A New Vision, A New Project

While Hurricane Irene looms about 100 miles south of us and I still have electricity, I decided to lay some groundwork for a project I started dreaming about a few weeks ago.

Those who know me are aware that I lost my young cousin to leukemia this past May, and like anyone who has lost a loved one to cancer or disease, grief compels us to wonder what we can do to honor their memory and continue their fight.

I have few hobbies/interests outside of my career, but the two things I seem to do most to cope with stress and express myself are running and photography. I wondered one day if there was a way I could apply my interests into a larger goal of raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

My first decision was to register for the Nation's Triathlon in September 2012, with LLS's Team in Training. After researching what is required to participate, I realized I had quite a bit of fundraising to do over the next year. I've always had trouble feeling comfortable just outright asking people for money. While I am blessed with friends and family that are generous beyond description, I thought my vision might be easier to attain if I had something that I could give back for their generosity.

So that's where my love of photography comes in. My background is minimal; I took a photography class in high school (back when we developed our own film and processed our own prints) and a couple of self-tutorials for my digital SLR, but I am by NO MEANS a professional. But I have a love for faces and portraits.

When my neighbor's daughter turned thirteen I offered to take portraits of her for her birthday. We hung out on a winter morning in my sunroom and just played around with the light and her pretty face. These were my favorite shots from the session:

So... after that session I had a couple more requests from friends to take photos, and a new little hobby was born.

So my "brilliant" idea is to offer to take portraits for a small session fee, which will be a donation to my Team in Training fund. I haven't worked out the specifics yet... such as how much the fee will be (I think it will depend on the situation), but the planning is underway.

Until then, I will use this blog and a Facebook page to showcase my work, and try to generate interest. I figure once the kids are in school I'll have a little more time on my hands to give this project it's due time.

Any comments, questions, ideas, suggestions, advice are welcomed! And thanks for reading!