Here is the third entry in my Storytelling Portrait Series this summer/fall! I will be highlighting children and teenagers who live with significant medical conditions, and telling their stories.
The Story
You read about these sisters in the first entries of this series. Here is Bailey, who was born with four heart defects and has undergone multiple surgeries. She is still dressed as a fierce Heart Warrior, proudly showing off her latest scar.
And her sister Brooklyn, who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of just two years old. Brooklyn is wearing her custom Sleeping Beauty costume and the Continuous Glucose Monitor on her arm that helps keep her alive.
The symmetry between this family and my own was remarkable – my younger sister has Type 1 Diabetes, and I have experienced two surgeries to repair heart defects. I knew right away that I wanted to work with them on this project!
Behind the Scenes
I knew I wanted to do an overhead “birds-eye” view of the girls together, but simple grass was not visually striking enough. We ended up using some hostas my landscaper had recently planted, and I just loved the deep chocolate brown of the mulch with the brown fabrics. The green of the leaves was a great visual frame, and I left some autumn leaves for subtle pops of color that called out to the gold accents in the costumes.
Please see the previous posts in this series to learn more about the outfits and props. Hair & makeup are still by Hollie Wilson Streater, and sewing/tailoring by Sarah Henry Suemnig.
We are not done with the amazing family yet! More sister portraits to come.