I hope everyone is staying at home and healthy. There’s a large group of people who are irritated they have to stay in, but I can tell you from personal experience that all of these precautions are there for a reason. Please try to stay calm and look for the goodness in your time at home. For some, this is the only vacation they’ll ever get. For others, this is a keen time to spend with your family working on your dynamic together; a return to more wholesome values or a family reset.
In honor of full transparency, I’m pretty sure I had it, although they wouldn’t test me because I hadn’t traveled and didn’t need a ventilator. I woke up on March 9th with a racing and irregular heartbeat, light-headedness, dizziness and symptoms of a heart attack; it was a week before I turned 39 and according to medical professionals, I was at low/no risk of a heart attack so they were stumped as to why I had these symptoms but I still felt as if my blood was “sticky” or thicker than usual. I was asked the qualifying questions by every doctor and medical professional I met at the hospital (which was every few minutes it seemed), so I could tell they were considering it as a diagnosis, but they never actually tested me beyond a chest x-ray. This was the first time I’d ever experienced anything like it, and when my heart would race, my blood pressure would bottom out, my anxiety would peak and I’d have trouble catching my breath – like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I had an occasional dry cough, but I was pretty sure that was just because I hadn’t been taking allergy medication and the cedar pollens were high (no fever or other cold symptoms). They kept me for a day for observation then released me home with orders to take a baby aspirin in the mornings and follow up with my primary care the next day. It felt like I had been sent home to die. I couldn’t walk from one room to the next in my house without having to stop to catch my breath. I spent a good week sitting very still so I didn’t need to use more oxygen than my body was capable of absorbing. It was beyond frustrating to be relegated to the couch while I watched the world gear up and prepare for the lockdown; I was helpless to do anything about it. I ended up wearing a heart halter monitor for 48 hours about a week later; waking up on my birthday was glorious because it was the day I was allowed to take the monitor off! My symptoms lasted about 2 weeks altogether and I’ve been getting better every day since. I haven’t had any symptoms since March 22nd. It was a challenge to walk the length of my driveway at first, but now, a month out, I am able to walk, dance, jog and ride a bike for short distances. Life is returning to normal as my body continues to heal and I am thankful for every moment because there were many times during this frightening period where I honestly didn’t know if I would wake again in the morning. I hope to never repeat that experience and pray it doesn’t come to affect your family.
The good news in all of this is that they clear people a few days after their symptoms have stopped. For me, it’s been over a month, so there are no worries here. I am thankful to have built some antibodies to this horrible virus because when all is said and done, I plan to return to working in the hospitals with newborns, as I did before (I am the Tulsa Area Manager for Bella Baby Photography – newborn photographers at St. Francis Hospital & St. Francis Hospital South).
In the spirit of healing activities and finding joy in the moment, we’ve spent some time working around the house. Due to the egg shortage, we decided to raise chickens. My husband has been building a coop out back all week while I tend to our tiny flock indoors because they’re still so small, delicate, and entirely too cute! When I am not tending my chickens, I am out working in our garden, planting, watering, and weeding. Our garden will be tripling in size this year because we aren’t the type to take food insecurity lightly. When the weather is bad, I am indoors baking and tending to my sourdough starter, friendship dough starter, and kombucha, or making some lacto-fermented veggies or canning some jam.
After my illness, I took to my sewing machine to hammer out countless masks that were donated to families and nurses around Tulsa and beyond. I lead a small group for my church and our specialty is crafting, so for those of us who knew how to sew, we jumped right in. For those who didn’t, I help a FaceTime sewing class. In all, the six of us made almost 400 masks in 3 weeks! I am currently still making masks for my Etsy Shop (Masked Crusader) and for sale/use in my husband’s salon.
Right now, the safety of my family and that of my clients is my utmost concern. I’ve had ample time to think about how to proceed in all of this and although photographers were considered essential in Oklahoma, I took some time off to re-think my direction and make sure that I could move forward in a manner that was safe for those who work with me, around me and especially my clients.
- At this time, I am not shooting in the studio, but I am taking location shoots and in-home shoots. Porch portraits are a really popular request right now.
- I can travel with my portable studio setup if you need headshots in your home or at your office.
- Each session begins with sanitized equipment, gloves when hand sanitizer and/soap water are not available, wearing of face masks, and directing my clients into poses without touching them.
- Strict sanitation is followed for all sessions, especially newborn sessions. Since I manage a team of photographers who work in the hospital, I am keenly aware of proper sanitation protocols. All fabrics and props are sanitized/washed between sessions but at this time, I strongly recommend the use of your own props to be doubly sure.
- Until social distancing is eased, we also want to make sure that we do not have more people at a session than is absolutely required. For families, only the people being photographed should be present. For minors, one adult should be present to supervise.
- For real estate sessions, I prefer to have nobody there to ensure people aren’t caught in the background of a shot, however, the homeowner or agent may be present if they choose.
- Senior sessions can still be done at the location of your choice. I think this is an excellent time to include a shot with a mask because it is representative of these history-making times.
- Weddings are allowed, per the Governor, as of May 15th in the state of Oklahoma. I photograph all kinds of weddings, but I am careful not to take on too many because I believe in delivering a certain level of service that larger volume based studios can’t deliver. Small weddings are my jam and I believe it will be the trend moving forward with social distancing. I tend to work alone but can bring a team if needed. If you’re planning a wedding and need to get a photographer booked, please contact me. #microweddings
I have to admit that the biggest challenge of wearing a face mask for me is toddler sessions. Babies rely on seeing my facial expression for reactions and with half my face covered, it is a challenge to interact the way I normally would. That is why, at this time, parents are instrumental in milestone sessions. I recommend having snacks, toys, and someone who they love being animated behind me so that the session can proceed with minimal challenges.
My husband, sensing that I needed a creative project to get me back into the swing of things, recommended a new creative family portrait. My son’s hair was so long that we decided to go with a Star Wars themed family portrait. The final movie poster image isn’t yet complete because my husband is working on the wording, but here are a few fun shots I took of the kids while we were there. By the way, the entire session took place in my storage unit! #painterlyportraits
I am also considering adding a few new items to my lineup and I am super excited to share them with you but a few more details need to be worked out. I’ve had lots of time for reflection and planning, so stay tuned for announcements as they’re rolled out.
Thank you for your support now and in the past. I look forward to moving forward with all of you. Please feel free to ask me any questions or concerns you might have about sessions.