Shayla, she was born March 11, 2013 unfortunately with an extremely rare disease called Osteopetrosis, in which her bones are extremely solid. This disease causes normal bone growth to be delayed; stunted growth, deformity, her likelihood for fractures increases, and makes her more prompt to anemia and infections. In order for this disease to be cured she would need a bone marrow transplant but prior to that she would have to under go two cycles of chemotherapy for her immune system to be low for the bone marrow to be a success.
She also had a condition of hydrocephalus due to the Osteopetrosis, which cause her brain to fill with fluid and a shunt had to be inserted in her brain. This part of the disease can affect her vision or audio. Unfortunately, it affected her vision causing her nystagmus (involuntary movement of eyes) and strabismus (misalignment of her eyes).
Just about the time her first birthday came around, she had her first round of chemotherapy in March 2014, unfortunately they didn't get a chance to celebrate it! It wasn't until after her bone marrow transplant that she began sitting better on her own & crawling. She is now doing wonderful. She still has some vision problems, slowly but surely it is getting better each day. Now that she's coming up on her 2nd birthday, it will be a big celebration, not just that she is turning 2, but for all the accomplishments she has surpassed on her journey so far! Doctors are optomistic & suspect that her development should be caught up by the time she is 5 year old.
Shayla just loves music, she wiggles & dances along with such a contagious spirit. She is a special little warrior who just required a little extra attention when it came to getting her photos done, so with the help of mom & cousins, I think we did a great job at capturing her shinning personality. She is an inspiration & sign of hope for many who may be facing a similar situation. Loving the attention she gets from her family & friends, she is always such a sweet & loving child, a true beauty in every way! Happy Birthday Shayla!
As always, feel free to comment & share with the social media links above :)
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After hearing & seeing some interesting debates on amateur vs pro photographers I thought I would start a few blog posts to chime in on this discussion going on in the photography world. To start off let's talk how it all started for me...
A career in photography... It all started out as a hobby for me, for my own children & family, because I needed something to do; not to make money. So I like many others out there started a Facebook page for only my photography & titled it "Hobby Photography & More" (the "& More" because at the time I was even making diaper cakes & photo collages) Clients then started to come to me asking for photos of their own children after seeing photos of my children & family/friend's on Facebook.
I only owned a Canon Rebel XSI (Not a pro DSLR camera!), I starting taking online and in person classes & workshops. It took me years to build up the professional gear, backdrops, equipment, props & experience I have today!
My first sets of mini sessions were free! My first few newborns were family & friends at no charge! My first few events (which I no longer do because I found out it wasn't for me & there were other areas of photography I enjoyed more) were all done at no charge! Then I started working for exchange of new children clothes, props, etc. "working" for in person & online businesses who needed photos of their merchandise, but at the same time it was still practice & portfolio building for myself! I tortured my own children for years practicing on them, which is now probably why they rarely let me take photos of them!! Those were all portfolio building & self awareness experiences! WHICH EVERYONE JUST STARTING OUT NEEDS!
Hence why "Hobby Photography & More" became Sarah Dipity Photography- Serendipity (noun) a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; a fortunate mistake. Specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it.
Incase you didn't already know, I am a registered business & fully insured in the state of NJ! <--This is extremely important!
You must not just invest your time & money into your business, but you must also invest your heart & soul for it to be successful for years to come! Four years in & I am still doing all of that & more... This is now a career for me, my job, my business...between being a part time registered dental hygienist (which I also put my heart into) & owning my own photography business I support my family of 4 (plus our cat Charlie)!
Check back soon for updates & next blog post...it just may contain some helpful information for those trying to break into the photography world themselves or those looking to hire professional photographers in the future!
Hope you've enjoyed my first blog post of 2015! As always, feel free to comment & share!
-Sarah
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]]>Today I photographed my 52nd newborn (50 sessions including 2 sets of twins to total 52) today!
I thank each & everyone of you for your contented support of the last year & some even longer! 2014 welcomes the all new Sarah Dipity Photography in full swing! I can't wait to see what this year has in store!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
-Sarah
