Hello 200!

200 Etsy Sales! 

I still get so excited with each and every sale made whether it is on my Etsy shop, at a craft fair or through a private commission.  To have people near and far purchasing my photography work to add to their home decor or gift to that special someone is such a wonderful feeling and one that I hope will continue for many years to come.  I want to say a huge thank you to everyone supporting Lavender Line Photography, it hasn’t been the easiest of times for us small business owners during this global pandemic, but the love and support to shop small has been incredible and means so much! 

Here is to following those dreams and to the next 200 worldwide Etsy sales!

Celebrate Every Tiny Victory ; 200 Etsy Sales!

‘Whitepark Waves’ : I can’t think of a better photography print to mark my 200th Etsy sale!

A Sense Of Wanderlust

‘She wasn’t bored, just restless between adventures’ - Atticus

Goodbye April, Hello May! What a strange and very surreal April it has been, a month of glorious sunshine and absolutely nowhere to go to take full advantage of it.  Instead of ticking off the road trips that I have had planned on my Northern Ireland/Ireland bucket list I have been using this lockdown time to go back through my older travel photographs to create a series of wanderlust prints.

It’s an unusual feeling knowing that as of right now there are no plans for future trips, but I have found comfort in going through my travel photos and taking the time to appreciate each and every detail.  It has been a fun process to go back in time and work on the photographs that I feel might appeal to people right now to add a touch of that much needed wanderlust to their home decor.

Below are just some of my new wanderlust prints available for purchase, you might recognise them as some of your favourite holiday locations or a place that is on your bucket list….

Love From Australia

Love From Rome

Love From London

Love From Northern Ireland

From the tranquil scenes of Australia to the historic sights of Rome. The colourful streets of London to the calming tones of Northern Ireland. There is a little something for everyone to help with this unusual lockdown life in which we find ourselves.

Find your sense of wanderlust here.

And I Pause...

‘And I pause for a while’ - Pink Floyd

Goodbye March, hello April!  Well, what can I say about March other than it is a month we will always remember and not in a good way! The month that most of our day to day lives came to a sudden stop and the world in which we knew changed before us. A month that has brought forward a lot of stress and uncertainty as a small business owner and a month that I can safely say I don’t want to repeat!

I’m still finding it hard to wrap my head around everything that is happening to us on a global scale, how one virus has been able to put a stop to the world, but I do take comfort in knowing that we are all in this together and that when we get to the other side of this we will learn to appreciate the finer things in life again.  

Lavender Line Photography Home Edition HQ #StayHome

I know that I for one cant wait for the day that I can return to my beautiful studio, to create new and exciting photography series in the creative space that I have worked hard to make happen, and to finally launch my studio photo shoot sessions, something that was just about to takeoff before lockdown happened. I also cant wait for the first day to step back into my car and drive to my favourite coastal hotspots.  I’ve always been a beach girl at heart and am really missing those weekly hits of vitamin sea.  I long for that fresh sea air, the sound of the waves rolling in and feeling the sand between my toes.  It's little things like this that I will appreciate even more when life gets back to normal, sooner rather than later I hope!

The calming waves of Ballycastle Beach and one of my first North Coast locations to visit after lockdown!

My Portview studio view, a view that I can’t wait to get back to with cup of tea in hand!

Until that time comes I am currently working on two new photography series: my digital download series ‘Home From Home’ which will allow customers to purchase limited edition digital photography prints that can be printed off in the comfort of their home and help adapt to our new rules by adding favourite locations or wish-list destinations to brighten up that home decor. These digital downloads can also be added to all device home-screens as another way to display your digital purchases as new wallpapers.

Introducing my new digital download series ‘Home From Home’, an easy way to change your home decor wall art during lockdown.

The second is a print set series called ‘Take Two’ a series of print sets that will have an exciting compare and contrast theme.  I am looking forward to the challenge this series will bring me as a photographer as it means stepping outside of my comfort zone and working with the limited lockdown spaces I have to photograph each day. Who knows where it will take my work!

Introducing the first of my ‘Take Two’ print set series: Honey and The Star

Although I do have these two new photography series to keep busy with (as well as catching up on a lot of editing), I will admit that it is a scary and uncertain time as a self-employed photographer, a time where there is no financial guarantees or big future plans.  I just hope that during these next few months I can keep my photography dream alive and encourage people to #StandWithSmall more than ever. If you can help your favourite small businesses in any way right now then please do as each and every sale really does mean the world and is the difference between staying open or having to close down.

#StandWithSmall from Etsy

Image found on Google ‘small business’ search

Please stay home and stay safe xx

Follow That Dream

‘If you can dream it, you can do it’ - Walt Disney

It’s hard to believe that yesterday my small business turned 4! I don’t know where the time has gone, it feels like it was just last week I was putting together my business plan and taking on-board my business advisor’s main piece of advice; keep looking forward and focus on getting to that year 3 mark!

It hasn’t been an easy journey, there have been many highs and lows, moments of self doubt and worry, and sometimes a little loneliness working for myself, but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. Waking up every day to a job that I love which allows me to follow my photography dream makes those struggles of self-employment worth it! To know that my work is displayed in homes around the world is something that I could never have imagined when first starting out. Being sought out and chosen as the photographer to capture those special life moments is one of the greatest compliments I could receive. It’s this that keeps me motivated to push myself and my work as a photographer, to capture those all important moments whether it be a photoshoot or chosen location. Creating memories that last a lifetime!

With each year comes new goals, new inspirations and new opportunities, and I for one am excited to see where year 4 takes Lavender Line Photography!