The Celebration of Life
Posted on 03.19.10 to Photography by Joan
A little more than a year ago, I wrote about doing my first assignment for this organisation I volunteer with – Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS).
Since then, I received a few emails from people who wanted to share their experiences of losing their babies or other photographers who were thinking of volunteering with the organisation too.
Mae shared her story about her son who was born with the condition, anencephaly. I was familiar with it because I stumbled upon it while doing my research on how to photograph babies that weren’t thriving or had already passed on. In a nutshell, the baby’s skull doesn’t close properly, which affects brain development, etc, and chances of survival is a lot less than slim.
After reading Mae’s story, I was very much in awe of the strength that she and her husband possess. I take my hat off the fact that they actually decided to carry the baby till full term, dealt with whatever happened next with much maturity and related his birth story and their decisions with grace and elegance.
I photographed them yesterday, with Mae expecting her fourth child, a girl. Matthew would have been number two.
I don’t usually share photos of my photography session immediately because I like putting things in a set, but this photo stuck out with me because of all four kids being together in it, with the bear representing Matthew. I also love the expression of the kids because it reflects their personalities quite well.
This is why I love my job so much. It’s meeting people, connecting with them, learning through their life experiences that just makes it all so worth while.
On an end note, the family whom I photographed for NILMDTS have decided that they want to share the story to help promote the organisation. The article, coming right up soon!
