I’m starting to sound like a broken record, I know.  Yet another year has come to a close and I can’t help but wonder how it all passed so quickly.  Being a bit of a nostalgic sap (ok, maybe more than a bit), one of my favorite things to do after the busy fall portrait season/holiday rush is to take a breather and look back through my year in pictures.

I’ve been carrying on this practice for several years now and I invite you to also take a peek at 2013 and 2012′s round ups.  Each post is made up of a collection of some of my favorite personal images.  They are run-into-a-burning-building-to-save-them precious to me.  (Thankfully, cloud backup means I should never have to!)

Earlier this week, I posted my 2014 annual client wrap up.  You can find those images and the story behind why I selected them right here.

Without further ado, here are my personal 14 for 2014.

Snow.  My favorite natural reflector.  Whenever I am feeling uninspired, a trip outside with my camera in the new fallen snow will cure it.

Because sometimes the best medicine for a photographer is to shoot outside of his or her box.  And yes, he’s taken. 😉

This was captured in the middle of the winter, but I love how the light wraps warmth around my son’s body like it’s saying, “Hang on, spring is near.”

I took this shot after the very first thaw of Spring.  The ground was freezing, but the kids insisted on taking off their shoes to feel the grass in their toes.  Their excitement was palpable.

My Grandmother is pretty much allergic to the camera, so it made me giddy to capture this spur of the moment portrait of her enjoying herself.  We had just wrapped up our annual 4 generations Mother’s Day dinner at the Mile Away Restaurant.  I love how her kicking legs show that she still has spunk.

Pure sibling love (when they aren’t beating the crap out of each other). May they always strive to keep this bond strong.

I’m drawn to the scale of this capture.  The mammoth tree vs the small children playing Miss Mary Mack on its limb.  Sums up idyllic childhood for me.

This was taken at a swimming hole in Northern NH.  The moss added a fantasy element to the surroundings that felt right out of J.R Tolkien’s Elven Middle Earth.

Kissing cousins. Buddies for life.

Wells Beach Maine.  It sums up how we feel when we are here.

One of my goals for 2015 is to do less directing and more sitting back and letting portraits happen naturally.  It takes a lot of patience, but when it happens organically, there is magic to be found.

This past summer, my husband installed strings of party lights around our entire backyard.  It now looks like a wedding venue at night.  At the time, I remember being so frustrated.  It  was expensive, took hours to install and we had about 10 other unfinished house projects I felt would serve his time better.  He insisted that I trust him.  One slow dance in the backyard and I ate my words.

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I wanted to keep this series to photographs I’ve personally shot, but my post wouldn’t be complete without sharing a link to my favorite capture taken by my husband this year.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look back.  I look forward to a fresh start in my photographic journey as we enter into this new year with a clean slate and an open heart.

Photo credit: Michele Anderson of Pinkle Toes Photography

Kami Friday is a portrait photographer specializing in lifestyle family photography throughout New England.  14 for 14 Best of 2014 Nashua NH family photographer, is part of an annual blog series chronicling her favorite personal captures of the year.  If you would like to inquire about a session, please contact Kami Friday here.