Happy new year

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a nice, warm holiday! As I sit writing this, I am boggled at how fast 2020 flew by! Time stops for nothing, not even for a global pandemic. I have been done with portraits since the end of October. It has been nice to relax for a couple of months and work on personal projects without portrait editing staring back at me. In previous years, I would still be editing seniors through the holidays and new year. It’s actually felt a little strange, but exhilarating at the same time.

Instead of New Year’s resolutions, I have made a list of goals I have set for myself in 2021 and thought I would share them with you! I have a few other irons in the fire as well, but wanted to keep it short and simple!

1. Post more on social media and be more engaging.

2. Blog more!

3. Submit more images to publications and websites.

4. Finish my all new website! This will be coming within the next couple weeks!

5. Hit 1,000 followers on FB and Insta! I have had the pages for almost 10 years and I have been stuck forever. I even lost followers when I stopped doing portraits, which I totally get! The algorithm stinks for sure on those platforms.

6. Get out in nature more! Planning a New Year’s hike for tomorrow to start the year strong!

These images are from a winter storm last winter. We didn’t have snow this year until just before Christmas, which was very unusual. I wish everyone a healthy and happy 2021!

After a beautiful snow fall last season, Minnesota.

After a beautiful snow fall last season, Minnesota.

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Days Gone By

It’s been so nice to have some time to write and revisit some old photography. I am excited to get this blog rolling once again. I do want to give you a head’s up that I’m doing some re-branding and this blog name will be changing from From Moments to Memories to Sheila Kay Photography in the coming days.

I have recently “retired” from portrait photography and am slowly getting more time to get back into doing what I love, and find time for me. It has felt wonderful. I thought I would start off with one of my favorite abandoned places

I have always loved old barns, churches, houses. When we would go on road trips as a kid, I would gaze out the window. Driving through Montana, North Dakota, and western Minnesota loving the old abandoned places. They were full of such charm, romance and character. Even growing up before urban development came around (I lived in the suburbs), we were still privy to some of the old farms.

Nowadays, they are few and far between. When I see one and am able to pull over and photograph, I’m always intrigued by them. I wonder who lived here. Was it a large family? What were their names? When did they come to live here, and how long did they take up residence here?

As a genealogy hobbyist, I have thought about doing research on some of the old buildings that I have photographed over the years. That would be fun to do and blog about! I actually started to do some research on one of my favorite barns and when I finish I will have to share.

In the meantime, I’m sharing some old photos of a property I have frequented many times. These images were taken on December 31, 2011, nearly 10 years ago now. I have taken high school seniors to this property for senior pictures over the years since then. Now it is so overgrown and the land is for sale. I am sure that soon the bulldozers will be on site and these buildings will be demolished. I am really glad I stopped on a New Year’s Eve almost 10 years ago to capture these days gone by.

Thanks for stopping by! Until Next time!

~ Sheila

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Thanks for stopping by, all!

Hello World!

I have been gone for years. Literally. I haven’t posted since 2014, I believe. Maybe 2015. Back then I wanted to wipe my blog out and start with a clean slate.

Five years later, here I am. Yikes.

I have tried to get back into blogging my nature adventures. The problem is, I didn’t think I had that many adventures until I recently started thinking about it. Back when I started this almost 10 years ago I was working on my Project 365 and blogging at least once a week. I would go on daily walks. I was working a job where I had a lot of time to do that.

Fast forward 10 years. I have changed jobs a couple of times, earned a degree, watched my sidekick grow up into a beautiful young woman, buried both of my parents, started a thriving portrait photography business, and landed a great full time job that I love.

But I have really been missing my nature blogging. It fell by the wayside while I was doing….well, life. Oh, I have been able to go on a few trips here and there, and find a little time to visit my beloved local refuge. But not like before, when it all started.

My portrait photography really has taken a lot out of me. I live in Minnesota, so I shoot mainly from May – October. I specialize in high school seniors and families. When I started back in 2013 I didn’t think it was going to overtake my life. In the past 3 years or so, I have been shooting every weekend and still working two and three part-time jobs. I’d get home from work and edit until midnight. I missed many family events, my great nephews’ sports, holidays and family time. I started portraits as a means to make some extra cash. Now I am working full time and just don’t need it. Yes, it’s nice to have extra money, but at what cost? I have no life outside of it for 6 months, and the other 6 months I’m playing catch up. Not worth it, in my opinion!

Without telling my life story here, I just wanted to say that I am back. After this portrait season, I will be hanging up my hat. I’m only going to take on family and close friends as clients starting next year. I miss spending time with my family and time in nature. I want to start blogging again regularly. I’m not getting any younger and would really like to start crossing things off my bucket list. I want to take back my life!

I’m not naive to think that I haven’t lost followers, I’m lucky I have any left! But I love following others and don’t think I haven’t been hanging out, checking in now and again. With COVID and quarantine, I have been able to head to the refuge a few times over the past few months and will be posting some of my recent adventures. I have also taken a couple of nice trips in the past couple of years and will post about those as well. I won’t be able to start off weekly right away, but it will happen!

Thanks for stopping by and reading!

Sheila