This was such a thrill for him to sit in the bull pen with the team.

at Cornell

I always thought 2021 would be a really special year. It has been for me, and I hope it’s been for you. It started out rough with hybrid learning. Then, it slowly got better. Summer came and the first thing we did is visit Emile in Ithaca. We also went to Cape Cod several times to watch the Cape Cod Baseball League. I camped for the first time, and did it alone with my younger son. We were all in good health. Nothing terrible happened. I like to punctuate the passing of time with pictures, so here are some below that were special highlights from this year.

I also want to invite you to order some prints of your own family, or choose from my art gallery. Here you will find reproductions of original photos. You’ll have lovely affordable art for your home or office. These can be gifts for yourself or for someone else. https://elizabethsolakaphotography.zenfolio.com/p175902758

I also made lots of blossom pictures that you can order to beautify your home or gift to someone, https://elizabethsolakaphotography.zenfolio.com/p483928320

Visually, I feel that my pictures for the coming year will be cooler, brighter, cleaner, more vibrant.

I wish this for all of you. A fresh new year, bright and vibrant.

Special person — generous beyond measure.

From a Chester Theatre Production

A nice backyard sunset.

Matthew is a bar mitzvah.

My longtime clients had their first grandbaby. This picture is everything.

Wedding at the Hotel Northampton.

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I photographed a most beautiful wedding evidenced by these most beautiful flowers, in Lincoln, MA.

Stunning family. Loved getting to know you.

There’s nothing better than grandparents reuniting with their grandkids after a long absence.

My son peers at a cool new informational sign by Soofa, and yes this kid is truly interested in the map.

Small business pictures for a new website. Michele Feldheim https://www.michelefeldheim.com/

Super excited for the young generation to take the reins, wield the gavel, and all that. Wonderful to meet you, Samantha.

Another family reuniting after a long time apart.

I provided pictures for the new Abundance Farm website: https://www.abundancefarm.org/

I did pictures for one of the most gracious, kind and relatable people I know, Keiko, https://keikomedium.com/

Trixie Garcia at a Garcia Hand-Picked event.

I love this picture.

I did a whole series of photos on this block, because of the cool reflections on the street. Soon after they paved the road so I guess these are extra special now.

What a joy to work with and get to know Candace.

I made lots of blossom pictures that you can order to beautify your home or gift to someone, https://elizabethsolakaphotography.zenfolio.com/p483928320

Since May I’ve probably done almost 100 portraits for clients. Portrait photography is my heart’s work.

Sometimes I wonder what it all means. Why am I doing this? I’m not saving the world, curing disease or fighting for justice. In mid-May, I met up with a friend I’ve known for years. She looks the same, but still wanted to hire me to take her portrait. After sending her the pictures, I saw her instagram post . It read:

“my friend Elizabeth walks with a camera and an eye for beauty. To me her photography finds that essence that is beautiful and unique in each of us. and it reminds me that noticing it in each other is a loving labor of presence and openness...reflected here in a snippet of her fabulous Portraiture ”

— Lillian Fuchs

My life’s work, that I could never describe, summarized so well. Yep, that’s why I do it. And it doesn’t just apply to portraits. It’s in every moment I capture. Okay, moment I capture is a cliche that I’ve alway avoided. It’s in every encounter I have with the camera. My loving labor of presence and openness is what I try to give back to people. So that they can see how amazing they are.

It applies equally to events, fine art and abstractions. Editorial would call if documentary, or lifestyle. In marketing, it’s branding or brand storytelling. If it were a hashtag, it would fall under #candid It’s why I love Diane Arbus so much. Her portraits are these things too. Such context, such human-ness, and such a loving labor of that stuff.

A Christening in Queens, NY

I’ve been spending so much wonderful time photographing portraits and headshots around Northampton. So much time that I’ve been neglecting to post them on social media, or here.

First and foremost, my son has graduated high school. And he’ll be studying at Architecture Art and Planning at Cornell. I’m wildly excited for him and have been counting on him since day one to ‘save’ the world. But first, our trip to LA, and some prom pictures.

There are no words.

I did corporate headshots for a whole office at The ICA Group, samples chosen randomly:

Even before this I photographed Ivan Oransky, VP Editorial of Medscape. This might be obvious due to the 3D quality and wonderful range, that this was taken with my vintage Hasselblad, developed by hand, and then digitized for your viewing pleasure:

There was the portrait of Lillian Fuchs, my dear college friend, on a red bridge at Smith College.

Jennifer Rosner, author

And here, Carla Savetsky

Did I mention my son went to prom?

I photographed a very important wedding in Boston:

Then there was my full time job: Little League.