Getting Down to Business

It's November 2020 and we are 8 months in to the COVID 19 pandemic. I still forget my mask sometimes. The world has definitely adjusted to moving ahead to almost completely online, and so must I. 

It is time for me to start blogging again. It's a good way to update my friends about life with Harrison, and I can share more about my other passion, photography, specifically Special Needs Portrait Photography. Ahhh, so that's how Marcie's worlds collide! I know you were wondering!

Harrison is handling life during COVID quite well. Thankfully he gets to go to school in person every day. He is not a remote learning kind of guy. Once in a while, for short bursts, he enjoys it, especially when music is involved. We decided not to register for Hebrew School this year for that very reason. He is well into his Bar Mitzvah prep, but we do not have a date and we are not in a rush, so it's ok. And then... he was graciously invited to join a weekly half-hour T'fillah on Sundays- how perfect! He can practice his prayers with his peers, all singing and chanting, and he gets to see his teacher, who I know he misses. Once again, Gateways, you know how to meet my kid halfway, or closer.

Harry's other favorite thing to do remotely is to FaceTime with his friend Joey, I would say one of his two best buddies. They were in school together in public school and they miss each other terribly. Luckily, Joey loves to entertain Harrison. He plays several instruments and he sings too, and Harrison just dances and smiles to these virtual play dates!

Our street has a lot of kids, all around the same age, and they are pretty tight. It's been really good to have a bubble for both kids and adults. The kids are often out on their bikes, and Harry joins them in his wheelchair, watching them race around and playing with all of the dogs that tag along. 

With all of the limitations that were thrust upon us practically overnight, I have found that this year has been full of creativity and inspiration to try things differently, and it has forced us out of our routines. I must say that Halloween was incredible for us this year! The four girls who run together decided to dress up as witches, so Harrison dressed up as their cauldron! He was so thrilled to be part of a group costume (his friends even helped to decorate his costume) and as soon as I handed him off to his coven, he was golden! Each house on the street had a table set up with bags of candy for each kid. And then they sat in lawn chairs in one neighbor's driveway to watch a movie on an outdoor screen- he loved that too! Honestly, I quite impressed myself this year, and it will definitely be a while before he has a prize-worthy costume again (yes he did win best costume at school and he chose a black unicorn with a glittery rainbow horn as his prize). 

So Harrison is good. I'm happy to say, so is business. I got an amazing opportunity to do what I have been wanting to do for years, and it was just the boost I needed to work on building Sunschein Photography and bringing my business to the next level. 

The boost I got was the amazing request to take School Pictures for Harrison's school, The Education Cooperative. It's really what I've been wanting to do for a long time, and I am so grateful for finally getting the job! And I had so much fun...the kids are so cute, some of them are hilarious trouble makers, and the smiles just warmed my heart. The very best part was how excited the staff were, and how thrilled they were to see photos of their kids that were soooo much better than they have been in the past with the big commercial studios. Big Boost Indeed! Add to that the positive feedback and and appreciation of the families...my day was made! I even got a Family Portrait session booked with one of Harry's schoolmates, and hopefully more will follow. The staff were incredibly helpful in assisting the kids so they were picture ready- positioning, getting their attention, making them laugh. We took as much time as we needed with each student- I do not rush. I can't. I accommodate the kids, their families, whoever I am photographing. I have to if I'm going to get the very best shots and create images that show their true selves. Reality. That's why, for example, I chose not to photoshop out the drool! This is Harry, in all his glory.

I am learning a lot about marketing these days, and I'm doing my best to increase exposure for my business. I hope you will continue to follow me on this blog, and you can see more of the school photos on Sunschein Photography on Facebook and on my Instagram.