A slightly belated post to welcome in 2007. Looking back on 2006, I can't believe how many great experiences I had, some physically exhausting, some spiritually uplifting. With 15 weddings and many portraits, I met numerous new people, and made many new friends and had the opportunity to be a part of and have a chance to document some of the most important, memorable and special moments in the life of a family. In my opinion, it was the year that Lucid Musings really came into its own. 2007 will certainly prove to be a year for growth and expansion, with many ideas soon to take fruition. Here are a short list of some of my personal memories of this past year:
1) My son, Jaron, turned 6...wow, it really seems just yesterday he was 3...I rememember all those veteran parents' mantras to soak up every moment while your child is young, because they grow up so quick...well I guess I am one of them now, because I really have changed my life in the last few years to appreciate his life..and thank God I had the will and the opportunity to do this.
2) My first International project. Backed by the Chernobyl Children Project of the United States and bookended by personal excursions into Moscow, Maramures (Romania) and Bulgaria, I took my interest in backpacker travel and world events to a new level, with a photo essay on the 20 Anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster. With a focus on 8 of the children being assisted by the organization, I spent a number of days in an industrial region in the far West of Russia, only 30 miles from the Belarussian border. The second portion of my project was self-organized and involved coverage of the anniversary events in Kiev and a trip into the exclusion zone surrounding reactor #4, 20 years to the date of the evacuation. It is through experiences like this that my inner self is shaped and I now feel a need to take my camera to other areas of the world to show the everyday life of meaningful stories that the scope of mass media has forgotten.
3) The heat of the summer of 2006. Of the 8 weddings I did in the months of July and August, over half of them where in humid 30 degree days, making for an exhaustive venture each time out, for myself and my clients. Trying to stay reasonably cool during the 2 hour plus formals was the order of the day. I think I'll opt for cut-offs and mesh shirts as a practical fashion statement next time around:-)
4) The cold, damp fall of 2006. All 4 of the weddings I did in late September and October where unseasonably cold, one even moved inside at the last minute because of the unbearable elements. From the driving rain of Pamela and Russell's wedding to the brisk wind chill of the portraits I did with Janice and Wayne, props are given to everybodies' determination to brave what mother nature threw at us in our goal to get that shot. You guys are the best:-)
5) All the people I met. From the people who graciously opened their doors to me across Eastern Europe, the many newlyweds, their families and their friends whom I shared laughs and tears with, to the children I photographed, locally and abroad. Those children who, at first hesitated and then opened up with smiles and laughter. To be able to be at any given place, any given day and have one of these kids smile and say "Hi Sean" or to have a parent of one of my brides say "thank-you" really makes not only my day, but also makes me realize the importance of what I do. It is not only a business, or a personal expression, but something that actually touches peoples lives, giving memories that will last a lifetime.
To all those I had the pleasure of working with this year, may you have a happy, healthy and successful year ahead.
