Adapting in the Face of Adversity

Adapting in the face of adversity - this feels like what we’re all trying to do right now during this pandemic. Some days I feel like I’m adapting well, and other days NOT. AT. ALL. I miss the “old” way of life, where Covid19 didn’t factor into almost every decision. It has taken away freedom, moments of calm, some level of certainty at least on a few things in life - and for many people it has taken away a whole lot more than that. At some point, I have a lot more to share. I have been hiding out, not blogging, not posting. Sometimes that’s because I’ve been in survival mode or feeling the weight of the world and more recently it’s because I’m so busy trying to get back to living (a very new way) and adventuring. I also haven’t been photographing much besides my own family, but I finally did a bunch of sessions recently which has gotten me re-inspired. So more photos and thoughts to come. For today, I just want to share a story of a family that seems full of resiliency.

I can’t even remember exactly how many times I have now photographed Jocelyn’s family - I think about 5 times over the last 4.5 years. We typically do REAL LIFE in-home sessions - with tears, tantrums and all. Last year was 13 hours and I loved every hour of it. So this year, with the pandemic and all the complications of cohorts and playing it safe, we decided to go for a very different style of session for them but also one of my favourites: a 3 hour outdoor adventure session.

Before Covid, Jocelyn’s family was one that loved activities and travel. The zoo, science centre, indoor playgrounds, etc kept them busy when they were in town and they also loved escaping on an airplane for vacation whenever they could. It was so inspiring to watch and document the new routines that this family has found. It is so clear that their kids are thriving, and it seems the parents are doing far more than just surviving these strange times. Instead of 2 hours of commuting in a day (including daycare dropoffs), Jocelyn says they’re now “giving the kids some fresh air and independence, while also showing them how important it is to move your body”. Her 4 year old daughter will even say to her “Mom, I want to go get sweaty and exercise!” And I’m so glad we captured what has become a typical evening for them, out biking, exercising, exploring, and having a picnic. I’ll be honest, the session wouldn’t have felt complete without some tension, so I was happy it ended with a sibling fight and some tears (I keep trying to convince all of you that these harder moments are part of what you’ll want to remember through photos and film, and hopefully this is further proof.

I know for sure (since my kids are similar ages), that not every day has been a walk in the park, but this family is so clearly trying to make the best of things. Jocelyn even says “I hope we can be getting on a plane in the future to see another part of the world, but for the time being, we will continue to explore our own backyard!”