BY JADE
TAYLEN & IZZY
I have photographed Taylen before as one of my past brides, but this time the story looked completely different. There was no wedding dress, bouquet, or timeline. Instead, this session was about documenting the relationship between Taylen and Izzy, the cow who has been part of her life for nearly half of it. Their story began in 2009 when Taylen went to Sullivan’s in Dunlap, Iowa, to buy Izzy. Taylen was just 16 when she started showing her, and from the beginning, Izzy stood out because of her demeanor. She was always the first one to the bunk and somehow the last one in the cattle drive. Over time, that personality became part of what made her unforgettable. Izzy became much more than a show animal. She became part of Taylen’s family, childhood, hard work, and home.
In 2010, Taylen and Izzy won Reserve Overall Champion at the Northwest Missouri State Fair. It was one of Taylen’s proudest moments in the show ring, but the ribbon itself only tells part of the story. Big Jim was there. He and Taylen went to many shows together with Izzy, and that championship remains one of Taylen’s most treasured memories because of how proud and happy he was that day. It was before cancer. Before everything changed. Before grief became part of their story. Taylen remembers that day as a time when life simply felt normal. Izzy was there for that chapter, and she was there for everything that came after it too. She watched Taylen grow from a 16-year-old showman into an adult. She watched her move through different seasons of life, take on more responsibility, get married, and eventually step into the operation after Big Jim passed away. Taylen describes Izzy as her “ride or die,” and there really is no better way to describe what she became. When Big Jim passed, Taylen was broken, but she kept going. She kept showing up, working, caring for the cattle, and doing the things that still needed to be done. Through all of that, Izzy remained a constant. She also became the last living memory Taylen had that she shared directly with Big Jim. That makes their bond even harder to put into words. Izzy is tied not only to Taylen’s childhood, but also to one of the most important people in her life.Izzy has also been part of Taylen’s cousin Jabe’s life for nearly all of it. That is one of the things that makes livestock stories so meaningful. An animal may start as something you buy, raise, or show, but somewhere along the way, they become part of the timeline of a family. You remember where you bought them. You remember the shows.
You remember the early mornings and long drives. You remember who stood ringside. You remember who fed with you, who cheered for you, and who was still there during those years. Eventually, you realize that the animal standing in front of you has quietly witnessed entire versions of your life. That was the heart of this session. This session was not about perfection or creating something overly posed. It was about preservation. It was about documenting Taylen with Izzy while she still could and capturing a relationship that has carried so much history. When Taylen looks at Izzy now, the emotions are complicated. There is sadness, grief, love, and even guilt. She shared that part of her feels selfish knowing Izzy has been in pain, because letting go of an animal who represents so many memories is incredibly difficult. Those feelings are not easy, but they are real. So we photographed them. We documented the familiar touches, the quiet moments, and the way Taylen stood beside the cow who had been beside her for so many years. Brett was there too, standing beside Taylen for another chapter of her life and giving this session another layer of meaning. This was never just a session with a cow. It was a goodbye to childhood, a goodbye to the show ring, and a goodbye to one of the last physical pieces connecting Taylen to Big Jim her dad and that earlier version of life. At the same time, this session was also about everything that stays. The work ethic. The family. The memories. The operation Taylen stepped up to carry forward. The lessons she learned showing cattle and the belief that hard work really does pay off. And one old cow who somehow witnessed all of it. If Taylen could preserve one memory from this chapter forever, it would be that day at the 2010 Northwest Missouri State Fair. Reserve Overall Champion. Big Jim smiling. Life feeling normal. Izzy standing there beside them. Maybe that is exactly what photographs are for.
Not to stop time, but to give us somewhere to return when time keeps moving anyway.
