Little Miss Churchill

Remember these two?
I photographed Tom and April's wedding in 2005, and now they have the SWEETEST, most adorable daughter, Violet. I don't know about you, but I truly have never seen a more lovely little girl! She has the sweetest personality, and being around her just makes you smile.



Violet and her Nonnie.

Did you know that 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes in Darfur, Sudan? Each day, they face threats that are hard for us to even imagine including rape, disease, and starvation.

These people need our help to put an end to the genocide and they need it NOW.

Please join me in taking the first step to stopping the violence.

Sign the Save Darfur Coalition's petition urging President Bush and the UN Secretary-General to take immediate steps to stop the killing.

Together, we can make a difference in the lives of millions of people in the region who desperately need outside help.

The Save Darfur Coalition is urging the international community to prevent further killings, displacement, and rape by deploying the UN peacekeeping force that has already been authorized, strengthening the understaffed African Union force that is already in Darfur, establishing a no-fly zone, increasing humanitarian aid, and ensuring access for delivery of food, medication and other essential supplies.

Please do not stand by while the violence continues - you can make a difference.

Go to http://www.SaveDarfur.org to get involved.

Snow Rocks!!

It hasn't snowed in Boston for so long, last nights snow fall called for a MAJOR dance of joy!

Danielle

I love this time of year for so many reasons. Number one, I LOVE SNOW! It is FINALLY snowing here in Boston, and my back yard looks like a winter wonderland! I'll post some pictures of it later today. Another reason I love this time of year is because I have less weddings, which allows me to spend my weekends with family and friends.

This weekend was my friend, Daniell's baby shower. I have known Dani since she was 14 years old, and have watched her grow into such a beautiful young woman - about to give birth to a little girl!! Her and her husband recently moved to Georgia to be with family, so it was so nice to get to spend some time with them and celebrate their much anticipated little girl.

I was able to sneak Dani out for a couple of minutes to steal some shots of her belly!

I am a blogging Fiend!

I have not blogged in so long, I am on a roll!

Every so often I get a chance to photograph really cool bands around the city. Route 2 is one of those bands. They are a new, upcoming band with some really great music. Check them out before they get too big! www.myspace.com/route2music

Happy birthday, Violet!

This weekend my friend's little girl turned ONE! Violet is by far one of the most beautiful little girls I have ever known! It has been so fun to see her grow from a tiny baby into such a uniquely beautiful little girl. Here is just one quick picture of how gorgeous she is! Look at those eyes!!!

I'm back!

Well, after a looooooong trip to Kenya, I am finally home, over the jetlag, and getting over the fact that British Airways lost my bag - which I will never see again!

I didn't get a chance to blog at all while there because there was NO speedy internet ANYWHERE! I sound like I'm complaining, but I'm really not!

Africa is such an amazing place. I had never been to Kenya before, and was overwhelmed by its beauty. It is green - everywhere! I was able to take a ride through the rift valley, which was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Within the valley there is a huge volcano! Unfortunately, I was driving in a car/bus, and was unable to take many photographs, and the ones I did take were blurry! The roads in africa are not what you would call smooth!

My assignment while there was to photograph in hospitals, doctors treating patients. I spent a week in two different hospitals, and went on some community visits as well. The goal was to create publicity materials, i.e. brochures, website materials, pamphlets, etc. Moi University, a Kenyan medical school, is looking to have more Kenyans attend their program, thus creating more Kenyan doctors. More Kenyan doctors mean less dependence on foreign doctors. The program is actually one of the best programs for family medicine. Within the different comunities that each of these hospitals connects with, there are so many wonderful programs. The doctors/residents go to each community for visits, check ups, encouragement, you name it. Their patients are never too far out of the way. In fact, one of my trips took me two hours from the hospital to an incredibly obscure villiage filled with grass huts and sugar cane plants for miles and miles. Again, I was in the back of a car, holding on for my life because the roads were so horrible, so no pictures! You, like me, might ask what kind of photographer goes on a trip like this and doesn't take pictures!!! I know, frustrating. But that was not my assignment. They had so much for me to do packed into such a small amount of time, that I could not stop to photograph all that I wanted to. Next time!

Anyway, this was a unique trip for me because I am not at all used to being in hospitals! Usually on one of these trips, I take pictures of kids - not sick, dying people. It was such an awesome experience for me because it was a huge challenge. I was stretched in ways I did not know I could be! One of my favorite stories I tell people is while I was photographing a birth (the first time I have EVER seen a baby be born!!!) a woman on the bed next to the one in actual labor, EXPLODED on me! Her water broke. ALL over me! I'm talking, it looked like someone filled a bucket with liquid and threw it at me - sort of like at the end of a football game and the team dumps water all over the coach - yep, it was pretty much like that! What the? I didn't know that happened!!! My poor future husband is in for quite the surprise! I also had the chance to photograph a C section! I will spare you the pictures from these births, because I fear you will never visit my blog again if you see such things!

Overall, the whole experience was pretty incredible. I was able to connect with so many of the people inside and outside of the hospitals. The people I met were some of the kindest, most hospitable people I have ever known. One of the things I noticed most about the people, was their sincere smiles. Despite their circumstance, none of them complained once. I noticed a great deal of listening and gratefulness to the doctors for their care and concern for each patient. The other thing I noticed was how family oriented their culture is. So many of the patients within the hospitals were surrounded by family members. It was a beautiful thing to witness people walk through such difficult circumstances with their sick family members.

I feel so blessed and privileged to have been able to experience Kenya the way I did. My hope/prayer is that the pictures I took help raise awareness for aspiring doctors within the country to train at Moi University. There are so many well trained ones already, one can only imagine the benefits to so many more.

2 Weeks!

After years of having a household of girls, the Wells have welcomed a little boy into their home. For those of you who follow my blog, you might remember the pictures of the Wells girls throughout the past year. Phoenix was such a ham for the camera at just two weeks old! The boy can pose! It surprised me how much direct eye contact a tiny baby can make. I felt so honored to be able to capture some of the earliest moments of little Phoenix's life, and am looking forward to photographing him throughout his upcoming years! Stay tuned for upcoming pictures of Phoenix and his proud older sisters...

Mika

You know it's going to be a great day when you start your morning off around the most adorable little girl! I got to visit with Mika and her family today and take some pictures of their sweet little girl. Mika is not yet 3 months, but has the sweetest personality - one I know her parents are quite greatful for! It was so fun to just hang out with the whole family and capture their everyday interactions with their daughter.