be exact. That’s where we volunteered, working to restore Lake Albufera and it’s surrounding areas. Our group was specifically working to clean up the lagoons, which supply lake with clean water.

Every day, we traveled down the bumpy dirt road to our project site. Each day we received a different assignment which brought us all around the lagoons. We moved plants, weeded, monitored water levels and waded in to plant aquatic grasses, and it felt great to be making a difference. There are only three full time staffers working this large area, and without volunteers, they simply wouldn’t be able to get it all done.

We weren’t alone. We met volunteers from California, and also local college students getting hands on experience. We traded stories about our cultures while we worked, learned new words and developed friendships. If we had traveled from place to place on a tour bus, we never would have made these genuine connections. This was by far my favorite part of the trip. We got to make an ecological difference while enjoying the sunshine and making friends.

While we were there, Valencia was celebrating Las Fallas. This festival, dedicated to St. Joseph, is several days long. While I had read about this in advance, I truly had no idea how BIG it was. Our volunteer hosts going out of town for the long weekend should have thrown up some red flags, but we had no idea.

Las Fallas is not just a four day festival like I had read - but a month long one. We arrived the week before the festival officially began and were greeted with daily fireworks in the streets. We saw hundreds of ninots (large sculptures) get assembled. And as the festival drew near, we were treated to concerts outside of our window from 12-4am. And on the last day, they burn down all the sculptures!

Despite the noise and festival crowds, I always felt safe. We walked or took the subway around the historic city. We saw mile-long parades of people in traditional dress, carrying flowers to a create a several story tall living monument. (Think Rose Bowl Parade.) We saw the holy grail, the beach, and the largest aquarium in Europe. In Valencia, we were both travelers and volunteers.

Leaving Valencia, we spent a weekend in Barcelona before coming home. Here, we did a 180 and became tourists, taking the open top bus to see all the city highlights. We took a day trip to Montserrat in the mountains and finished with a guided tour of La Sagrada Familia. If you aren’t familiar with Gaudi’s famous structure, go Google it right now. Seriously. I have been in the Vatican, and I would say this church is far more stunning.

We certainly enjoyed our time in Spain and the Tancat de la Pipa! If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about volunteering abroad, I highly recommend you check out Goat Volunteers. They have over 60 projects to choose from in 14 countries. And, if you mention my name when you apply, you can save $25!

So, if you have been to Spain, what was your favorite part? And if not, where should we go next!?

Talk to you soon,
Lori

Voluntourism: Why you won't see Lori in March

As I do the paperwork to validate our commitment to 1% for the Planet, I realize, we’re doing a heck of a lot more than donating 1% of our profits. We’re donating our time too! Lori here, and ya’ll know that the environment is important to me.

I’ve written about this before…once or twice.

• Earth Day 2018

• Earth Day 2017

• Green Practices in our Business

So this year, we’re taking it one step further.

My husband and I will be taking a few weeks in March to volunteer at Albufera Natural Park, near Valencia, Spain via GOAT Volunteers.

The journey is the destination

València’s Albufera Natural Park is one of the most ecologically important areas in all of Spain.  Its biodiversity and economic impact on the region are significant reasons to preserve this incredible collection of wetlands.  It has been declared as a place of special protection by the European Union due to the wide range of wildlife; specifically water, wading, and migratory birds including several in danger of extinction.  Albufera also supports intense agricultural (cultivation of rice), industrial, hunting, and touristic uses whose consequences have resulted in significant pollution and encroachment on the wildlife’s natural habitat.

The Environmental Conservation in Spain project focuses on helping the local teams with their recovery plan and park management & maintenance activities.  Natural “green” filters were planted to clean the water of Lake Albufera to help improve water quality and promote growth of aquatic plant and animal life.  Your days will be spent either in the water or along the trails that run through the park.  You’ll be tasked with clearing waterways, eradicating invasive plants, picking up rubbish, planting various plants to increase biodiversity, and assisting with research tasks performed by the local teams. -GOAT Volunteers

Olympic National Park

So if you need anything photographed in March, Erin will be here to help you. And if you want to follow along on my and John’s adventure in Spain, find me on instagram @adventureswithlori

People I have mentioned this to have been really interested, so I asked to be an ambassador with GOAT. If you are interested in this type of voluntourism, use my name when you apply and save $25 on your application fee!

So what do you think? Is this something you would do, or are you happy to follow along from the comfort of your home? I’d love to hear your feedback now, and during the trip, so chime in on social or in the comments below!

Cheers!
-Lori

The Rock: Rochester NY Photographers

It was a random day in August and my day to pick up Lucas from daycare. When I arrived, the kids were all outside on the playground. As Lucas and I turned to leave, one of his friends, Alex ran over to Lucas to gave him a hug, and a rock from the ground as a parting gift. Lucas held that rock the whole way home, and then he left it in the cup holder of his car seat for safe keeping.

It was a cute moment, but one that a parent can easily shrug off. But Lucas didn’t.

He loved that rock, and looked for it every time he got in the car. He would panic if he lost it on the floor. He’s held on to it all these months.

What was it about that rock that he loved so much? I don’t know for sure, because four year olds aren’t rational. It’s something so simple and small yet it’s something he treasures because Alex gave it to him.

The lesson I saw in all of this was to truly treasure the small things. Sometimes the gifts we get aren’t what we thought they would be. Every hug and smile is a gift. Sometimes all it takes is a rock to make someones day.

Merry Christmas friends, here’s hoping you get your tiny rock this year.

~ Erin

LucasP: Year 4

Yesterday I noticed that his feet are almost to the edge of his toddler bed.

Today, his beloved Star Wars light up shoes no longer fit him. Funny thing about that though - I only bought them two months ago. So in just the last two months, he's grown a full shoe size right before our eyes. 

The threenager stage of life is no joke. Terrible twos look like a beach vacation compared to three. The seemingly endless task of potty training, the wanting independence vs "You do it Mommy". The constant time outs and counting to three. It's exhausting for sure.

But we're proof that you do come out of the other side, and scattered among the time outs, are some pretty incredible moments.

Watching him overcome fears, and try the things he hasn't been able to do until now is amazing. His love for all things Super Hero / Star Wars has only grown as his understanding of them does also.

I've learned that he can be both shy and outgoing at the same time. I think he gets that from me. But when he makes a friend, he instantly says they are his "favorite friend." 

He loves going on "adventures" with Daddy - tent camping, hiking and s'mores. He's even created his own campfire dance, forever known to family as "the Sticky Icky Dance."

There were a lot of firsts within the past year that aren't shown in the photographs below. Some are from our portrait membership program, others are still sitting on my computer waiting to be edited. If I tried to include them all, this post would be 10x longer.

Since his last birthday, so many things have changed. I won't say they've all been great changes, but we're focusing on the good as often as possible. And here's hoping we will always be able to.

Happy 4th Birthday LucasP!

Love you too the moon and back, and beyond the stars,
Momma

To the Dad's on Father's Day

Whether you're the weary, sleep deprived brand new Dad or the veteran in the trenches Dad.

To the kisses and snuggles Dad, the play tea party Dad, or the fishing buddy Dad. To the nerdy, gamer Dad and the outdoorsman Dad. 

To the Dad who just changed his first (of thousands) of diapers and the dad whose handing over the car keys. 

Or, you're the Dad proudly walking alongside your child on their wedding day. Or the Dad, watching his child with their children.

We've watched you grow, we've photographed your moments with your children. We see your strength and compassion, but we also see your love.

Whatever kind of Dad you are, to us, you're a good one. Happy Father's Day!

Lori & Erin

Take the Trip: Italy Destination Photography

Ten years ago, on our honeymoon we made a decision. On our 10 year anniversary, we would take a second honeymoon to Italy. We were younger, child free and had substantially less responsibilities. It was easy to say we'd do it at the time.

Fast forward nine years. Life had changed a lot. As much as we wanted to still take the trip, for various reasons we questioned whether or not we should.

Ultimately, we decided to do it. And now that we're back, readjusting to normal life without a daily gelato, it was worth every penny we saved and every one of the over 100,000 steps we walked on the trip.

As a husband and wife, we needed this time together. We also desired to fulfill the goals we'd set for ourselves.

It would have been easy to cancel the whole idea; we had a three year old after all and we'd had a harder year. But something inside me couldn't accept all of that.

I read a sign in one of our B&B's that said "travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." I couldn't agree more.

If there's anything I hope to pass on, it's that idea. Your bank account is not a measure of your richness. Take the trip, live the moments and be rich in those moments, not things.

Ciao,

Erin

Celebrating 5 Years: Radio Social Anniversary Party

Oh my goodness, I think we're still processing it all.

It was almost like a wedding and a reunion mixed together. Lori and I couldn't stop smiling as we talked to everyone that joined us for our big five year anniversary bash at Radio Social.

We bowled, we played, we ate great food and amazing cake. Stepping back and taking it all in, we really have so much to be grateful for when it comes to this two person operation we've got going on.

After reflecting on the party, I realized something pretty big. This is wayyyy more than a two person operation.

It's taken a village, our tribe of amazing people who have supported us every step of the way. From clients and other photographer friends, to family members, amazing friends and our ultra patient spouses – we're never without someone to push us further, or pick us up when we need it most.

Thank you to those who came to celebrate with us. We have to especially thank Heather McKay of McKay's Photography (her's are the rounded corner photos below) for photographing the event for us, and Michelle Crawford of Shell's Sweets for the delicious cake!

And thank you to all those who have supported us - whether from close to home or afar. It's your referrals and your kind words that have allowed us to do what we love for five wonderful years.

Here's to the next chapter!

~ Erin (and Lori)

Photo by: McKay's Photography

Valentine's Day is For Everyone: Fairport NY Photographers

Valentine's Day. Whether your totally for it or tend to call it "amateur hour," it's a holiday that as photographers, we do not ignore. It doesn't come in one shape or size, but it does fit everyone.

We stand for love. And while yes, the traditional holiday is meant for romantic gestures between loves - it's also so much more. Romantic love isn't the only game in town.

Yes, love is a first kiss and a first dance.

But it's also a 60th wedding anniversary dance.

Love is cuddling your kids.

Love is cherishing time with grandparents.

Love is having everyone in the same place, because it's rare.

Love is sisters and brothers.

Love is an adorable pet.

Love is your girl squad.

Love is reminiscing over first dates together.

Love is holding hands through the hard stuff.

Love is enjoying the silly things.

Love, is whatever you want it to be. It's whatever moment means the most to you, with those you truly treasure.

Valentine's Day is for everyone, because love is everything.

Happy Valentine's Day!

~ Erin