Believe in fate. But lean forward, so fate can see you. ~ Quentin Crisp We left Ethiopia looking somewhat like these people, but we actually took this shot when we first arrived there. It was a sloppy, fun marker of just how excited we felt to be leaving customs as we headed straight to see our little boy again. We didn't take a photo when we were leaving Ethiopia because we were far too emotional, exhausted and bedraggled to even think of it. We left Africa feeling dee

Unreal to think that Jill is no longer here. We all have so many memories of her, and my most poignant one was actually a phone call - the long, beautiful conversation I had with her after Stuart died. She called to say she was sorry, that she was so sad, and that she was pretty surprised. She said that it didn't seem like someone who could fight that hard could actually pass away. Which is exactly what it felt like this morning, about her - it didn't seem like someone who

Happy Holidays to you and yours! My kids picked out the reindeer suit for our Mugsy. They said he'd love it. But - and I'm just taking a wild shot in the dark here - I'm thinking that maybe he doesn't completely share their enthusiasm. I was so honored and touched by all of the responses to our Good News Post. I linked out to each and every story, video, post and news story. And I teared up about 15 times. GOOD tears, though. Redemp tion-type tears. So, being able to read

What Vegans Eat: A Week of Plant-Based Meals Or: Vegan? Wait, like, nothing from animals?? But what, EXACTLY, do you eat? Recently, I shared a week of vegan meals on my Facebook Page. Since then, I've answered a lot of questions and have been asked by more than a few people if they could reference my posts in an easier way. So I'm pulling all those posts together into one big blog post here. I think times really are changing in the meatless landscape - not just all the recen

Best Gallery Opening EVER. Last week I wrote about my concept for a portrait photography gallery for the Kidane Mehret orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. And I spent two full weeks photographing the approximately 65 children who live in this orphanage with the intention of creating this gallery, feeling a strong desire to create it for a few reasons. First, one of the things I noticed from my experience photographing children in orphanages is that although they may know to

Beautiful Together - New Portrait Project As you may know, I’ve been in Ethiopia for the past week and a half working on renovating a bathroom inside an orphanage for our Beautiful Together non-profit. It has been an amazing experience so far, with our days filled with hard work of all kinds. I’ve been trying to update on my Facebook page, Twitter, and my Instagram feed, but Internet has been spotty at best! I wanted to give a small update on the blog and share another BIG pr

As 92 tornadoes passed through North Carolina on Saturday, we kept an eye on the coverage and reminded the kids what to do in case of an emergency. The kids were pretty taken aback by the breaking news, a combination of dramatic visuals and urgent warnings as tornadoes continued to touch down one after another. We set up a little shelter for everyone and the pets, and I exchanged texts and messages with a whole host of friends who were doing pretty much the same thing for m

As 92 tornadoes passed through North Carolina on Saturday, we kept an eye on the coverage and reminded the kids what to do in case of an emergency. The kids were pretty taken aback by the breaking news, a combination of dramatic visuals and urgent warnings as tornadoes continued to touch down one after another. We set up a little shelter for everyone and the pets, and I exchanged texts and messages with a whole host of friends who were doing pretty much the same thing for m

I spent a good part of this last week clearing through an incredible number of photographs. I took on the task as part of a data management effort but, as happens when you work with things you love, I got lost in an emotional ride through time. Not that I needed to be reminded of this, but the power of photography is kinda staggering. To pick you up (wherever you are in your life at that moment) and just plop you down in that moment from before -

I spent a good part of this last week clearing through an incredible number of photographs. I took on the task as part of a data management effort but, as happens when you work with things you love, I got lost in an emotional ride through time. Not that I needed to be reminded of this, but the power of photography is kinda staggering. To pick you up (wherever you are in your life at that moment) and just plop you down in that moment from before -

It's been a few days since my 3-day class at Okay, so back to the class! One of the most interesting things about working on this production was the sheer amount of time, energy and effort that goes into pulling off one of these master class weekends - there's about 25 people working behind-the-scenes on the production, in addition to the six who joined us in our live audience, the two who appear on-camera to represent the internet, and the several who navigate all the chat r

It's been a few days since my 3-day class at Okay, so back to the class! One of the most interesting things about working on this production was the sheer amount of time, energy and effort that goes into pulling off one of these master class weekends - there's about 25 people working behind-the-scenes on the production, in addition to the six who joined us in our live audience, the two who appear on-camera to represent the internet, and the several who navigate all the chat

If you remember last year's Chocolate Slip 'n Slide Party, you might know there seems to be a preference for messiness when it comes to birthday celebrations. When a certain imaginative birthday girl requested a Food Fight party this year, I was a bit stumped. How to indulge her party plans (gotta encourage creativity) while also keeping the entire event ethically responsible and not waste perfectly good food (gotta teach that it's a small, connected world with limited res

If you remember last year's Chocolate Slip 'n Slide Party, you might know there seems to be a preference for messiness when it comes to birthday celebrations. When a certain imaginative birthday girl requested a Food Fight party this year, I was a bit stumped. How to indulge her party plans (gotta encourage creativity) while also keeping the entire event ethically responsible and not waste perfectly good food (gotta teach that it's a small, connected world with limited res

I put out a simple query on twitter and facebook today - what's the most FUN you've had with your kids (or friends' kids or niece/nephew, etc.) lately? i would love some new ideas! I received such a variety of fun responses, but they all came in through a variety of mediums. I decided to aggregate them all in one place, and I wanted to share some of the inspiration here. Would love to hear more suggestions / experiences / ideas about fun things to do with children. I'm i

I put out a simple query on twitter and facebook today - what's the most FUN you've had with your kids (or friends' kids or niece/nephew, etc.) lately? i would love some new ideas! I received such a variety of fun responses, but they all came in through a variety of mediums. I decided to aggregate them all in one place, and I wanted to share some of the inspiration here. Would love to hear more suggestions / experiences / ideas about fun things to do with children. I'm i

There are some images, exchanges, and connections that stay with you long after the session is over. I don't think I'm alone in this, but I often see photographs I've taken just running through my mind, like an ongoing slideshow set to various themes. Sometimes an image will persist so strongly, I have to go back to the session and look at it again. I think that one of the most powerful aspects of photography is the ability to seek out, uncover and then capture a specific

There are some images, exchanges, and connections that stay with you long after the session is over. I don't think I'm alone in this, but I often see photographs I've taken just running through my mind, like an ongoing slideshow set to various themes. Sometimes an image will persist so strongly, I have to go back to the session and look at it again. I think that one of the most powerful aspects of photography is the ability to seek out, uncover and then capture a specific

Hello! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jessi and I am the newest member of the Tamara Lackey Photography team. I am looking forward to sharing my photographs and experiences here on the blog. Check back soon for more photos and updates. Below is one of my favorites from my first shoot. This image just makes me smile:)

Hello! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jessi and I am the newest member of the Tamara Lackey Photography team. I am looking forward to sharing my photographs and experiences here on the blog. Check back soon for more photos and updates. Below is one of my favorites from my first shoot. This image just makes me smile:)