We all find inspiration, ideas, motivation, and just the will to do what we do from various places and people. Obvious ones like money, fame, and power tend to be at the top of that list. For me personally, nothing trumps the ability to make a difference in someone’s life. Photography is much more than taking pretty photos. It’s about making connections, building relationships, and capturing moments that will last for a long time.

Amidst the busy wedding season, I had a chance take a breather this past Wednesday and spent a few minutes with the co-winners of my Blogstalkers Portrait Session Contest. Please meet the Gonzalez Family: Lily, Nick, and their four amazing children Justin, Haley, Nicole, and Ashley (from oldest to youngest).

Towards the end of January, I received an e-mail from Elizabeth Morales, who nominated her aunt Lily and her family. I want to share with you the letter she wrote me, which inspired me to pick this amazing family as the winners of the contest:

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A Testament of Hope and Love

On October 31, 2008 my aunt Lily (34 years old) was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia while she was 7 months pregnant with her fourth child. As she drove to the hospital that Halloween day her doctor discovered that her white blood count was over 100,000 whereas normal levels are only at 10,000. She was misdiagnosed with fatigue throughout her pregnancy until they discovered it was cancer. Amazingly enough she delivered a healthy baby girl named Ashley Diana Gonzalez. There was little hope that she would survive. But she did.

As a close knit family we never gave up hope despite the odds. With lots of prayer, support and Love from friends and family, we became comforted however, aware that our time with her was both limited and precious. Soon after giving birth she was transferred to City of Hope where she received intense chemo, radiation, and a risky bone marrow transplant. Last December 2008, our family celebrated the One year anniversary of her second birthday. Now, at 98 pounds she struggles with another disease known as chronic graft-versus-host disease1 (GVHD).

I nominate my aunt and her family as the deserving recipients of your prize because despite the testing experience my aunt and uncle are enduring, they epitomize everything that is important: Hope, Love, Strength, and Support. At the time of her diagnosis her children were only 5, 4 and 3 years old. Her only concern was that they would not remember her because of their age. Now, her oldest will be 7 years old and the baby she miraculously delivered is 2. Since her diagnosis they have not taken a family portrait with Ashley, nor is it easy to save for such a project when funds are paying for a buffet of medication and doctor’s visits. My grandparents are retired and try to provide for their necessities, and her siblings do what they can to help. However, it is hard.

Winning this contest for them would mean giving her the opportunity to have a permanent and memorable reminder that she has been strong enough to fight her disease to hug, to love, and be with her kids and family. She has inspired me to always have hope and never give up, while giving others comfort, hope and counseling as they overcome their own tribulations. I am so proud to call this REMARKABLE lady family! God Bless you!

Elizabeth Benitez Morales

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Thank you Elizabeth for sharing with me (and allowing me to pass it on) the amazing story of your aunt Lily and her fight not only against Leukemia but to delivery little Ashley. In the hour or so that I spent with the Gonzalez Family, I felt such a strong bond of hope, courage, and unconditional love.

I want to give a big shout out to not just Lily but her husband Nick. To raise a family of four children and help your wife get back on her feet shows characters beyond any words I can put together. I can’t thank you all enough for allowing me to come into your life, even if it was just for a short period of time, and giving me the opportunity to capture your moments. I hope these photos, like your love for one another, transcends many, many generations.

Although I’m posting this on a Friday afternoon, I actually started writing this entry late last night around 4AM. I just couldn’t wait! I came back from meeting, for the first time, and photographing Tracey, Ed, and Ed’s daughter Jenny. They were co-winners of my 2009 Blogstalkers Portrait Session Contest. Words truly can’t explain how fortunate, happy, and simply inspired I was to meet and photograph them yesterday.

We hung out around Tracey’s home for a bit, saying hello to the cats and checking out her bead collection! Afterwards, we drove up to the hills of Claremont, a place I’ve never been to during my four years at Harvey Mudd College. And boy was it peaceful and beautiful (even though Jenny spread rumors that there were snakes in the bushes, NOT COOL! :P).

At the end of January, I had received a beautiful e-mail from Jenny. She nominated her dad Ed and his girlfriend Tracey for the contest. What really drew me into this amazing family was just how sincerely genuine, selfless, caring, and simply “real” they were. In a world where we take many things for granted, especially our loved ones, it’s so refreshing to know there’s a few that still truly love one another and DO things together and FOR others.

I drove out to their new home Claremont yesterday afternoon to meet Tracey, Ed, and Jenny. All are from Iowa, but Tracey had moved out to So Cal a few decades ago; Ed and her knew each other since elementary school, and, well…I’ll just let Jenny tell you the story :). Below is the e-mail that she wrote to me:

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Dear Henry,

I recently decided to follow people on Twitter in SoCal that are connected to people that I’m connected with. This is how I found you and your amazing work! I was very impressed with your offer to give back, and nominate people that deserve such a great experience.

I would like to nominate my father, Eddie, and Tracey, his girlfriend who went to school together (K-12), then went their seperate ways at graduation, reconnected at their 30th high school reunion, and have been together ever since. I am nominating them because of the love and support they’ve shown me just over the last year and the love and support they give back to the community. They are wonderful people and are always doing whatever they can for others.

Not only has my father supported me throughout my whole life, but he’s gone the extra mile this last year. Last May, I wasn’t happy with where my life was going, I felt something was missing. Thus, my father took it upon himself to help me fix this. He encouraged me to make a change, helped me coordinate it, and has even gone exloring the US with me to help me decide which way my path should be layed out. He’s been supporting my unconventional way of life, and telling me over and over that it doesn’t matter what others say and think. It’s what you think that matters most in your life.

I would also like to nominate my father’s girlfriend. My path in life recently relocated me to SoCal, and Tracey, who has lived in SoCal over twenty years, was right there welcoming me into her life. She took time to clean, paint, and remodel her guest room for me. A big task for one person! Not only has she taken the time to do this, but she has also taken so much time to connect me with the people of Claremont. I made friends within my first week here because of her. I was volunteering at a local Art museum, and setting up meetings with her collegues within the first week as well. Now, she’s constantly checking with me to see what has come of these meetings, and continues to stick her neck out for me, and connect me with more people. She’s been an amazing help!

They should also be nominated for the work they do for others. My dad has helped with the Katrina relief and plans to return. Plus, two weeks ago, just before his bike accident, he was talking about going to Haiti as soon as they need help rebuilding. Even though he’s wearing a sling now, he still plans to help as much as he can when he’s well again. Also, whenever he gets a call from a friend needing help fixing anything at their house, this week it was a waterheater, he’s there automatically or researching on the internet the best way to fix it. It was amazing to see him, this week, figure out how to fix a retired friend’s waterheater when he only has one usable hand at the moment. And Tracey, she is at every local event she can be. She supports local artists, museums, charities, and friends. She works at a local retirement community where she constantly has a smile on her face and a hug for everyone that passes by. She is a warm and welcoming person to everyone she sees.

Their love for life, others, and me is very hard to put into words because their actions speak louder than words can explain. I hope you see what I cheerish everyday. Thank you for offering this opportunity to show others how much people appreciate them.

Thank you,

Jennifer

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Thank you Jenny for sharing with me the love between you, your dad, and Tracey. I only got to spend a few hours with you guys yesterday but in the first five minutes, I already felt that special bond you have with one another. I’m truly honored to have met you and have you as friends in my life! And we’ll all have to get together for dinner, whenever you’re down in Long Beach or I’m up there again at Claremont :). You’ve already impacted my life and I’ll forever cherish our wonderful time yesterday!

Sandy and Mike got married in Sacramento on 12/6/09 but on their wedding day, the weather decided to not cooperate with us. And we didn’t have much time for portraits after the afternoon ceremony :(.

That being said, Sandy, Mike, and their amazing wedding party were such troopers to actually get back into their wedding day attire and do a post-wedding portrait session last month. I flew up to Sac Town for the day and met them at city hall (thanks Allison for the ride to and from the airport!).

A sunny sky and quiet afternoon allowed us to get some great portraits in just an hour of shooting. It’s somewhat rare for me to post lots of portraits and “look at the camera”-type shots on my blog, but I want to let all my upcoming and perspective clients know that yes, I DO take these types of shots at a wedding (as well as family formals).

Thanks again to Sandy, Mike, and their crew for being so patient with me. I had a blast working with you all and hope we can all hang out when I’m up in Sacramento again. Enjoy!

Just a day after documenting their wedding day, Laura, Michael, Jared (thanks for all your help!), and I trekked down to the beaches of Santa Barbara for their Trash The Dress (TTD) shoot.

They were such troopers for braving the water and more so willing to literally trash their wedding attire (although Michael kinda cheated and wore one of his other suits :P while Laura drenched her beautiful dress!). Jared helped me record some behind-the-scene video clips of what we were up to.

Please check out some of my favorites from our hour-long shoot. It’s Friday afternoon, April 30th, which means it’s time to get one of these. 3G here I come!