Whenever I look over all the photos I have taken of my family since starting my photography journey, I imagine my children years from now looking at the same photos.  I imagine them reminiscing about their childhood and the happy times we had and laughing at the images of their little selves. I already have a treasure trove of photos of my big girl and her beautiful smile, my youngest daughter and her big brown eyes, and my little man with his head full of curls. I also wonder what they will think of the images of their mum and dad when they compare us to 20 years from now.  Sometimes I wish that I had found my passion for photography years ago, especially when I think of all the beautiful, sentimental photos that I could have taken.  I have some wonderful baby photos of my boy but not so many of my girls and I try to make up for it now.  Things change so quickly in life and little children grow up so fast so I use my camera to chronicle our lives and capture moments and times that may otherwise fade in our memories. 
 

My Grandmother will always be a strong influence in my life. She was the centre of my family growing up and she continues to have an impact on my life even though she has now passed. We have many many photos of her, but I wish that she was still with us so I could take her portrait.  I wish that I could take a beautiful black and white photo of her showing all her spunk and personality.  I wish that I could take a photo of her wonderful hands that were held out to me so many times, wrapped around me so many times and showed the resilience of her spirit.  I wish that I could capture a special moment between her and her daughter, my grandmother and mother.  A photo that I could gift to my mum to make her smile when she misses her the most.  I wish that I could turn back time.

There is a movie I saw many years ago called 'Step Mom'.  It's one of those movies that requires a handy tissue box nearby. I won't  go into too many spoilers but one of the main characters uses photography to enrich the final days of a mother and creates lasting memories for her children.  Those scenes really struck a cord with me and have remained with me even years later.  I remember thinking what a wonderful gift to give someone, especially at a time in their lives when emotions can be at their lowest.  As I grow more and more confident in my photography I can only imagine what an honour it would be to capture such precious moments in a photo, especially when those moments may soon pass to memories only.  

When I hear about people and families in the community having to deal with serious and terminal illness my heart aches for them, even though they are complete strangers.  Like most people my life has not been untouched by cancer. Too many people I hold dear have battled, or are battling for their life. The diagnosis of a potentially life threatening illness brings with it such a roller coaster of emotions and priorities change instantly.  I can understand that during these times organising for some professional photos to be taken would be the last thing on anyones mind.  But every time I open my wallet to make a donation to help someones health battle, I wish that I could do or offer more.  So I'm going to put it out there and say, if there is ever anybody that you feel will find strength through the gift of precious photos, please let me know so I can volunteer my time and my camera with no fees or strings attached.  And know that with every photo I take, it will be in honour of my amazing Grandmother, my Gramps. 

Please note, I don't offer this to gain any publicity or advertising.  All photos would be for the private use of the sitter only and would not appear on any advertising, website or social media of mine.  My time and passion for photography is mine to give freely wherever I want to offer it and it is always done purely from the heart.

Michelle xoxoxo