It was early this spring…I don’t think I had given birth to Olivia yet…when I got an email from Sarah. She wanted to buy a portrait session and give it to her sister, Deanna, who was expecting twins in August. I was thrilled! I had photographed twins before, but never at the newborn stage.
Time went by and periodically I would get updates on how things were going. Before I knew it it was summer and nearing about the time when the twins were expected. But on a Tuesday night in late June, while sitting at my computer after I put Olivia to bed, I got an email from Sarah. Things had not gone as they expected…not at all.
The babies, two little boys, were born on June 6th, almost two months early. And four days later on June 10th, one of them passed away. I read this and immediately started to cry. Not just crying…sobbing. My gut reaction was to write her back and tell her that I wanted to refund her money immediately, that there was no way I was going to make them do the photos if they didn’t want to and that if there was anything I could do I was right down the street from the hospital. (all of this, of course, in my frantic crying state). Although very touched by my offer, Sarah was clear that Deanna did indeed wanted to go ahead with the portrait shoot and that they would be in touch once they were home and settled with the baby.
That’s when I knew that this was the most important newborn shoot that I would probably ever do. As photographers, it can get so easy to get wrapped up in the chaos of our jobs. The bookings, the contracts, the editing, the marketing, which magazine/blog/website/vendor to I want to advertise with? It can all be overwhelming at times. Then the realties of life are a sharp reminder of why we do what we do. And for me, it didn’t get any more real than that night in June when I read Sarah’s email. I owed it this family to make sure they got wonderful photos of this little boy. I knew, and I’m sure they knew, that this wasn’t going to be just your standard portrait shoot.
So…the day finally came that I got to meet this wonderful family. On August 6th, two months to the day after he was born, I got to meet Warren. At two months old, he was just over seven pounds of complete cuteness. I was in love. I spent a wonderful afternoon with Deanna and her husband Rick and their adorable miniature schnauzer, Griswold. (Deanna’s maiden name is Clark. Any Lampoon fans out there?….OK. I digress). This little pooch loved the camera! So without further ado, meet Warren and his parents…and Grizzy.
Griswold! Isn’t he adorable?!
This is what they jokingly called “green eggs and ham,” a special food that the baby needs to eat to help him gain weight properly. I’m told it’s disgusting, but Warren didn’t seem to mind.
It was such an honor to photograph this new family. There was so much joy in that house the day I was there and I just know that this little boy is so incredibly loved by so many people. To Deanna and Rick, from one parent to another, I wish you all the best with your beautiful baby and I hope to come back again as Warren grows.
