I’ve done these types of sessions in the past, though I never knew what to call them. The industry calls them “End of Life” sessions. With help from my friends in the veterinary field, I’ve decided to call them what they REALLY are. Celebration of Life Sessions are for any senior or terminally ill family member.
Why should you book a Celebration of Life Session for your aging companion? While I will do my absolute best to prioritize scheduling terminally ill pets, it’s always better to plan ahead. We simply cannot predict the future. There is no better example than my friend Britt, and her aging babies Clyde and Reese.
On October 8th, Britt invited me to the barn to photograph Clyde and Reese. The focus was on Clyde, as he had been slowing down as of late. Reese is always along for a barn trip, so we decided to photograph her as well.
The session was everything we had hoped it would be. Gorgeous images of Clyde and Reese. The bond between Britt and her babies. It wasn’t forced. It was just another day at the barn. Of course I did some posing, but what I like to capture the most is what’s REAL. We let Clyde be a horse, and we let Reese be a dog. She played fetch like she was a puppy. You would never know she was a senior.
6 weeks after the session, Britt had the scare of her life. “Reese was doing her Labrador “lar par” cough/hacks a little more frequently. She got worse overnight. Yesterday she was hospitalized and on oxygen. We took several X-rays and they went off to the radiologist for STAT review. Pneumonia. Possible nodule on her spleen… coincidental finding that we will definitely look into more as she gets better from pneumonia.”
Those images we got of Reese may end up being some of the last. And you know what? They convey her happiness in her element. We captured the bond that Reese and Britt share. THAT is why these types of sessions are so important.
It’s 10 days after diagnosis, and Reese is breathing much better, but she is not out of the woods. Britt still needs to find out what is going on with her spleen. We hope it is benign. But even if we find out that it is not, I will forever cherish that I was able to freeze a moment in time where they were undeniably happy.
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