Life Story: Carolina Donor Services
Y'all, I hardly know where to begin with this post. I went in to this shoot for the Carolina Donor Services with no idea that it was going to touch me and those involved the way that it did. I just had no clue. I had been asked to photograph families of organ and tissue donors and one family with a recipient of an organ or tissue donation for the organization's promotional materials and website. Each family brought a portrait of their organ or tissue donating family member to be a part of their picture. The power of an image never ceases to amaze me. These organ and tissue donors are no longer with us so there was an element of grief and sadness, mixed in with the hope and celebration in the fact that those organ and tissue donations meant life for someone else. It is always my goal to be as warm, relational and kind to the people I am photographing as possible - it is what allows people to trust us to be their true selves in front of the camera. I know what it is like to loose loved ones close to you, I remember those feelings when it is all fresh. I chose to not ask questions about each loved one in the portraits these people held… but let me tell you, when you are holding a picture of someone you adore you just want to tell others about that person. People shared with me happy memories with their loved ones, funny stories that related to the images they held in their hands - stories behind the terrible haircut one donor had in his portrait, or another about the medals and honors their son had received. They really let those images act as a portal into a moment or memory that they chose to let me in on. It was sacred space at Pullen Park that day friends, sacred space. The portraits opened doors for these different donor families to have conversations with each other, sharing stories and offering support to one another, though they had just met a few minutes before.
I just could not stop thinking about this shoot once it was over. The way we choose to approach photography at Story Photographers opens us up to building amazing relationships with amazing people, and to be given the privilege of learning about the people in these portraits and the family members who held them. This is also an important reminder that being photographed is not always about you. You might not love how you look or you might not like having your picture taken but my goodness, the people who love you don't care what you look like (we are our harshest critics). They see YOU, their sister/father/best friend/grandparent/daughter/son/wife/etc. Who YOU are is important to them and they want to have that portrait, that portal to who you are with them always. The moral of this story is to make sure you are an organ and tissue donor - get that red heart on your drivers license. Sign up on Carolina Donor Services website. Be photographed and share it with the people you love.
This sweet little lady you see in the pink is so full of life and spunk and good-natured sassiness. She is also a organ donation recipient. What an amazing thing that we know how to share and continue life through something like organ donation. This lady bug is so vibrant and enjoys life in a huge way.
