The 365 Project {2019} | June – Maine Family and Lifestyle Photographer

When I started my first 365 Project a few years ago, I wondered how I would handle it if something bad happened in my family. I was lucky enough not to find out, and had the same fear this time around. This time I was not so lucky, and through the passing of both my aunt and my grandmother in quick succession, I learned how valuable this project is to me, how important it was for my own mental health to continue to pick up the camera, and how important this work is to myself and my family. I went into June knowing my aunt had passed, and that we would be heading to Oregon to for her funeral. I did not know that we’d lose my family matriarch and my dear dear Nana just 48 hours after returning home. I also did not expect to lose my rental car key at night on the beach, stranding my family overnight (we got through by the grace of good people, and I swear the help of my aunt from above), and did not expect the backlog of client work that piled up while processing all that had happened. So I think it’s safe to say that June was not my favorite month, but I also think it’s safe to say I am beyond proud of myself for continuing to pick up the camera, document our days, and not let this project slide by. Because I powered through, I have images from my aunt’s celebration, our adventures (as we’ll now call it that) on the beach, incredibly important time with family, and the moments in between. I do feel that technically my work was not the best mid-month, but by last week I felt like myself a bit again, and began to find my groove in my work once again. If anything, the month we’ve had has taught me the extreme value of the work I do, and the extreme power of photography in the lives of this generation and the ones to come. There is a lot of chatter about the over saturation of photos in our lives these days. But when my aunt died, our family group was flooded with photos of her life, and the same happened when my Nana passed. How blessed we are to have such a powerful tool at our disposal. My only regret this month, is that I did not photograph my Nana with my real camera while I had time with her in Oregon…a lesson I will hold near and dear to my heart. This may be my work, but it’s also documenting my own life, and my camera will continue to be present both with my clients and my family, because the images we create together will carry so much value even after I’m gone.

There are 30 days in June. These are our 30 days of June 2019.

To view the full 2019 collection, click here.