Love, Cancer, and Significance

I've been staring at my screen for minutes now, not knowing either how to title my post nor what to write. This could be my most significant photo shoot to date. And every time I think of it, it gives me pause.

I met Dave through one of my brides. Dave contacted me wanting to get a photo session done with his daughter as quickly as possible. Dave has been battling cancer for a while now and was just a week and a half away from starting a very aggressive round of chemotherapy. He wanted to get pictures done with his family before the chemo made him sick again. Dave is in for the fight of his life. He wanted pictures for his daughter to be able to reflect back on when she gets older and remember how much fun they had together and how much he cared for her. (Deep breath . . . ) Wow. He also wanted his ex-wife, Katie's mom, in for some of the pictures. As he said, even though they live their separate lives, they are still a family.

In the short time we spent together, I was overwhelmed by Dave's courage and touched by his love for his daughter. It was my goal to capture all aspects of this time of their lives. . . the love, the bond, the playfulness, . . . . the sadness, the fear, the significance. I decided not to commentate on any of the pictures specifically- I'll just let them speak for themselves. I will say this is one beautiful family and I am glad I met them.

I pray for you often, Dave and Katie. Thank you for trusting me in all aspects of this shoot.