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One year ago today, my dear friend Ana called me and asked me to please come to the hospital.  I’d been expecting this call, and I went as quickly as I could.  I wanted to comfort my friend, I wanted to cry and scream, I wanted to do the best possible job.  I was on my way to the most important photography session I’ve ever done.

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Eight months earlier, Ana and Matt had become parents for the second time, this time to a happy baby girl they named Clara.  It was soon discovered that Clara had Biliary Atresia, which mainly affects the liver.  It wasn’t long before she had her first surgery.  When she was three months old, I got to take pictures of her and her beautiful family.

Through it all, she remained one of the happiest babies I’ve had the pleasure to know.  It soon became obvious that teeny tiny little Clara would need a liver transplant.  A donor was found, but Clara needed to get her weight up.  Sounds easy enough, but with her medical issues, she wasn’t able to process the nutrients in her food.  We all kept waiting and waiting for the word that Clara had gained enough weight for the operation, but instead, her weight stayed the same.  She stopped breastfeeding because of all the hospital stays.  Her story moved the hearts of dozens of nursing moms who pumped their milk and delivered it to Ana and Matt so they could give their baby the food she digested best.  When that ran out, they put her on very expensive specialty formula, which wasn’t fully covered by their insurance.  In fact, much of her care was not covered, and before Clara was six months old, Ana and Matt had to move because they were losing their home.  Not that they spent much time at home anyhow.  Ana spent most nights at the hospital with Clara, while Matt spent nights at home with Liam, who was 2 years old, and then Matt dropped Liam off at the hospital with Ana and Clara when he went to work in the mornings.  The logistics of all this were hard, but not nearly as hard as watching your child’s health deteriorate.

As they prepared for Clara’s operation, some of Ana’s and Matt’s friends organized a fundraising event.  This money was to help them pay for the debt being piled up on their shoulders, and to help pay for her operation.  But before the fundraiser ever happened, Clara’s doctors delivered a gut-wrenching blow – Clara would not be able to have the operation.  The fundraiser went ahead, and raised a large amount of money, but everyone knew that this money would never help Clara.

Every time she went back in the hospital, we all wondered if this was “it.”

When Ana finally asked me to bring my camera to the hospital… it was hard.  I had to shove my emotions aside to focus.  I was honored to be allowed into such a raw and precious moment in their lives, and I wanted to make sure I gave them the very best that I could.  I am forever humbled that I was one of the last people to be in the presence of this sweet, sweet baby girl.  I am moved to tears by these images.  Her mom and dad, the expressions on their faces – I have no words.

See her teeth?  She had more on the way.  Even as her body was failing her, it was still trying to grow.  This blows my mind.

She’s not sleeping in any of these images.  She’s so swollen that she could barely open her eyes.
We took out all of her tubes for a few minutes.

Her skin is yellow because of her failing liver.

Poor sweet Liam.  He knew something was going on.  And he wanted to cuddle his little sister,
but even his most gentle hugs would hurt her.  So he just petted her.  Heartbreakingly sweet.

Oh, Ana.  I cannot look into your eyes without sobbing.  How can you survive such pain?

Clara uses the last of her energy to open her eyes and look at her daddy.

I left their room around 4:30pm.  There was a large group of nurses gathered outside Clara’s room.  I guess they knew.
Ana hugged me and said that she was ready for Clara’s pain to end.  Matt’s expression was heartbreaking.

Clara breathed her last breath, in her parents arms, at 8:20pm.

She lived for 8 months and 4 days.

Clara Elizabeth Nicholson,
you will never be forgotten.
We love you.

She’s a knockout, right?  I was so happy to be able to take her senior pictures out in the SNOW!  How fun is that?  It was her idea, too – you gotta love that.  So, we were cold, our feet were wet, my hands were frozen, but it was all worth it.

I love the snow falling around her in the last image.  So great.  Thanks for being such a trooper in the cold, babe!  I’m so happy with the images we got.  I can’t wait for our next session, this time when it’s warm!

Seniors: I’d love to do some more senior sessions.  So give me a call!  Send an email!  Let’s talk.  Especially if you have something interesting in mind – we’ll see if we can make it work.

And how adorable are these two?

I had a great time photographing your family.  Thanks for coming to the studio, and I can’t wait to work with you again.

By the way, this family is a great example of what to wear.  Everyone is coordinated, but not matching perfectly.  These images will look great in a collection on the wall.  In my mind, I see it looking something like this:

That’s a 20-24 in the middle, and 4 8×10′s on the outside, framed and matted.  I have many other display ideas!  It’s so nice to see what these groupings will look like on an actual wall, isn’t it?

Halloween portraits

I know, last minute notice, right?  But if you’ve got the costumes ready by the 17th, drop on in the studio space between 9am and 12pm for a quick mini-session.  You have to have pictures of your sweet fairy princess or wise wizard or ferocious dinosaur!  They are SO excited and proud to be dressed up, aren’t they?

When: Sunday, October 17th 2010, from 9am until 12pm.
Where:  Adonai Arts Center in Bayview.  2400 S. Logan Ave, Milwaukee
Who: Anyone in a costume

Here’s how it works:

I’ll be in the studio with a very simple backdrop (as shown off above by Noah and his rad tornado disguise).  We want your kid and their costume to be the focus of the image, so we are doing without busy backdrops and cluttered props.  The amount of time per session will vary depending on the child, but expect it to take about 15 minutes.  One package must be purchased for each child, or for each group of children.  For example, if you have two children and wanted pictures of each of them individually and also some together, that would require purchasing three packages.  Adults are welcome, too, but they must be in costume, with a maximum of three people per session.  Each package is of one pose only, except Package 1.

I will select the best image(s) to have printed or put on a disc, according to the package you choose.  Payment must be made before the session begins.  I can only accept cash or check on location.  If you would like to pre-pay with a credit card through paypal, please contact me before Friday, October 15th, to make arrangements. The images I select will be processed and in the mail to you by Tuesday, October 26th, 2010.

Little ones should be able to sit on their own or be held by an older sibling.  Please call to schedule your time!  Drop-ins will be squeezed in where possible, but if you make an appointment you know you won’t have to wait.  Since we are starting so early in the morning, I’m offering a free 5×7 (with purchase) to those who schedule for times before 10am.

Packages - I know you skimmed down to here.  Just make sure you go back up and read the other stuff, too.  :)  Package prices include $50 session fee.

Package 1 – digital  $140 ($290 value)
2 full-size digital images on disk, with print and use release (two poses)
2 web-size watermarked images for use on blogs, facebook, etc.
2 reference 5×7′s, one of each pose
8 wallets

Package 2 – half digital $90 ($190value)
1 full-size digital image on disk, with print and use release
1 web-size watermarked image for use on blogs, facebook, etc.
1 5×7, same pose
8 wallets, same pose

Package 3 – prints $100 ($230 value)
4 5×7′s, same pose
16 wallets, same pose

Any packages may be combined, with a 10% discount off the total.  A la carte items can be purchased at 10% off the regular price – pricing information can be found on my site: Lisa Desmond Photography.  A full price list will be available on location.  Do not expect to see these package prices again – they are special for our very first Halloween mini-sessions.  A portion of the proceeds will go to Adonai Arts Center.

Questions?  Leave a comment, email, or give me a call, and don’t forget to let me know the ages and number of people in your group!  262-627-9054.

Aren’t they beautiful?  And look at this location:

The colors are so lovely, I can barely stand it.

And then we got in the river.  S had seen another image I’d done in the river and wanted something similar, but the water was much higher and we couldn’t do it, so we did things a bit differently.  I think there’s something sort of majestic about this.

It was not easy to get out there, and I cannot tell you what great sports these guys were about this.  And the next one – don’t you sort of want to be her best friend?  She looks so happy in a beautiful, peaceful sort of way.  I imagine this is how we all feel when we are pregnant, and you can see it radiating from her.

Thanks, guys.  I really had a blast, and I can’t wait to hear about your beautiful birth!

PS- 25 comments gets them a free 5×7.  Leave some love!

Milwaukee maternity portrait

….more later.  :)

This past weekend, the kiddo and I went to the Pirate Festival.  It was a lovely day – just the perfect temperature, even if it rained a little.  We got there juuuuuust in time to see the parade (short, but worth it), and then walked around a bit to see the tall ship, the mermaid, the vendors, and…the water.  But my girl got some “treasure” from the pirates at the parade, and she was so happy about it, she forgot that she hates my camera this year.

Later, she remembered again.  :P   That’s okay…  look at that sky!  Amazing.

So that was our weekend – what did you do?  And what’s happening next weekend?

This shoot was so much fun.

SUCH fun.  I learned a lot, too.  Can’t wait until next year’s!