Your Photographic Talent is an Awesome Way to "Pay It Forward"

People ask me all the time how I got involved as a photographer for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. It's a bit of a long story, so I'll try and summarize . . .

I had gotten involved with photographing a National Guard unit through a colleague of mine and as a result, got to know some of the girls after their husbands deployed through the various projects we worked on together.

One of the couples got pregnant shortly after they unit returned from duty (actually, I'm guessing more than one ;-P). It was someone we'd gotten to know well; they already had one little girl and were pretty excited that #2 was a boy.

One afternoon, I received a call from my colleague as she was "on her way to the hospital to photograph a NILMDTS session." I cringed, because I knew I'd NEVER be able to do anything like that. Just the thought of it made me nervous.

She continued to tell me that the baby belonged to the couple we knew. My heart sank. I knew how long they'd waited for him. There was no medical problem; a 35 week healthy fetus that got tangled in the cord.

I saw her images. They made me really sad and I wondered how anyone does this kind of work. When I talked with mom, she told me how much those few photographs meant to her . . . they would be the only photographs they'd ever have of that little boy.

My youngest was a preemie; actually, so was I. My son was in and out of the hospital for the first few weeks of life until things stabilized. They told me that my son would probably take a while before he caught up (he's 6'4" now). My mom was told I'd probably have brain damage (explains a bunch, doesn't it?) This couple would never know those things. Their daughter and future children would ask questions about what he looked like . . .

So, I signed up. I went to the NILMDTS website and became a volunteer. A few weeks later, the phone rang and it was a mom calling from the hospital. She would give birth to a 20 week baby that evening which had a brain condition and wouldn't live.

I was petrified. I called another colleague (who'd never done this either, but was also considering volunteering) and she offered to come along. My ex-wife is a neo-natal nurse, so I called her to find out what to expect.

My heart was racing as I walked through the hospital parking lot. Once inside, the smell of the hospital almost knocked me over. I began to think of all the reasons I couldn't do this, but it was already too late.

When I walked through the door into the labor and delivery area, the doctor was still in the room. She's a longtime client. Pulling me aside, she asked softly how long I'd been doing this . . . I whispered "this is my first time."

As the doctor left the room she said out loud how nice it was to see me again. She then turned to the couple and said "David is a very talented photographer. You're in good hands."

I exhaled, opened my camera bag and went to work. My colleague joined me at the hospital shortly afterward. The couple was sweet. The family was very nice and grateful for our presence. The resulting images were much easier to photograph than I initially expected.

In the past 5 years I can't count the number of sessions I've photographed. Some really stand out for one reason or another, while others blend together. This past Christmas day, I photographed 3. Yeah, bad things happen on holidays, too.

In my heart, I like to believe that all of the sessions made a difference to the families and the healing process.

Do YOU have what it takes to make that difference? You may not think so, but I'm willing to bet that you're wrong.

- David Grupa

Vote For NILMDTS to receive this generous donation!

Ok friends . . . I need 2 minutes of your time. Please click the link below and cast your vote for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. We are in the running to receive this donation from "The Mommies Network"; it would mean a great deal to our organization and the service we provide . . . hurry, voting ends Saturday, February 5th!

If you'd like more info on Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, please check it their website. I am a volunteer photographer for this very worthwhile organization that provides photographic services to families suffering the loss of a child.

Your vote does count!!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

David Grupa Named NILMDTS February Volunteer of the Month

 

David Grupa
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Volunteer of the Month
February 2011

The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Volunteer of the Month for February is David Grupa from Maplewood, Minnesota. David has been a NILMDTS photographer since 2006 and is also a Membership Application Committee (MAC) Member.

David was nominated by Area Coordinator Sheri Wegner for his continued dedication to taking sessions and serving as a continuous reminder that this truly does help families. For example, this past Christmas Eve David took 3 NILMDTS sessions.

"It took most of his day at two different hospitals. He was called for one, sent on a second and took the third because he was already at the hospital for the 2nd session so a different photographer was spared. That was pretty remarkable," stated Wegner.

Mary Louise Delano, Area Coordinator and MAC member, says, "David has always been willing to help me out if I needed technical advice, needed to talk about an applicant or just to chat. He is a true asset to NILMDTS."

Additionally, Vicki Zoller, Area Coordinator and MAC member, says, "Being a part of NILMDTS has allowed me to make some amazing new friends all over the world. David is one of those! We both serve on the MAC team and his expertise in photography, professional demeanor and great sense of humor help to make our tasks easier and certainly more enjoyable. It takes commitment to run a studio/business, to teach, to volunteer as a photographer, as well as a MAC member, and still bring quality to all those tasks! Not many are capable of that, but David is! Congratulations David on VOM. It is well deserved and definitely earned!"

From our headquarters office, "Thank you David and all of our other wonderful volunteers who helped families in need during the holidays. We know this means that you are away from your own families and guests and we so appreciate you taking the time to help others. The heart to serve, commitment to the NILMDTS mission, and dedication by our volunteers over the holidays is remarkable!"

NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, IRS EIN# 77-0656322.
All proceeds go directly into the operation of this organization to help parents who are experiencing an early infant loss.

©Copyright 2011 NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP 

Got Questions? We'd love to help!

One of the things I love about the photographic industry is how open and willing people are when it comes to helping their colleagues. When I got into the profession oh-so-many-years-ago, there were those "go-to" photographers who were confident enough in their abilities and their clientele that did not hesitate to share the things they did. When you had a question that totally stumped you, odds are they either had the answer or knew someone who would know.

Camp David is like that. Not that we have all the answers (we're always learning new things, too), but we love to help when we are able. Sharing only makes this industry stronger and better.


So . . . here's the deal:

Send us your questions. You may either leave them in the comment box below or if you're shy, email us at info@campdavidphoto.com.

We'll give it our best effort and answer as many as we can right here in future blogs.

- David Grupa

Your photographic talent can make a difference in the life of a family.

While we're on the subject of making changes for 2011, I'd like to introduce a new wrinkle to the discussion.

Many of you may be familiar with the organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS). Sandy Puc and Cheryl Haggard founded the organization in April 2005 and called it Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep after the children’s bedtime prayer. The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation administers a network of approximately 7000 volunteer photographers in the United States and nineteen International countries who provide no-cost bereavement photography services to families suffering the loss of a child. The task of photographing is not an easy one, but it is extremely worthwhile. For many parents, these will be the only professional photographs ever created of their child.

NILMDTS volunteer photographers are asked to be "on-call" a few dates each month. The actual number will depend on how many NILMDTS volunteers are in your service area. Some of these days the phone will remain silent, while others it rings with a call from the hospitals served by NILMDTS. Once a session is photographed, the photographer edits, color-corrects and retouches the images. They are then resized and burned to a CD for the family's personal use. All copyrights are surrendered to the family. Most photographers also prepare a DVD slideshow of the images for the family as well. The expected turnaround on these services is 4 weeks.

We've been given an incredible gift; the ability to earn a living doing something we love. I'm asking you to consider volunteering your services for this very worthwhile organization. Applicant photographers asked to complete a brief online questionnaire.

Once your work is reviewed and accepted, you will be contacted by local coordinators to arrange training.

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants are expected to have a website showing a good working knowledge of technical skills, exposure techniques and auxiliary lighting. Because we often work in hospitals where lighting conditions are less than ideal, you will be asked to display work created with auxiliary lighting equipment. Available-light-only photographers are rarely accepted.

Since the review process can take up to 8 weeks, please be patient.

If you have any questions at all, please go ahead and post them so we can do our best to provide you with answers.

Thanks for considering NILMDTS.


- David Grupa