Every year, Mike and I aim to shoot one “special” photo per month for the entire year. I believe we’ve missed one or two annually due to sickness, busy schedules, etc. Like Edison, we don’t give up. This year, we’re planning on doing extra shoots (one is already completed) to prepare for the busy photography season (usually from the end of June until the middle of November).

2021 photoshoots The purpose of doing these shoots is to have fun and try new things. Fantasy photography is my passion, and I love preparing each shoot with costume choices, color, time of year, props, storyline, etc. Even though we have had lots of fun of the last few years, we wanted to share some of the goals that we plan to achieve this year:

1. 12 special shots for 12 months – we are going to challenge ourselves to something unique in each shoot (suspended glass, reflections, etc.)
2. Focus on stories – this has been a goal of mine for years. I always tell people that I am a writer and a photographer. When asked why I don’t choose one and stick with it, I explain that they are the same thing - just different media. The root of both passions is storytelling. We don’t want to just take a photo of a pretty girl in front of a pretty background. We want to show an actual story taking place. It is a very hard goal for me to practice as I have done wedding and portrait photography for so long that I’ve been trained to do “pretty.” There is a game called “Legend of the Cryptids,” and their images are the best storytelling pieces I have ever seen. My goal is to be able to tell stories in my photos just like them.
3. ALWAYS strive to be better – I love photography and I am always checking out new training and classes to become the best that I can be. You would be floored if you saw how many hours Mike and I put into learning new techniques. We love to learn and are constantly pushing ourselves. I hope to continue this for the year. Every day I get closer and closer to my utopian photos of how I want them to appear. Every time I do a photoshoot, I get closer and closer to have the image from the photograph be the same as the one I envision in the original concept.   
4. Post more on social media – if you have ever met me in person, you would believe that I am a social butterfly. Ironically, it is just a front. I am horrendously shy and just pretend to be extroverted. I get embarrassed easily (which looks strange on a six-foot female) and babble when I am uncomfortable. I repeatedly fail to post about myself – and our business. It is my goal this year to post more (and be consistent in the long run) and find a good rhythm that does not burn me out. There is a second goal within this one. It is to take you on this journey with us. We have so much fun! I want you to see – and feel – it. I ask most people “What do you do on the weekend?” Their answer? Nothing much. My answer? “I did a shoot on mermaids today and jumped in the water with all my clothes on to get a great shot. Afterward, I went to my husband’s choir performance and giggled whenever I heard the occasional drips on the floor from my soaked garments!” (That is, ironically, a true story. Better yet, the photo came out lousy because I knew nothing about underwater photography and the cloudiness that comes with it, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.)

There are, of course, more goals in our cabinet of dreams, but I wanted to share with you our “big dogs” so that you can follow us in our journey and 2022 photoshoots be our accountability partners throughout this adventure. I have a few huge goals waiting in the wings, but I need to complete these first.

Future shoots - You'll hear more as we get closer, but we do have some plans to do some bigger shoots and some bucket list items this year. I am currently gathering a group of individuals to do a "Mermaid's Treasure" shoot, and I am looking for a group of Lord of the Rings fans to do a special shoot of a fey walk in the woods. There will be more details later. We are also signed up to be at TerrifiCon this year at Mohegan Sun (July 28-30th) as vendors in the cosplay section. 

Thank you for listening and I hope that you enjoy the ride with us!

Sincerely,

Melissa Damon