Lots of Love!
I love my clients, fans, supporters–yes, you. Your comments, words of encouragement and general support give me the motivation to be the best photographer I can be. Thank You. I made you a Valentine. I wish you more love than you know what to do with on Valentine’s Day and every day. XO
And some Valentines I made for friends and teachers…
And some SweetHearts that never quite made the cut…
Love to all!
Love-A-Fair
Remember the Love-A-Fair Slogan from the 2011 NC State Fair 2011? Well, I have a love affair with my camera and ferris wheels. I was chasing a spunky little girl when I shot these. I wish I had more time but I still love them. Maybe I will enter one into the 2012 photography competition at the fair.
The “C” word: Chemo
We hear it often, so-and-so has chemo, so-and-so is feeling sick from chemo, the chemo made her hair fall out, chemo, chemo, chemo. Have you ever wondered what chemo looks like? Its rather innocuous. Its just a tube of liquid. Liquid that has to be wrapped in a biohazard bag, a liquid that requires hospital staff to gown and glove up to administer the drug, and liquid that sends parents home with gloves and biohazard bags for when diapers need to be changed. I have to admit, I expected a big production knowing the side effects. But its a delayed torture method…it only takes 15 minutes or so to administer. The short terms side effects hit hours afterwards and last a few weeks. The long terms side effects can take a lifetime to rear its ugly head.
I joined Ella and her family for a dose of chemo. I left these photos in color because it was pretty alarming for her Mom to see the drug as a red liquid. The hospital even tried to conceal this with a more pleasant green bag.
Ella had a trip to the hospital about a week after this dose of chemo. She has a fever and very low white blood cell counts (these are the cells that fight infection). She is expeceted to go home any day now. Please keep her in your thoughts.
I Love You, We Click.
Ella’s dose of chemo was cutting into her nap time. She started to soothe herself by rubbing her belly button. I can’t refuse sweet little toddler hands and a cute little belly button, so I starting taking photos. When I reviewed the images at home, I noticed her hands were in the “I love you” position in American Sign Language. I thought it was a coincidence but her Dad told me that she does use that sign.
So, Happy Valentine’s Day a little early. I think they should make a new conversation heart that says “We Click”, just for photographers and our sweet little models.
Striving For More
Striving for More (http://www.striving4more.org/) is an organization located in Raleigh, NC dedicated to ensuring that children with cancer and their families receive quality emotional and spiritual support. In addition to organizing events for families affected by childhood cancer, Striving for More also brought the Beads of Courage program to both UNC Children’s Hospital and Duke University’s Children’s Hospital.
Beads of Courage is a program that allows children tell their meidcal journey using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of courage that commemorate milestones they have achieved along their unique treatment path. The beads are donated by artists around the world. They really provide a visual story of what each child has endured. http://www.beadsofcourage.org/
I was at the hopital when my friend Ella recived some of her beads. It was a very speccial day, she recieved her bead for losing her hair. That bead is a special face bead. Most of the others are colored glass beads. Ella already has a necklace of beads about as long as she is tall.
Brown bead is for hair loss, blue is for clinic visits, black is for pokes (blood draw, IV, etc), white is for chemotherapy.
Ella selecting her beads with her family.