Portrait Expressions by Tammy Councilman | Greensboro, NC

Where There's Grace, There's Hope

Published October 14th, 2010 by Tammy councilman
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Newborn sessions are my favorite sessions. I’ve had the privilege of photographing lots of beautiful babies in my career, and little ‘L’ was no exception. From her gorgeous head of hair to her perfect skin and sweet little face, she takes your breath away. But there’s something extra special about ‘L.’ She’s the little sister of an angel in heaven. Fifteen months ago I photographed her big sister “M” who was born with a disease that was non-compatible with life. Her parents knew ahead of time and they celebrated their time with ‘M’ by doing all the things you normally do when you’re expecting a baby. They bought special clothes for her, picked out a special stuffed animal, read books to mom’s belly, and invited me to shoot their maternity session to capture all of it. On the day ‘M’ was born I was there, documenting her birth and the two and a half minutes she lived before she grew her wings. The time I spent with her family that morning shooting all of her firsts was heart wrenching and beautiful. Her parents gave her the middle name, Grace.

When mom told me she was expecting again and it was a little girl I was over the moon for them! Little ‘M’ would be a big sister and my heart was filled with so much anticipation and hope for this family. You can imagine how exciting it was for me the first time I met little ‘L’ and held her in my arms the same way I’d held her sister and photographed her a little over a year ago. It was bittersweet and awe inspiring at the same time. Little ‘L’ looks just like her sister! I must have said it over and over again our whole session and when I walked into her nursery and saw the beautiful wall display with ‘M’s outfit she wore the day she was born, and the books mom read to her, and the photographs I had taken that mom and dad had so carefully and proudly displayed I was moved in such a way words can’t even really describe. Nine months of hoping and praying, a year and a half of missing and longing, their journey as sisters had come full circle. It seemed so perfect why little ‘L’s parents gave her the middle name, Hope. And so from now to eternity where there’s Grace, there’s Hope.

Where There's Grace, There's Hope

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