life with the lights.

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It's been a long long time since I've posted anything on here. I've been far too busy with my side projects (Campbulance and now unfolding, Traveling Tuttles!)

However, with a little scheduling finesse and good timing on both our parts, myself and old college-buddy-turned-illustrator Austin Light, managed to put into motion a plan for a very special family photo shoot.

I'm not much for traditional portraits of any type (family, engagement, senior, etc), so when Austin and I came up with this idea years ago, it was with the understanding that there'd be no posing, no fancy skin-smoothing filters and no photoshopping of scratches, snot bubbles or the like. A pure photojournalistic approach was my aim, so when he flew me out to Charlotte to stay with his family, I became a sort of massive unapologetic fly on the wall with a camera at the ready to capture every moment, good and bad.

What resulted was by far some of the most authentic series of family photos I've ever shot. (The documentation of my sister's brain surgery and recovery will always take the cake in that arena.)

Below is a sampling (that has taken me weeks to pair down to) of photos from that weekend. (All in all, I ended up with a total of 625 edited photos from the original 2347 taken.)


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Chelsea Tuttle

3.28.14 : second-to-last day of radiation.

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My sister's last day of radiation is on Monday. Sadly, I have to fly home Sunday, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. They only radiate her on the weekdays, so today was her second-to-last day. The radiation technicians are incredibly friendly and helpful, so they graciously let me accompany her into the room and see how they set her up. They've got it down to such a science now that it only took a minute or so before we were shuffled out of the room to the other side of the thick radiation-proof door. Her last week of radiation has been a concentrated and very specifically aimed dosage, so the actual process takes only 7 or 8 minutes at most.

My last day in town is tomorrow since my flight leaves early on Sunday morning. We've already picked out the fun activity we'll all do on her day off from treatment and I can't wait to share photos of it with you.

3.26.14 : house hunting with the sis.

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It's been two months since I've blogged about my sister and her progress. For those just tuning in, you can catch up on the entire backstory here. (You'll have to scroll backwards to start at the beginning.)

I'm back in Huntsville until Sunday, so I'm helping out in their final stretch of radiation (her last day is Monday). While here, I'll document everything again and post little updates for those that are curious.

My first full day here was yesterday. I got to hang out with my nephew all day and even went to Old Navy to do a little clearance shopping (I haven't been shopping since before I moved to Colorado). Before that, though, Alicia and Sean took me to see the house they're trying to purchase. It's a beautiful old house that was built in the 1800's and it's almost entirely gutted, which means it's primed and ready for Alicia (interior design extraordinaire) to go in and design her dream house from the bare bones that remain.

Below are photos from our exploration of the property yesterday. Alicia had a friend in town that invented an incredible device that maps out the floor plan by simply walking around the interior of the house. She came along and mapped it out for them while Tate and I explored the nooks and crannies.

As you can see, a lot has changed since the last time I posted photos of my sister. It's hard to believe that just two months ago, she was recovering from brain surgery. I'm so proud of the progress she's made and continues to make every day as she fights off the remainder of Dwight the Brain Tumor.

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Chelsea Tuttle