Fall Mini Sessions | 2020 Highlights

Warning! Long, sad, sappy, but maybe a little happy, appreciation post ahead!

As many of you know, this Fall was pretty hellish for me and my family. My Dad passed away September 19, 2020 after a relatively brief rendezvous with cancer. Over the summer, we all noticed he wasn’t 100%, though, in a matter of weeks, he went from seeing a doctor for headaches and difficulty breathing to a lung cancer diagnosis that had spread e v e r y w h e r e.

It would seem the old adage is true; when one area of your life is at an all time low, other areas reach new highs. While my mind was with my Dad, my family, memories of the past, and wondering what our future would look like without him, my business was taking care of itself. Never did I worry about my schedule or having to promote myself to fill in slow weeks. A year ago I signed on as an Associate Photographer for Alyssa Christine Photography, filling my weekends with weddings, and, during the week, my Tin Star Moments (aka Sarah Hillen Photography) family took care of me. This “work family” are my yearly regulars, my hype people on social media, my clients turned friends. In a time when I felt so lousy personally, professionally I felt good. I found the sweet spot... Feeling successful in doing what I love without the overwhelming pressure to strive for more.

Now, here we are, six months later, my 2021 calendar nearly booked, with time reserved to spend with friends and family and space to deal with the grief that still finds me.

To my dear friends, thank you for the constant support you’ve shown me over the years. I’m grateful more than words can describe and I wholeheartedly look forward to continuing capturing your beautiful faces!