Ffotograffiaeth Celf Calon 2021: Bwrw golwg ’nôl dros y flwyddyn

Gan fod 2021 wedi bod yn flwyddyn mor sbesial i fi yn y busnes, o’n i'n meddwl y byddwn i'n ’sgrifennu rhywbeth am y peth. 

Mae cymaint wedi digwydd, felly dwi ddim yn mynd i sôn am sesiynau tynnu lluniau unigol (gallwch weld yr erthyglau blog eraill am hynny). Yn lle hynny, o’n i ishe rhannu cipolwg gyda chi o sut beth oedd y llynedd i fi fel ffotograffydd annibynnol a sut flwyddyn oedd hi i fy musnes, Ffotograffiaeth Celf Calon.

Since 2021 proved to be such an incredible year in business for me, I thought I’d write something about it. 

So much has happened that I’m not going to mention individual photoshoots (see my other blog articles for that). Instead, I wanted to share with you an insight into how last year padded out for me as an independent photographer and for my business, Celf Calon Photography. 

Uchafbwyntiau 2021 

Yn lle gweud wrtho chi beth yw uchafbwyntiau 2021 i fi o ran gwaith, fe wna i adael i'r lluniau dwi wedi dewis eu cynnwys yma ddangos i chi.

Mae'n anodd gwybod ble i ddechre, ond dwi’n gwisgo fy nghlustffonau ac yn gwrando ar fiwsic clasurol i fy helpu i ’sgrifennu, felly co ni off! 

Highlights of 2021

Rather than tell you what the greatest work-related moments of 2021 for me have been, I will let the images I’ve chosen to include here show you. 

It’s difficult to know where to start, but I’ve got my headphones on and I’m listening to classical music to help me write, so here goes! 

Blwyddyn Newydd:

Cyfle i ailosod fy meddylfryd

I fi, Ionawr yw'r mis gore i ymlacio, trefnu a gosod nodau ar gyfer y flwyddyn sydd i ddod. Ond cyn gwneud hynny, mae wastad yn dda edrych ’nôl, gwerthfawrogi a dysgu o'r flwyddyn a aeth heibio. 

Ar ôl colli cymaint o waith (cyflog blwyddyn, yn y bôn) yn 2020, diolch i bandemig Covid, o’dd ’da fi deimlad y byddai 2021 yn flwyddyn o ailadeiladu'r busnes. O’n i’n dawel obeithiol y bydde hi’n  brysur. 

Pan edryches i ’nôl ar 2020, o ran fy ngwaith fel person creadigol, dwi jyst yn cofio iddo fod yn rollercoaster o siom, pryder, hunan-amheuaeth a theimlo'n unig. 

Wrth unig, be dwi’n meddwl yw fy mod i’n gweithio ar fy mhen fy hun, felly o’dd dim adran HR ’da fi i gal cyngor. Nes i golli rheolaeth o fy hunan-amheuaeth ar un adeg achos nes i sylweddoli bod fy holl sgiliau o fewn y diwydiant creadigol, a sylwes i faint dwi'n dibynnu ar ddigwyddiadau cymdeithasol a phobl yn dod ynghyd i ddathlu priodas neu ben-blwydd ac ati.

Nes i sylweddoli, achos na fyddai’r pandemig yn dod i ben yn glou, nad o’n i’n gallu parhau gyda’r pryder ’ma. O’dd angen i fi adael fynd o'r sefyllfa achos bod e’n rhywbeth nag o’n i’n gallu ei reoli. Felly, dechreuais i wneud y mwya’ o’r amser bant a dechre edrych ar ôl fy hunan yn well. Y gwir oedd, o’n i’n gwybod go iawn bod ishe i fi weithio ar hunangariad. O’dd angen i fi ddechre credu ynof i fy hun eto a theimlo'n hyderus gan gredu ynof i fel ffotograffydd da, a bo fi’n haeddu lle yn y byd creadigol fel artist.

New Year:

A chance to reset my mindset

January for me is the best month to just take a chill, get organised and set goals for the year ahead. But before I do that, it’s always good to look back, appreciate and learn from the year that’s gone.

After losing so much work (basically a year’s salary) in 2020, thanks to the Covid pandemic, I had a feeling 2021 was going to be a year of rebuilding the business. I was quietly optimistic that it was going to be busy.

When I looked back at 2020, in regard to my work as a creative, I just remember it being a roller coaster of disappointment, worry, self-doubt and feeling alone.

When I say alone, what I mean is that I work on my own, therefore I had no HR department to turn to for advice. The self-doubt at one point went out of control as I realised all my skills are within the creative industry and how much I depend on social events, and the gathering of people to celebrate a wedding or an anniversary, for example.

I realised that as the pandemic wasn’t going to end anytime soon, I couldn’t carry on with this worry. I needed to let go of the situation as it was out of my control. Therefore, I started to embrace the time off and started looking after myself better.  

Deep down, I knew that I needed to work on self-love. I needed to start believing in myself again and feel confident in the belief that I was a good photographer and that I had a well-deserved place in the creative world as an artist. 

Y trobwynt

Dwi'n byw wrth droed Mynydd Pysgodlyn. Mynydd bach yw e, a tua hanner awr yn unig o daith ar droed i gyrraedd y copa. Ar y top, mae tŵr o gerrig o'r enw Carreg Magi. Nes i benderfynu cerdded lan at Garreg Magi bob bore am fis. Dyma'r trobwynt a helpodd fi i glirio ’mhen er mwyn gallu ailadeiladu fy hun a Ffotograffiaeth Celf Calon, a bod yn barod i wynebu'r heriau newydd a gosod nodau creadigol newydd. 

Drwy gymryd cam yn ôl, buddsoddi mewn arbenigedd marchnata, a chymryd amser ma’s i ddod o hyd i ysbrydoliaeth gan bobl greadigol eraill, o’n i unwaith eto'n gallu dod o hyd i fy mhwrpas fel ffotograffydd. 

Wedyn, ’nath hyn arwain ataf i’n darganfod pwy yw fy nghleientiaid delfrydol erbyn hyn, a'r math o waith ffotograffiaeth o’n i ishe ei wneud yn y dyfodol.

The turning point

I live at the foot of Pysgodlyn Mountain. It’s a small mountain and takes only about half an hour to get to the peak. At the top, there is a tower of stones called Carreg Magi (Magi’s Stone).

I decided to walk up to Carreg Magi every morning for a month and this was the turning point that helped me clear my head to be able to rebuild myself and Celf Calon Photography and to be ready to face the new challenges ahead and set new creative goals.

By taking a step back, investing in marketing expertise, and taking time out to find inspiration from other creatives, I was once again able to find my purpose as a photographer. 

This then led me to discover who my ideal clients now are, and the type of photography work that I wanted to do in the future. 

Penderfynu shwt o’n i ishe i'r dyfodol edrych

Yn ystod misoedd y cynta’ hynny yn 2021, dechreuais i gredu yn fy ngwaith eto. O’n i'n teimlo'n fwy balch o'r gwaith o’n i'n ei greu. 

Wrth edrych nôl, dwi’n sylweddoli bo’ fi wedi dechrau'r flwyddyn a finne wedi blino’n lân. O’n i wedi cael digon o drial postio lluniau ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol bob dydd, gan drial cyrraedd mwy a mwy o bobl gyda fy ffotograffiaeth drwy'r socials. 

Drwy edrych ar faint o’dd yn ‘hoffi’ fy lluniau o gymharu â ffotograffwyr eraill, o’n i'n teimlo'n siomedig pan mai'r cyfan o’dd angen i fi ei wneud go iawn oedd canolbwyntio ar fy llwyfan i - yr un dwi’n gallu ei reoli - fy ngwefan. 

Deciding on what I wanted the future to look like

During those early months in 2021, I started to believe in my work again. I felt prouder of the work I was producing. 

On reflection, I realise that I had started the year burnt out. I’d had enough of trying to post images on social media every day, trying to reach more and more people with my photography through social media. 

Comparing how many likes my images received vs what other photographers received just left me feeling disappointed when all I really needed to do was to concentrate on MY platform - the one I can control - which is my website.

Arfer newydd yn newid popeth!

Ers hynny, dwi ’di bod yn gweithio ar fy ngwefan ac yn ei hanelu at fy nghleientiaid delfrydol. Nes i ddechre blogio ac, o ganlyniad, nes i fagu hyder ac o’n i wir yn dechre credu ynof fy hun!

Yna, nes i ddechre rhwydweithio mwy. Nes i sylweddoli ei bod hi’n werth mynd ati i estyn ma’s at gwmnïau a darpar gleientiaid i roi gwybod iddyn nhw y byddwn wrth fy modd yn gweithio ’da nhw. 

Un peth dwi hefyd yn ei fwynhau am dynnu lluniau ar ôl y pandemig yw bod mwy o deimlad o gydweithio. Mae pawb i weld yn barod i sgwrsio mwy, ac mae hynny'n gwneud iddo deimlo bod llai o bwysau. Yn lle mynd adre’n syth ar ôl gorffen fy ngwaith, fel o’n i’n ei wneud pan o’dd y pandemig yn ei anterth, dwi ’nawr yn joio hala amser yn trafod y prosiect a dyfnhau perthynas ag eraill. Mae hynny'n bendant yn teimlo fel rhywbeth cadarnhaol!

A new habit that changed everything!

Since then, I’ve been working on my website and gearing it towards my ideal clients. I started blogging and, as a result, my confidence and self-belief soared!

I then started to network more. I found that it was well worthwhile to proactively reach out to companies and potential clients to let them know that I would love to work with them. 

One thing I’m also enjoying about post-pandemic shoots is there’s a greater sense of collaboration. Everyone seems open to chatting more, and that makes it feel like there is less pressure. Rather than head off home immediately after my work is done, as I did during the peak of the pandemic, I now enjoy spending time discussing the project and deepening relationships. That definitely feels like a win!



Canolbwyntio ar yr hyn sydd bwysicaf

Hefyd, wrth rwydweithio, diolch i'r blogiau newydd o’n i yn eu rhannu, o’n i nawr yn gallu cyfeirio pobl yn hyderus at fy ngwefan. 

Dyma lle roedden nhw’n gallu dysgu mwy am fy ngwasanaethau ffotograffiaeth a gweld casgliad o hen brosiectau, a oedd yn cynnwys priodasau, sesiynau portreadau teuluol, gwaith elusennol, ffotograffiaeth cerddoriaeth fyw a llawer mwy. 

Mae'n od meddwl mai'r lleiaf aml o’n i’n postio ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol, y mwya’ o waith o’n i’n ei gael, ond mae'n wir! 

Yn y bôn, o’dd ‘da fi mwy o egni i ganolbwyntio ar beth dwi wrth fy modd yn ei wneud fwyaf, sef dal pob agwedd ar fywyd Cymru mewn ffotograffau.

Focusing on what matters most

Also, when it came to networking, thanks to the new blogs I was sharing, I was able to now confidently direct people to my website.

There, they were able to find out more about my photography services as well as see a selection of past projects, which included weddings, family portrait sessions, charity work, live music photography and much more.

It’s strange to think that the less frequently I posted on social media, the more work I got, but it’s actually true!  

Basically, I had more energy to concentrate on the thing I love doing most which is capturing all aspects of Welsh life in photographs. 

Cydweithio

Fe wnes i hefyd gydweithio mwy gyda ffotograffwyr eraill. Nes i ddod i ddeall bod siarad a rhwydweithio gyda phobl greadigol eraill yn sbesial! Nes i sylweddoli bo’ ni i gyd yn yr un cwch ac ishe helpu ein gilydd drwy'r cyfnod anodd ’ma.

Collaborations

I also collaborated more with other photographers. I found that talking and networking with fellow creatives was great! It made me realise that we were all in the same boat and wanted to help each other through these tough times. 

2021:

Blwyddyn ORAU fy mywyd gwaith

Wrth edrych nôl ar 2021, mae'n rhaid cyfadde mai hon oedd blwyddyn waith orau ’mywyd! 

Sai erioed wedi bod mor brysur, o deithio i bob cwr o Gymru yn tynnu headshots o ffermwyr, i dynnu lluniau ymgyrchoedd recriwtio gweithwyr gofal a helpodd i achub bywydau, a nofio mewn pwll nofio naturiol wrth saethu portread ar gyfer clawr llyfr.

Dwi’n caru'r amrywiaeth yn fy ngwaith ’nawr, ac wrth i 2022 nesáu, dwi'n teimlo mor ddiolchgar am bob cyfle sy'n codi. 

2021:

The BEST year of my working life

When looking back on 2021, I have to admit, it was the best working year of my life! 

I have never been so busy from travelling to all the four corners of Wales taking headshots of farmers, to shooting recruitment campaigns for care workers which helped to save lives, and to taking a dip in a natural swimming pool while shooting a portrait for a book cover.

 I just love the variety in my work now, and as 2022 approaches, I’m feeling so grateful for every opportunity that comes my way.

Dathlu 15 mlynedd mewn busnes

Nawr, gan bo fi’n dechrau ar fy 15fed flwyddyn mewn busnes, mae cymaint i edrych ymlaen ato ac, ar ddechrau 2022, dwi'n teimlo mor falch o bopeth dwi wedi'i gyflawni. 

Yn fwy, falle, am fod wedi goroesi blwyddyn neu ddwy heriol iawn! Diolch eto i bawb sydd wedi bod yn rhan o fy nhaith hyd yn hyn! 

Celebrating 15 years in business

Now, as I’m entering my 15th year in business, there is much to look forward to and, as we start 2022, I’m feeling incredibly proud of everything I’ve achieved.

All the more so for having survived what has been a very challenging couple of years! Thanks again to everyone who’s been involved in my journey to date! 

Diolch am fod yn rhan o’r daith

Felly, dwi ishe gorffen drwy ddweud bo fi wir yn ddiolchgar bo fi’n gallu parhau i dynnu lluniau o fywyd Cymru. 

Byddwn wrth fy modd yn clywed gennych yn 2022 os oes gennych ddiddordeb mewn cydweithio. Gallwch gysylltu â fi, a gweld mwy o fy ngwaith yma ar y wefan ac yn y blog.

Thank you for being part of my journey

Therefore, I would like to end by saying that I truly am grateful to be able to keep carrying on capturing Welsh life. 

I would love to hear from you in 2022 if you’re interested in working together.

You can get in touch with me, and view more of my work here on the website and in the blog.  

Darllen cysylltiedig

Amdanaf i

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