The Studio Session That Almost Didn’t Happen
I’ve got a story to share with you. It’s a good one…
A maiden in distress (me).
A loving sidekick.
A serious problem.
A hero on a white horse (well, porch).
And a fairytale magical ending.
This past summer I had some studio mini sessions set up at Zurie Studio in Clintonville. The day of the sessions, I went early to set up. Got all of my stuff out of my car, put it all in the studio.
My first friend arrived. I had been looking forward to this particular session for days. Rachel set her stuff inside. Then… we both walked outside to grab something and the locked door closed behind us.
I had no phone, no contact info, nothing to get me back in.
Enter: total panic. What in the heck am I going to do?!?
The studio is in the middle of a neighborhood and it was after business hours for any nearby stores. Out of complete overwhelm I started crying. Full ugly bawling in panic as I realized I had multiple families coming to meet me in succession and I had no idea how to get back in. Rachel, the sweetest human and fellow photographer, just stayed there as my calm, assuring me we would figure it out.
We started walking toward a street with houses and found three people on a porch playing with a baby. I shared my story and asked to borrow a phone. A lovely kind woman handed me hers and let me make multiple calls to my husband, and I eagerly tried to find studio “day of” contact info. I eventually got in to my email, sent a message to the studio, and prayed they’d see it.
By then, my next session arrived. You know I love my clients to the moon and this family didn’t disappoint. They rolled down the window, fully dressed in their matching Christmas pjs (their plan for their mini session) and essentially said “no problem”. One of my favorite dads ever, Bobby, even said “do you need me to bust down the door for you?” They laughed it off, gave me love and encouragement, and said “don’t worry about us, we’ll plan ours another day, we love you, good luck”.
While waiting, Rachel and I took a few photos outside and something beautiful was happening in her taking care of me while I photographed her. It was otherworldly.
Zurie staff were heroes, after a short while making it there before my next session to help me get back in. I was so thankful. They were incredible.
So all of this to say, my session with Rachel was a whirlwind before it even started. Our time was limited, interrupted, and filled with catastrophe. But then, it all settled and we had 20 minutes of quiet studio time. It was a magical experience. With tears still formed in my eyes and her heart wide open, we knew we still wanted to create. Chaos turned to quiet and stillness for just those twenty minutes, and this is what came out of it.
There was reflection. There was journal reading. There was seeing yourself differently. There was leaning on each other. There was just one of those epic moments of magic in life that make it all worth while.
And from now on I’ll prop the door. But who knows, maybe the magic happened only because I let my guard completely down, let myself be rescued, and invited someone else in to that vulnerable place as well.
And we all lived openly ever after.
(Thinking about a session? Start here.)