Giving back moments in time....

Well, I recently was notified that my application to Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) has been accepted and I'm now an official, volunteer Affiliate Photographer for the organization!  I've gone through the steps to become activated and now will be awaiting my first session.  I hope to be able to shadow another local photographer for my first session so I can get an idea of how a proper NILMDTS session should go.

I'm not going to lie, I do feel nervous about my first time.  This is a very different type of photography than what I've done in the past.  I think part of my nervousness comes from being so new to the organization and not being familiar with their rules.  Also, I've never been put into this situation before so I have no idea how I'll handle the emotional aspect of the job.  I'm very familiar with how I work as a photographer in general photo shoots and how I handle them professionally.  It's a completely different situation when you are dealing with the death of such a young infant.  The family will be grieving, so my job will be simply to help them out by capturing those final moments.  I've mentioned before how important the art of portraiture is to getting those important moments in life.  For some people, getting those precious, brief memories of your child in their last moments can be of incredible importance, so I understand just how important my job is.  I think I'll really see the magnitude of that when I enter that very first hospital room and begin what the Lord has asked me to do.

"Those we have held in our arms for a little while, we hold in our hearts forever."