Over the past few months I have been thinking a lot about what I do and how I can help make a difference. How can I - a photographer
really make a difference?!
As you all know I have photographed brand spankin' new babies and seeing them minutes after birth is such an amazing time to capture. The thrill of the parents and family and the new life just blows me away. I have to tell myself to focus so I can capture those quick little moments. I really feel honored to do what I do. To produce a tangible product for people so they can have those moments for the rest of their life, long after they've forgotten what the hospital room looked like or what it looked like when their new little one had their first bath. A beautiful product where the subject is highlighted and you are drawn into that very moment. Now, I am not talking about a point and shoot photo of a first bath where the doctors arm and large head in the foreground is what you notice first - I am talking about a carefully choreographed photo that you have a professional capture. I get to do that!!! How cool is my job!
A week or so after the
Keller Baby Shoot , one of our friends lost their new born baby. He was only alive for a couple of hours before they realized he was born without kidneys. It was extremely tragic. It was so hard to hear about our friends loss. It was the extreme opposite from the miraculous birth I had witnessed a week earlier. Our friends asked us to edit the photos taken of their little one and I was so honored to be asked I jumped at the chance. These were photos that family had taken for them. I worked on cropping, converting to black and white and a little photo shop edits here and there. They were so incredibly personal I couldn't believe they entrusted me with such precious photographs. I wanted to do this little beautiful life justice. I was producing something that the parents would have for life, their only lasting memory of one of their most precious possessions. It was heartbreaking and at the same time so fulfilling. I cried as sent them to print and packaged them up for the parents. What was I to do with these contrasts? I realized I was giving these parents the same lasting memories just like I had the first. After wrestling with it for some time I came to the same conclusion, I get to do that. How cool is my job.
After helping out our friends I realized I wanted to do that more. I had heard of a non-profit organization called,
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. They commission photographers to take photographs for terminally ill children and babies, stillborn babies, etc. in their area. I had heard about this organization before and I didn't feel that I was ready to commit to something like that until now. I really felt like God had prepared me for this. It takes me a long time to warm up to certain ideas - especially when they seem scary. The neatest thing was it wasn't scary at all, it was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. I trust that God will continue to prepare me for all circumstances where photography is concerned.
If you have the time you should check out this site:
NILMDTSIt is really a beautiful service. Get involved if you can!
After getting back, we had 2 days of scrambling around to get work done before heading out again to Lake Shasta, Every year my side of the family takes a trip to the lake for some epic wake boarding and death tubing - this is where the boat driver tries to kill you and you try to stay on! We rented a houseboat with all the bells and whistles, it fanTAStic. 
After getting back, we were so proud of ourselves for staying on top of the piles of work we decided to take ride some thrill rides at Magic Mountain (A roller coaster theme park in Ca). We had soooo much fun screaming and laughing with my Uncle and Cousin on the roller coasters and eating dip 'n dots and funnel cake. De-lish-ous. I thought I would share some fun photos and a fun video from Superman The Escape Ride. I can't stop laughing on those rides!! 
