I will be forever grateful to my friends who have let me try my hand at this, including Amanda. Manda has been my friend for about 25 years (right??). She has a teacher's heart.  She is a creative writing professor, a yoga teacher, and has taught me so much about friendship and individuality over the years. In 2015, Manda decided to visit Colorado, and I was so HAPPY to spend time with her. We spent a beautiful rainy afternoon at the Shambhala Mountain Center, wandering the grounds, sitting before the Great Stupa, talking about life, and taking photographs for her website. I treasure my memories of that day and miss this girl so very much.

(Plus, she let me shoot some Ektar 100 FILM. Bless.)

One of the things that struck me about this place was the many offerings people left at a small statue of the Buddha in the woods, and at the Great Stupa. Little pieces of themselves. Their dreams, hopes, treasures - or perhaps some money for luck. Those of you who know Manda and I will be able to spot our offerings in these photographs. I noticed a cross was given as an offering at the Great Stupa - a sign to me that the people who come to this place may be diverse in beliefs, but not all that different at heart.  

Amanda teaches yoga near Bowling Green, Ohio. You can learn more about her approach on her website, and keep up with her on Starfish Yoga Therapy's Facebook page.  

And the Ektar 100... this film is just amazing for bright sunlight!!!

My friend Allie has an amazing sense of style. Her teal maxi dress and favorite Anthropologie necklace were just perfect for the outdoor session. Keeping the same statement necklace with skinny jeans/ white tank top combo for the indoor photographs lends a sense of cohesiveness to the entire shoot. And how darling is the teal and white nursery with the little hedgehog light! She gifted me with a bunny light for Hannah after this session, and it is the sweetest addition to her room. 

Allie, I miss you and your sweet family. Sending love from NC! 

Tara

This session is a perfect example of how you can work a themed shoot into a 1-hour portrait session. First we captured some unposed photos of Miss K playing, making sure to cover one-year-old milestones like standing and walking. Then she got to tuck into a sweet purple butterfly cake - and the whole family got some cake smash action at the end! Plus, there is a purple tutu and matching, sparkly headband. I die. (Mamas, you can find tons of similar options on Amazon and Etsy.)

My very favorite part of this work is watching families grow. I am so grateful to this family for trusting me with their memories of both their babies - from when they were in the belly, to roly-poly 6-month olds, to walking, talking 1-years with HUGE personalities. You can see highlights of big brother's first year on the TLP website in Featured Sessions. Those first years just go by too fast - capturing those moments forever is something every family should do! 

We scouted Pinterest for ideas, to no avail. Then I looked at the rag fabric banner I'd made for Hannah's first birthday party - Eureka! A photo banner with fabric would be perfect, and would meet all of my current requirements for crafty projects: 

1. No perfectly straight lines. I cannot cut or sew perfect lines to save my life. 

2. I have a toddler. And a day job. And a small business. And two dogs, and a house, and a husband. And I'm PREGNANT. Any project that would take more than 1 hour to complete is out of the question.

3. We are on a strict budget, for all of the reasons listed in #3. 

That's why this project was perfect. Rag banners are supposed to be shabby chic - no straight lines required, and frayed edges encouraged. The only supplies I needed were 4x6 prints and signs (cheap) and 5x7 burlap banner backings, which cost less than $10 at Michaels. I already had gender-neutral fabric, twine, and clothespins. Even better? The full 8-foot rag fabric banner for Hannah's birthday took exactly 1 hour to complete. Incorporate the photos, and we were golden.

First, the project: 

1. Gather your materials - Clothespins, a couple of clever announcement signs, 5x7 burlap backers, twine, 4x6 photos, and fabric strips in your choice of colors. I cut these approximately 8 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. They don't have to be exact (did I say I loved this project?). 

2. Anchor the twine, and start tying. All you have to do is tie a knot. That's it. Make a pattern, repeat several times until you get to the length of the fabric portion you want. 

3. Start clipping! Burlap backer, sign or photo, clothespin. Easy peasy. Just keep clipping in whatever order you want... and stack them on top of each other in the order of the reveal. You can glue the signs and photos to the burlap backing if you want, but I didn't find that necessary. And that might have caused a violation of Rule #2. 

4. Finish with a second portion of fabric the same length as the first. If you want to be extra fancy, incorporate ribbons or lace. I didn't have that on hand, and obtaining such materials would have violated Rules #2 and #2. Cut and tie the twine when you are done. 

VOILA!!! 

5. Reveal!! 

The best part of this idea was that it offered a way for an interactive reveal. Sure, we could put up the banner and let people see it, but their eyes would go straight to the end for the big news! And they'd miss the suspense factor:) Stacking the banner photos and making people go through them one at a time would allow for a little more fun - proof below. A fancy box would make this even more special... but we were traveling with a toddler and had to pack for two weeks. We settled for easy! 

We also passed the banner around a huge table my extended family members, and it was so fun to tell everyone! We were so excited for the opportunity to do that in person. It was so special! 

Hope you enjoyed my first "crafty" blog! Next time back to photography... unless I can find another crafty project that meets all the rules. Doubtful.

Happy weekend to everyone!

Tara

I had planned an epic Mother's Day post, but instead I slept. And ate quiche with friends. And played with my daughter. It was a lovely day. Besides that, finally completing and publishing the post about Hannah's hip treatment was unexpectedly emotionally exhausting. Reading all of the responses and comments and notes of support were so wonderful. Our hearts are very full with the response to our story, and I'm so happy the post has been shared widely to help provide some context and support to parents just starting their DDH journey!

So instead of waxing poetic about motherhood... I'll make a fun announcement on the subject. We are expecting Baby Low #2 in early September! We feel so blessed. I'm 23 weeks along now, and this little one is healthy and lively!

As we did with Hannah, we wanted to do a photo shoot to reveal the gender of our new baby. Because it was almost spring when we were ready to share our news, we thought we would incorporate sparkly eggs and Hannah's favorite bunny. I'm going to share the photos below as "Part 1" of this gender reveal. In Part 2, coming later this week, we'll show you the fun, simple DIY project we did with the photos to share the news with our families. Enjoy!

(and don't miss the last picture!!! Best one of the whole series...)

IT'S A GIRL!!! 

Hannah is going to have a little sister! And Curtis is in so, SO much trouble! 

Now one look at the photo below - my very favorite photoshoot outtake EVER - and you'd think Hannah was hoping for a baby brother. Not so. The glitter eggs were, well, glittery. And she wanted to eat them. This was her reaction when we removed the glitter egg (missing quite a bit of glitter) from her mouth. Message to all you mamas - glitter eggs and 1-year olds don't mix! 

Happy spring! 

Tara

As for me - I took some time off from photography. For many reasons - but the biggest was to see Hannah through an unexpected, trying time as she went through treatment for hip dysplasia throughout her first year of life. I wanted to share our story here. When Hannah was first diagnosed with hip dysplasia, and through her treatment with a spica cast, I found much comfort in reading the blogs of other mothers whose babies were going through similar treatments. They shared their feelings, their fears, their joys, and their tricks - and trust me, when you're dealing with a baby in a body cast - there are TONS of tricks to be learned! It's my hope that a mother in need will find similar comfort and advice in our story. 

Photography disclaimer - this is a photography blog, but most of these photos were taken with my iPhone. When you're a mom with a hip kid - or just a new mom in general - sometimes the big rig sits in the closet!

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The day Hannah was born, she got a once-over by the on-call pediatrician at the hospital. She pronounced our daughter to be in perfect health, except for a slight click felt in one of her hips. The next day, the pediatrician retested her, but didn't feel that click. Nor did she feel it for two days after that. Nor did our family doctor feel it at Hannah's one-week appointment. Still, at the recommendation from the first day's pediatrician, we followed up with a pediatric orthopedic doctor. I thought nothing of it. I had been told that some newborns' hips can seem "clicky" but typically stabilize quickly and it was probably nothing to worry about. 

Boy was I wrong. Hannah was 11 days old when we went to have the pediatric orthopedist double check her hips. We left that appointment knowing that both of her hips were dislocated. The diagnosis was bilateral developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), and Hannah was strapped into a Pavlik harness to be worn 24/7 for the next week. No taking it off. Not for baths, not for diapers. Not for cuddles or breastfeeding. No. Taking. It. Off. This is the photo I managed to take in that moment, to remind us of what it looked like if for some reason the straps got messed up. 

From the second they put the body harness on my tiny newborn daughter, I morphed into a bawling postpartum hormonal wreck. I spent the better part of that next couple days crying into her soft brown hair and finding the places through the harness that I could touch her sweet little body, not velcro or elastic. I grieved that my soft, squishy, cuddly baby was strapped into this contraption that made her stiff and awkward. We had to put away her newborn clothes and find things that would fit. We had to diaper her under the straps, and they chafed her delicate skin. Despite the situation, she was pretty much fine. She was a bit fussy, and had a hard time sleeping that first night, but for the most part she dealt with it like a champ all week. And was still the most beautiful, precious thing under the sun. 

I counted the minutes until the next week's appointment. That day we would be allowed to take the harness off ourselves in the morning, cuddle and bathe her at home, and then go back to the doctor to have it re-adjusted and re-applied for another week. I woke up and literally hopped out of bed for the first time since having my c-section. We got the camera out, and made great fanfare of running her a bath and stripping the harness off for cuddles and pictures. Except something wasn't right. Curtis noticed it before I did.

"Why isn't she moving her right leg?"

We figured she was just stiff from the harness. But despite tickling and stretching, she would not kick her right leg out. A frantic call to the doctor, and they worked us in early. To make a long story short, the doctor we were with called this turn of events "unexpected" and the concern in her voice was clear. To rule out an infection and subsequent paralysis of the hip, the next two hours were spent in an ultrasound that was clearly painful for Hannah, and then two failed attempts at a venous blood draw to check for bacteria in the bloodstream. They couldn't get one of her tiny veins to give them blood, and settled for a heel stick to check her blood count. We were shell-shocked from holding our newborn down for all the poking and prodding. That was the day I learned her pain cry. The doctor finally called her superior, who diagnosed it immediately as a femoral nerve palsy, a temporary paralysis of the femoral nerve that was a rare, but known complication of the Pavlik harness. We were on our way to a second opinion by noon the next day. 

Our new doctor was familiar with the femoral nerve palsy, and guaranteed us that her leg would recover. We got a new brace, the "rhino cruiser," and new information from a new ultrasound. Hannah's hips weren't just dislocated. They were shallow. Very shallow. We were told that without treatment, Hannah would likely need a hip replacement by the time she was in high school. She wasn't in any pain now, but that would change as her body grew and bones solidified into immature hip sockets. Our saving grace was the pediatrician who caught her condition on day 1. She was so tiny, and her little hips so full of cartilage, that we stood an excellent chance of giving her healthy hips with the appropriate treatment. Eventually, she'd ski, she'd hike, she'd dance - without pain. 

Her leg did recover. It took about two weeks. Her new Rhino brace - shown below, and affectionately deemed her "bucket" by her Paw-Paw - was less awkward than the pavlik harness, and we were able to take it off for diaper changes and baths. She learned to rock and roll and play over the next couple months. It put her left hip on the road to recovery, and I'm so pleased to report that her left hip likely won't need additional interventions!

Her right hip - well, that's another story. When she had the femoral nerve palsy in the right leg, my research turned up a paper that concluded babies that developed femoral nerve palsies were less likely to get healthy hips from bracing alone. That proved to be the case with Hannah. At six months she had a successful closed reduction of her right hip under general anesthesia (which, for me - was the most terrifying part of the whole thing). Between the ages of 6 months and 9 months old, she was in a spica cast - a plaster cast that went from her chest to her ankles, with a hole for the diaper. It was an enormously trying time, and required us to basically change everything we were doing from playtime to diaper changing to sleeping and dressing. But with some amazing support from friends - old friends at home, and new friends on the DDH Facebook groups - we got through it. The spica came off right before Christmas - and it worked to stabilize that right hip! The doctor could no longer maneuver it out of socket. A HUGE step forward for my baby girl! 

And through all of this, Hannah has shown us the very definition of tolerance, patience, and bravery. It was always me crying... never her. She smiled at the nurses, smiled at the doctors, and carried on in her chill, merry way through the whole ordeal. She's amazing - after a few tense moments, the child even SMILED through her cast removal! And now - she's mobile! She crawled just a month after the cast was off, and now four months later is trying her darndest to walk! 

Unfortunately Hannah isn't out of the woods yet. Her right hip is still super shallow and hasn't developed quite the way it should. We're hopeful that once she begins walking, the pressure on the hip socket will function to speed its development along. It's very possible that will be the case! If not... well... we're not going there just yet. We're praying hard that our little hippie girl turns a corner. We are forever grateful to her team at Rocky Mountain Pediatric Orthopedics for taking such wonderful care of Hannah through all of this. Dr. Benson, Dr. Riley, Nancy the ultrasound queen/baby whisperer, the PAs, assistants, nurses at the surgery center at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children in Denver .. thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  

And to the moms (and dads!) who find this blog entry... I feel your fear, and offer you hope. There is a light at the end of the DDH tunnel even though that tunnel is very, very long for some of us. I pasted some additional photos below to show some of the adaptations we employed - bean bag, Ergo (which she LOVED while in the spica), spica chair, dog beds, wedge pillow for sleeping, leg warmers, BabyHomeEat high chair, what tummy time looked like... ending with the cast-off day, a photo of Hannah just days after her cast removal, and a recent picture of our mobile girl. Please feel free to leave a comment or a question and I'll get back to you and share everything I know. 

And while Curtis and I feel like we've been through a lot with Hannah's hip issues, we know our experience doesn't hold a candle to the moms and dads out there who deal with life-threatening situations with their babies. We send light, love and prayers to all of you. 

XO

Tara

One of the questions I get most often before a family session is "what do we wear?" This mama is one of the most stylish ladies I know, and coordinated their outfits to perfection. This is a great example of family outfits that "go" in terms of color and pattern, but aren't too matchy. She even convinced Dad to carry their sapphire geometric-print west elm armchair into the woods for a couple shots, providing the perfect special touch to this session. I can't wait to work with them again!!

My photography has also taken on a whole new depth of meaning. I feel so much more privileged to capture a family's precious moments, especially in those fleeting first few days and months. I know how fast it goes. I woke up last week with a smiling, cooing, kicking baby - the tiny, precious newborn days are just a memory already. I have new fire in my belly for newborn and maternity sessions. I want to shoot birth photography. All fueled by that wondrous experience of becoming a mother. 

So with the new blog, a new start. In addition to regularly sharing client photo sessions, I'm looking forward to sharing my personal experiences as a new mother - the good, the bad, and the downright challenging - through my personal work. I'm looking to connect with my clients in a deeper way, and give more back to whomever stumbles upon this blog.  

And so I introduce you to my new little muse... Miss Hannah. Hannah arrived in March, 8 days late, and a full pound over the doctor's pre-labor estimate. She is full of personality and has the fluffiest head of wild hair I've ever seen. She is an answer to prayer, and the light of our lives. 

As my business evolved, I felt pressure to produce the type of bright, clean, crisp photographs that I felt were more marketable, and would drive more business in today's digital market. It didn't happen purposefully - my editing style just sort of leaned that way, and continued to lean that way until I started to feel a little lost as an artist. Going back to shooting film occasionally, and going back to shooting wide-open apertures has helped me rediscover what inspires me about photography in the first place - sort of a wabi-sabi style, perfection in the imperfect, and a reflection of real life. I like a little off-focus sometimes, a little blur. I like grain, and creamy bokeh. I like moodier palates. I feel like the look of the Kodak Portra films lend an emotional heft to my photography, and bring me a bit back to earth. They have truly put me back on a path to re-discovering who I am as a lifestyle and portrait photographer, and I'm in the process of reflecting that in my business. 

And so I give you my first shoot of the new blog, shot digitally and edited with VSCO film emulations. 

Appropriately, my first shoot back from maternity leave was a maternity shoot. I feel very lucky to have worked with this family for over two years now. You may remember this big-brother-to-be as the "baby in the guitar case" from the old blog. He loves his baby sister already, as evidenced at this maternity/mommy-and-me shoot! His mama is one of the loveliest people I've had the pleasure to work with. She introduced me to a wonderful online community of moms that supported me throughout my pregnancy and Hannah's first days, and I'm glad she's become a friend. I can't wait to hear that life's become a little sweeter for them with the arrival of their baby girl... any day now.