While in Las Vegas for the WPPI convention this past March we met some amazing people, were inspired by the incredible work of fellow professionals and learned about great new photography products. But the most significant information we received was not about the newest lenses, lighting or album products, instead it was about an amazing foundation. A foundation that touches the lives of mothers, fathers and families when they might not even know they need it.

The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep foundation consists of a group of professional wedding photographers located throughout the country who volunteer their time with parents that have lost a child upon delivery. The NILMDTS mission statement is to introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with the gift of professional portraiture.  We believe these images serve as an important step in the family’s healing process by honoring their child’s legacy.

While we will not be blogging about the specifics of our work with NILMDTS for obvious reasons, we want everyone to know that we are committed to this organization and will continue to spread the word about their mission.  This work is heartbreaking but well worth it.

We all know someone who has suffered the loss of a child. We encourage all of the professional photographers that read our blog, follow us on Facebook or twitter, to strongly consider giving your time to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.  The photographs we give families are quite possibly the only pictures they will have of their baby.  These images are professional photographs, fully edited and complimentary. To all of our other followers, please spread the word about this amazing foundation.

We are honored to be able to associate ourselves with NILMDTS and offer this special gift of portraits at a time when it may be difficult to focus on remembering a baby.

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Neeva and I love the holiday season (she loves the shopping, I love the football), it really is the most wonderful time of the year (playoffs!). The holiday spirit is infectious from shopping for gifts to baking of gingerbread cookies; around this time of year everyone has a spring in their step and a smile on their face. The holiday season is truly magical; but unfortunately not always for all and because of this one of our absolute favorite things to do during the holiday season is to give back to our community. Giving back to the community is something we love to do year-round, but especially this time of year. This year we took part in a very successful Toys for Tots drive and a Holiday Greeting Cards Creation for the Elderly event. As a former Marine, the Toys for Tots drive is very personal, I love to see those toys pile up, overflowing the bins; knowing that there will be children on Christmas Day happy, joyful and able to enjoy their childhood; due in small portion to our good deeds. The purpose of the toy drive is to help less fortunate children throughout the community experience the joy of Christmas. And this year was no exception; there were hundreds of toys collected for children in the Northern Virginia Community. In addition to the Toys for Tots drive, we put together an event to make greeting cards for the elderly in our community. We created over seventy handmade holiday cards in a hope to bring a burst of happiness to the lives of our senior citizens. We truly hope this holiday season will bring joy and excitement to all those in our community.

We would like to thank all those people who in times of hardship and recession thought of those less fortunate. Thank you for giving back, and helping others no matter how miniscule or grand the effort, we know it is truly appreciated.