Hello

It’s happened more than once. I forget the poo bags while walking the dog. Art and I are strolling along, having a great conversation - and Odin hangs back to take care of his business. It’s the same reaction every time it happens: I pat my pockets down, get that frantic look on my face, and exclaim,

“Oh no! I forgot the poo bags!”

It’s not in our list of acceptable options to abandon a pile of poop in our neighborhood, so my only choice is to start running home while Art waits in place to keep track of where we left it.

Why am I the one to do the running?

You see, when we adopted Odin, Art wasn’t exactly interested in getting a dog. We had recently said goodbye to our dog Heidi, and Art didn’t really want to take the plunge with a new relationship yet. We were living in limbo - missing the dog life, but waiting for the whole family to be ready. One day, I planned to take the kids to visit with some dogs at a shelter and come back home. We'd done it before and successfully left the dogs where they were, so it seemed like a fine plan. As we headed out to the car, Art said to me, “If you find the perfect dog, you can bring it home.”

Well, if you’ve ever met Odin, you might understand why he is, indeed, the perfect dog. So even though we weren’t entirely sure Art actually meant what he said, Odin came home with us that day.

In an effort to soften the blow to Art (what if he didn’t think Odin was perfect like we did?), I told him that I would happily be the one who picks up the poop. 

So, it’s my job. 

And when the time comes that I realize I forgot the poo bags… well… I start running back to get them.

Whether home is 20 feet away or 10 long blocks, it’s not fun to be caught unprepared. What starts out as a simple walk around the block suddenly turns into a stressful and slightly embarrassing ordeal. 

These days, when we head out to walk the dog, Art has made it his routine to ask, “Do you have the poo bags?” Sometimes it annoys me, but I know it’s actually helpful - because sometimes I’m not prepared and I don’t, in fact, have the poo bags.

It's not really about the poo bags, though. It's about how different things feel when you show up prepared. 

I think a lot of people worry about being photographed as if they're expected to somehow just... be ready. And inside, they're thinking, "Wait, what do I bring? How can I be my most photogenic self? Will I look ok? ...what if I forget something??"

That's why we never ask you to figure it out on your own. We schedule time to walk through the details - what you'll wear, how you want to feel, what the vision is for the finished work, and what matters most to you. We also love including hair & makeup styling in your session because when you arrive, you're not ushered right in front of the camera. Instead, you can ease into it, taking time to breathe and relax while our hair & makeup artist makes you look and feel amazing. You deserve to feel prepared so you can enjoy the experience.

If you’ve been thinking about doing something special for Mother’s Day, a styled portrait session might be just the thing. We offer a limited number of sessions each month, so it’s never too early to get on our schedule. Reply to this email or fill out this form to schedule your session.

Let's do this! 

Lara Grauer

Studio Owner & Photographer

Lara Grauer Photography

206-724-2177