If the timing manages to be so perfect that I have college models, mugs to photograph, and shirts to photograph on a beautiful weekend, my life is pretty good. We explored Union Market and I was in LOVE. Bright walls. Fun seating. COLORS! Oh, how I love bright colors.
Artist and Love & Light shirts by The Artistic Soul Shop
Mugs and Donut shirts by Capitol Maker
I don't edit out scars.
My six year old's baby photos look odd to me. She doesn't look like herself without the now-faint line down her chest, a remnant of the life-saving open heart surgery performed when she was just five and a half months old.
Questions about Ellie's scar used to be a frequent part of summer, but the questions are fewer and fewer these days. The scar has become less noticeable.
I don't edit out scars.
Ellie is six. She has zero recollection of her surgery and hospital stay. She knows that the doctors fixed her heart, and that her heart repair requires her to have annual EKGs. And she knows that she has a "zipper," and she knows that she's brave.
I have scars, too. Most noticeably (just not photographed!), I have a long c-section scar marking the births of my children.
Scars mark us, and I won't edit them out for Ellie's sake.
I want her to know she is beautiful, not in spite of her scar, but with her scar.
I edit out temporary scratches and scrapes. I'm happy to whiten your teeth or get rid of a few flyaway hairs. But I won't take off pounds or remove anything permanent, because people are beautiful, regardless of whether or not they match the description of a supermodel.
Ellie's scar is a sign of strength and resilience. She came home from the hospital four days after heart surgery on Tylenol, and I will never cease to be amazed by her toughness!
After the fun of my collaboration with Capitol Maker for our Styled Senior Session, we had to get our own kids in on the fun. Despite a total downpour and high winds that hit moments after these photos were taken, we had a blast getting our kids and their friends (and our senior model!) to share these fun new shirts. We also added the fun bows and crown from Fortune Favors the Gold.
You can check out the full session here and contact me to schedule your own fun and bright session!
Newborn photos are always fun, often challenging (newborns aren't known for listening well), and always significant. A new baby is a gift, and I am privileged every time I get to capture a brand new life. Sweet baby E was a dream, dozing and hardly fussing!
Although I'm not huge on props, when her parents opened the shed to grab a toy for her brother and a little red wagon was sitting there, I knew we needed to use it. The wagon belonged to baby E's mommy and grandfather prior to being used by her big brother, so it's been around for awhile.
If you've been around here for any length of time, you've seen photos of my kindergartener-for-seven-more-school-days-but-who-is-counting, Ellie. As a student with a disability, Ellie has annual IEP meetings to plan her education. As a former special education teacher, I've spent a lot of time in IEP meetings from that side of things.
Talking with Felicia from Capitol Maker, we had a funny idea for a mug/wineglass set. I did some product photos. She posted it. I posted it.
And it went totally viral thanks to the disability parenting community!
Check out the product photos of the gifts that all my kid's teachers will be getting for the end of the school year (and that a few of my mom friends will be getting for Christmas/Hanukah.)
