This Keller baby photographer is super pumped about all the promises of 2018. I mean, 2017 was a good year for the Parkers. We welcomed our youngest son (and last baby!), my husband started a new job and my big boy began kindergarten. Lots of transitions last year, and most of them were positive.

Still, I see 2018 as a year to get into the groove with all our new changes. My big kid is halfway through the school year, so he’s settling into what it means to be a grade schooler. My baby is most definitely a baby now and not a newborn lump. He can sit, eat solids and is beginning to crawl. My husband has a year under his belt with his new employer, so he feels confident and happy at work. Now it’s my turn to get back to my newborn and baby photography business full steam. I’ve taken about a year off, between pregnancy complications and then an extended maternity leave to take care of my new addition.

With all the craziness of 2017, I rarely picked up my big girl camera. I mean, I still did…but not nearly as much as I had the year before. I had a lot going on, and I can totally accept that it just wasn’t my time to grow as a photographer in 2017. I had other challenges on my plate. I’m ready for 2018 though. Bring it.

Two years ago I initiated a Project 365. A Project 365 is where you take a photo every day of the year. Some people choose to follow a theme, but the main purpose is to get out your camera and shoot real life stuff.

It was intimidating, it was challenging and it really stretched me creatively. I got annoyed a lot, particularly in the winter when we were stuck inside a lot and I felt like I didn’t have anything ‘fun’ to photograph. I ended up quitting in early October 2016, not because I lost the drive, but because I got really sick with my pregnancy. I was forced to stop, but if I hadn’t been so sick I really do believe I would have finished my first Project 365. Anyway, I wasn’t crazy enough to do a 2017 project, as I knew half of the year I’d be pregnant and the other half I’d have a new baby on my hands. So I basically just went from full steam Project 365 to absolutely nothing for a year. That was weird. And boring. I look back on 2017, and while I definitely have way more pictures than your average Mama Bear, I feel like I missed a lot of those mundane moments. The moments that make up our everyday lives—what do my son’s feet look like under the kitchen table when he’s eating breakfast; what stuffed animal is the baby obsessed with; what is the dogs favorite place to sleep? A Project 365 pushes you past the limits of what you would normally deem “photo-worthy” and forces you to get those tiny details of life.

So, while it was a pain in the butt and majorly difficult, I think I’m ready. The hiatus has recharged me, personally and professionally and now it’s time.

I’m trying to be realistic about this. I know that I won’t have time to post photos every day, so my goal is to take a picture every day and then post them altogether once a week on my blog. I’ve been looking at other photographer’s 365 Projects online for inspiration and I’ve got a whole board of inspiration in case anyone else wants to join in.

I’d love to be in community with others who are on a similar 365 journey, so whether you are professional photographer or want to use your cell phone to snap a daily picture, I’d be honored to follow your blog (just email me). You can always find me here, or on Instagram (@hparkerphotography).

H Parker Photography is a Ft Worth Newborn Baby Photographer with a residential studio in Roanoke,TX. 
She specializes in classic, timeless studio baby photographs.