The other half of the womb-mate.
August 3rd was the date. Michelle Tweedy brought in her second daughter, and third child overall for me to photograph in the past four years. And as it's already been chronicled, however, THIS time... we had TWINS to be photographed.
And while most that reside on the side of Team Twins have always agreed that we do separate sessions on separate days, this time it was a little different.
Down through the years I can recall the Lewis' (Ashley & April), the Fishers (Jamie & Nicole), the Stonewalls (Madison & Morgan) that were photographed within a day or two of each other. I'm probably forgetting a set or two somewhere in the last 21 years... but other than the Joneses (Caitlin & Jake... who were photographed a YEAR apart)... most have stayed within an arm's length of each other when it came time to do their senior sessions.
Not the deal with the Tweedy Sisters, however.
And as the case has been with all those who have been #twinning with me in the past, I feel even a greater sense of urgency to make SURE that their images are completely unique and that each subject feels special on THEIR day.
So while Bethany batted second in the Tweedy line up this year... and fourth overall in the families history... I made it my mission to ensure that our daily double were original in their own ways.
The biggest help in this endeavor may have come from the fact that the twins did NOT want to be photographed within the same relative time frame.
Not the same day... not the next week... not the next MONTH.
Try on the next SEASON for size.
Hannah was in the heat of the summer (well... okay... as far as summer heat went this last year, anyway... hey... it was early August... it's usually a scorcher!). Bethany, on the other hand, was all about having her images done in the fall.
Add in the fact that one was a morning session, and the other was an afternoon... and I have to say the girls set me up for success in my makeshift mission for minimizing overlap.
I revisited the spots and backgrounds we employed on session one... and did my best to completely avoid them on session two.
Nevertheless, it was wonderful seeing Team Tweedy back for more. Not surprisingly, Bethany had done her homework herself, and had several ideas of her own that she wanted to try to execute. A several page printout was presented to her photographer and if there was ONE thing that was a reoccurring theme on probably seventy-five percent of the images she showed me... it was the presence of something everyone associates with fall...
Leaves.
The unfortunate part was that for much of the area two weeks ago on October 7... most of the leaves had NOT changed colors yet. Furthermore... those that HAD... were at the mercy of another overriding theme we had on that Tuesday...
Wind!
Any leaves that had fallen were power scrubbed out of yards everywhere we looked. A 20 to 30 mile per hour force was not only a challenge that we had to battle all day with Bethany's fine shoulder length hair... but it almost foiled any opportunity for us to find a trademark spot full of golden fall leaves.
Almost, I said.
While I spent the majority of the first part of the session apologizing for not being able to control the climate and conditions, we were driving through a residential area in Tama on our way to get some urban looks.... and suddenly... choirs of angels sang....
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!"
(that was my heavenly hosts singing intermission... work with me)
Just off 5th street in Tama there was one yard... one little area, where a TON of leaves had all settled. Naturally I felt like they had Bethany's name all over them and so we pulled over... hopped out... and took full advantage. Bethany struggled a bit while the high and bright sky as I had her laying in the leaves for the first image in this blog... it was such a struggle that she was tearing up considerably. Or was she just crying tears of joy? I'll let you be the judge...
Whichever it was... I felt a huge sense of relief that we tracked down this elusive leafy area!
Sure we mixed in our urban areas, too.... and we worked in an old manual Remington typewriter (which weighed a ton... think ANVIL heavy, actually) to symbolize her passion for writing and yes... for those of you wondering... we did work in Hannah for a few... just like Bethany took part in Hannah's session back in the summer.
In the end, I feel like our mission for must-have-uniqueness was completed. While any photographer worth their salt always strives for this regardless of whether the next client just happened to be born at the same time on the same delivery table or not, one cannot argue that this situation is certainly different.
Ultimately, I'll have to let the girls be the judge of that, but after four go-arounds with this crew, I have a pretty good feeling that they're gonna agree with my assessment.
Thanks again for trusting me with your images, Hannah and Bethany... just like each one of you... I hope you find them to be as unique as you are.
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