reflecting on 2020
For as long as I can remember, I ALWAYS took on “too much”. In middle school it was chorus, orchestra, and basketball, and being told by my basketball coach “you can’t do these at the same time”. TRY ME! (I did.) Then it was time for high school, and…nothing changed! I did chorus, orchestra, the fall play, the spring musical, AP courses, was the president of the school’s service organization/club, held a job as a kennel attendant at the veterinary office, and to top it all off was a varsity cheerleader. (Yikes….overachiever alert!)
Baby Katie at the Football & Cheerleading banquet (2009)
“Ok, Katie, I get it, you’re always busy, but what does this have to do with 2020?” Right, right, I’m getting there!
Well, 2020 was no exception to my “take on too much” habit. Forced to lock down and stay home? Ok! In addition to working from home, I’ll start plogging! (Plogging = picking up trash while jogging/walking/exercising.) The simple act of plogging not enough? Try taking photos of your trash treasures and posting them to Instagram! Still not enough for you? Create a YouTube channel where you sort through the trash you found.
The start of the Plog Blog endeavor
Oh I’m sorry, is that STILL not enough? Why not start a photography business!
Ok, there’s a bit of a jump there I would be remiss to not reflect on.
I got my first camera in 2017 as a birthday/graduation/wedding gift from my dad and stepmom. Since then, I had been doing wildlife photography for fun. I took my new camera to the Galápagos and had a blast taking photos of the boobies, marine iguanas, and sea lions. Then it came with me to Australia, and finally, Zambia. (Supposed to be Alaska, too, and it wouldn’t be 2020 without slipping in an “my vacation got cancelled” comment, right?) In between, I had fun taking photos of my favorites at the Zoo and on nature walks with my husband, Ben.
It wasn’t until August, when a dear friend of mine asked me to take her family photos, that I learned how much fun I could have with human photos! Her photo shoot (and encouragement afterwards) was the catalyst to launch this new business: Natural Moments by Katie Murray.
And the rest is (visual) history! I have seen such growth and improvement in my photos over time and can’t wait to continue in 2021. In the words of the always-rocking Queen, “Don’t stop me now, cause I’m havin’ a good time.” If 2020 couldn’t keep me down, nothing can!
Above are highlights from almost all of my 2020 sessions. I want to give a huge thank you to all of my friends and once-strangers-turned-friends who trusted me to create everlasting memories for you. I look forward to seeing you all again soon!