Whether you are a photographer, a stay at home mom, a secretary, a coach or a student (I think you get the picture ;)), I would highly recommend over the next few weeks, for everyone to take an hour or two and reflect on the last decade. The highs, the lows, the lessons, the growth, the people, the places and moments.
Days, weeks, months and even years pass by and we can all be a little hard on ourselves sometimes, thinking we haven’t accomplished what we thought we could have. Or we might feel that one day rolls into the next. However, I promise you, if you can look back over a ten year span, you will be able to reflect on what’s truly been important.
2019 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
1. WE ALL START SOMEWHERE. JUST START.
You know that feeling of ‘I can’t believe it’s been 10 years that I have been…’ mixed with ‘I can’t believe it’s ONLY been 10 years …. ‘. 10 years goes by in a flash. It truly does. I dare you to look back on photographs you took 10 years ago and not feel this way. The days seem long, but the years are short. And so are the decades. I started this business on a whim (with my sister at the time!), and I am thankful that I did - and proud that I have persevered. It hasn’t always been unicorns and rainbows - but what worth doing ever really is?
2018 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
2. STAY CURIOUS. ALWAYS KEEP LEARNING.
I feel like this is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. With a love of learning and curiosity, persistence and grit and determination will quite often follow. I have found if you can let this lead your life, the outcome doesn’t matter so much. You tried something new. Lessons were learned that you can take with you.
2017 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
3. IT’S ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE.
The chapters that make the book. The photographs that tell the story. The practice everyday. The conversations over the dinner table. Maybe each of those on their own seem minor, but they compound and weave together and become the things that shape you into who you are.
And - some of the years, practices, and chapters will be better than others. And that’s ok. Refer to lesson number two.
2016 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
4. LOOK FOR THE CHEERLEADERS. OR BE ONE.
It’s funny how the universe works sometimes. There were many times over the past decade that I felt like quitting, in fact I have taken many ‘sabbaticals’ here and there. Trying to decide if I truly have time for this in my life, if I feel like it’s what I am ‘supposed’ to be doing, if this is really my ‘passion’. And most of the time when I was in these phases, someone would show up and say keep going. To them I am thankful.
2015 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
5. AND WHAT I’M MOST GRATEFUL FOR….
The people. I feel like saying ‘client’s’ is a disservice. So many of the people I have photographed have become my friends. I have followed their lives, watched families grow, kids change, being there to witness so many chapters of their lives. It has been such a gift to be a part of families legacies and cross paths with people I might not have otherwise.
2014 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
…. AND WOULD IT EVEN BE A REAL DECADE IN REVIEW UNLESS WE ….
had a quick look back on a few images from each year?!?!? Beyond seeing what I have learned from being a photographer and what is involved in taking the type of photographs I want to take, looking at the faces of these people in my photographs makes me feel so incredibly grateful for being able to do this. These photographs literally take me back to the time and place and moments shared. To all of you - thank you. Being photographed is sometimes not the easiest thing to do, and I am grateful we took the time to make these moments last.
2013 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
2012 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
2011 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
2010 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
2009 LEIGHA GRAF PHOTOGRAPHY
