Meet Lana Tavares | Photographer & Special Needs Mom

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lana Tavares and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lana, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
As a single parent of two little girls (ages 10 and 3), I think the most important thing I’ve done for them as a parent is learning and growing with them. My children are homeschooled, and my youngest who is autistic attends a part-time special ed program nearby, so they are with me 90% of the time. This means they get to witness all my accomplishments and all my mishaps. I think, fundamentally, as a parent you want to teach your children lessons that you’ve learned throughout your life, but I think it’s equally imperative to allow them to teach you lessons you may have missed the first time around.

My oldest is my best friend. She is the child I had when I was 24 and didn’t have life quite figured out. She has witnessed the success of my business from every stage; she has seen (and been a part of) the work that is required in order to grow my business to what it is today. She is also the child who taught me that perfection isn’t real, that flexibility and resiliency will guide us through all things, and above all–we will ALWAYS have each other’s backs. We have held hands as we navigated through life as we know it, and she continues to teach me patience, kindness, and dedication.

My youngest is my baby. While the inherent need to constantly shield her from a world that isn’t as accepting of her disability continues to rob me of fully living in the moment, she constantly teaches me to trust. I trust that she is in good hands, I trust that she is her own person, and I trust that with her support system, she will thrive and live her life the best way she can.

I think honesty, an open mind, and a willingness to constantly grow with my children–those are the most important things that I have done thus far as a parent.

What should our readers know about your business?
222 Photography was founded in 2018. When 2019 (and the pandemic) hit, our business began to skyrocket. While I can’t say that it was instantaneous, I can confidently say that the pandemic brought forth an array of feelings, and I think the majority of my Clients realized how important family–and capturing fleeting memories–can be. Slowly, my clientele continued to multiply until I found myself pinching my own arms.

I started sharing more on my social accounts (@two__twentytwo), and I didn’t just share photos. I shared memories, feelings, experiences, hopes and fears. I didn’t want to just meet families and capture them, I wanted to connect with moms everywhere–I wanted them to feel seen. While we are all different, we all share very similar experiences, and I think that it’s my ability to connect with those around me that has helped me propel my business since.

From 2019-2020 I was internationally published in 11 magazines and 32 blogs, yet there was this insatiable hunger that resided within me and it spoke only of this: “How can we get better? What more can we do?”

In 2022, I opened my first studio. Prior to that, I had been working out of my home-studio, which was really a garage that we had fully converted into a working studio. It was good, but it wasn’t great, and if you know me–I only strive to be better than the photographer that I was yesterday.

One of the most important lessons I learned along the way was balance. When I first started my business, I had no boundaries; I was always accessible to my clients and as a result, my family life was extremely lacking. Once I poured myself into being a mom, my business suffered. It’s a constant juggling act, and it wasn’t until I accepted that no one can truly “do it all,” did I set aside some boundaries (work hours, etc), but I found myself in another conundrum–my marriage was failing. After accepting the inevitable, my ex-husband and I now successfully co-parent our children. Shortly after opening my studio, our youngest was diagnosed with Autism, and I had new challenges to face. You see, I work with both of my children (my oldest is homeschooled), and during busy season, we see upwards of 500 families a month. My youngest’s therapy sessions and classes would need to take a large chunk of my day, so yet again, we had to overcome. By the end of 2022, I hired an Associate Photographer. Today, I have 3 part-time employees, and they help me run my business.

I want the world to know that my business is a family business. I treat your children like my children, and your memories like my own. I remember the first photoshoot I ever paid for, and how–to this day–those memories and photos mean more to me than any amount of gold in this world. I want you to know how much love and dedication I pour into my craft, and how my chief aim is–and always will be–to document your family and your story in the same fashion I would hope for mine to be.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite spot in Orange County is hands-down Disneyland! My kids and I are annual passholders and we frequent Disneyland at least 6 times a month. For those looking for a delicious dinner that’s slightly more on the casual side, Prime Cut Cafe in Orange has THE best prime rib I have ever tasted, and you can quote me. For those who are visiting week-long, I say: Take a drive. California, and especially Orange County, has so much to offer that a destination-less drive along the coast will unravel hidden treasures for you and all who accompany you. Make a pit-stop at Seaside Donuts in Newport Beach; grab a ham & cheese croissant and enjoy the sunset.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
“222 Photography was founded on a dream.

Its entire entity is dependent on a single belief that, “if you do what you love, the money will follow.” It was birthed from a breakup with a stable job that I held for nine years–a job that I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for. It emerged from the sheer determination to rise; to work 80 hours a week for myself so that I could avoid working 40 for someone else.

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It is curated from the calloused hands of an overworked and underappreciated single mother. It is an outcry for creativity, to create a business that will under-promise and over-deliver…a business I hope will both move and impress you.”

I wrote those words when I first launched my business. Growing up, I was always the odd-girl-out. I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to all the little girls who grew up in dark places, to little girls with big dreams and no believers, and all the girls who grew up to become the mothers they never had. Here’s to us.

Website: www.twotwentytwollc.com

Instagram: @two__twentytwo (2 underscores)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/photosby222

Image Credits
222 Photography