…is national childhood cancer awareness month.

no parent should ever hear the words “your child has cancer“.
no family should ever have their lives turned upside down because of cancer.
no child should suffer from cancer.
no parent should ever lose their child to cancer.
no parent should ever be left with a shattered heart and empty arms.

please join me in spreading the word and raising awareness of childhood cancer.

what can YOU do?
read.
learn.
share (blog, facebook, twitter).
donate.
recognize.
be aware and…
help bring childhood cancer and it’s research to the forefront.
above adapted from momma’s pixie dreams blog post.

remember this post?

you can do something as simple as spreading the word to others to run on september 11th and donate.  just imagine, if this spread to 5,000 people and each person donated only $5.  together, we would raise $25,000.  you can donate via my blog post or via max’s dad’s blog post. please donate…they have $780 left to reach their goal of $2000.  and i hope you’ll be joining me for a one-mile run on september 11th, no matter where  you are.  if for any reason, you’re unsure, just take one minute to read this, or this or this.

please help spread the word!

in closing, i want to share and remember these two amazing boys, who lost their battle against the terrible beast — neuroblastoma.  remembering sam and max and their amazing families.  love you guys!!

…when you go to ebay and you see that polaroid 600 film is $5-plus per PICTURE.  in other words, one pack of polaroid 600 film is $50+ plus shipping.

when i first started shooting polaroid with my SX70 camera, it was $1.50 per picture and that wasn’t all that long ago. when i left kansas (in june), it was $3 per picture.

one can purchase 600 film from the impossible project WHEN they have it; it’s out of stock most of the time.  and my last pack from there was terrible — very yellow and almost every photo was…well…very yellow and not so great.  so i’m not that confident in 600 film from the impossible project at the moment.  although i’ve had my fair share of bad polaroid film from ebay too.

i’ve also tried TZ artistic and PX polaroid film and i’m just not a fan.

i’m sad as i seriously long to shoot 600 film with my SX70.

it all makes the polaroids that i have that much more amazing. and it makes me adore my instant recall gallery that much more.  i might just have to frame a polaroid or two in our new house (aka the mini-castle).

in closing and with a tear in my eye, i share a few of my polaroid favorites…

p.s. okay, maybe no tears but i really am sad.

p.s.s. on a most-incredible-happy note, we’re officially closing on the mini-castle tomorrow.  walk-thru in 15 minutes.  :-)))

i didn’t make it into the art of photography show this year, which is okay…anyone who’s submitted to exhibitions knows that you win some and you lose a hell of a lot more.  but how cool is it that KPBS selected my photo to use in their this year’s art of photography show write-up.

if you’re in san diego, i highly recommend attending the show.  i will definitely be visiting the show, when i’m in san diego for my client sessions, this october.  i wish i was going to be there on august 29th, to hear natashan egan’s (juror) talk.  i so loved hearing the juror speak last year.

i’m not sure i’ll ever have an image quite like this one — special, for so many reasons!!

it’s that time again to begin coordinating my san diego fall children and family photography sessions.

i will be photographing in san diego october 14th – 16th.  and possibly the 17th.  please email me if interested in commissioning a session.

i can’t wait to be back in san diego.  i will be photographing a few families for the fourth year in a row and…it just happens to be my birthday.

so excited!!

i had to register kiele for school before she returned from her dad’s (she spends the summer with him).  kiele has three electives this year and i had to choose them for her.  art was a no-brainer.  then i selected yearbook and theater, after discussing all the options with her.  since she participated in the no limits theater group for deaf | hard of hearing children for three years, i thought theater would be a breeze for kiele.

OH
MY
GOSH!

coleman middle school theater is musical theater.  they just happened to forget the musical part of it when they told me about it and kiele found out on the first day of school.  ummm…yea…musical…like…yea…similar to glee.  their first song, to learn and sing, is jump by van halen.  the glee version.

OH
MY
GOSH!

prior to school starting, kiele said,

i hope i don’t have to sing in theater.  i’m so not singing.

she’s singing alright!  and the girl can’t keep a tune if you paid her (lots of money). but in all seriousness, her dad has a great singing voice so maybe kiele just needs a bit of training…on listening to the tune. and singing.  just maybe…she has a wonderful singing voice like her daddy (and not like her mommy).

and as her theater teacher said to kiele,

don’t worry.  it’s going to be great.

when i picked kiele up from school today, one of the first things she shared was,

i think theater is going to be my favorite class this year.

and my heart melted.  i can’t help but think about all kiele has and continues to accomplish.  she inspires me beyond words. and pretty much inspires everyone she meets.

all in all, things have gone pretty great.  kiele’s school services are in place, including CART.  we (the IEP team) are meeting again in three months to “evaluate how kiele is doing” — whatever that really means.  hopefully by then, the school staff will fully realize how very much kiele utilizes and needs CART to have equal access to communication.

and there’s always something to open my eyes that much more, in regards to what kiele does and does not hear in the classroom…

yesterday, kiele’s CART provider told me that kiele was sitting at a table with a few other girls.  the girls were chatting with one another (a conversation that a normal-hearing person would clearly hear).  the CART provider noticed that kiele didn’t seem to be hearing them and sent kiele a message (through CART), asking her if she was hearing what the girls were saying.  kiele wasn’t and so the CART provider asked kiele if she wanted her to type what they were saying (gossiping).  kiele said no.

the way CART works is…if it’s something kiele would hear if she was a normal-hearing child, the transcriber will type it.

it blew me away that kiele couldn’t hear the kids talking at her own table–right next to her.  made me a bit sad too, thinking about all the casual conversation that kiele might be missing out on, at school.  but then i refocus and am just so overwhelming grateful that kiele can hear…period. A-MA-ZING!!

so here’s to kiele having a most amazing school year and…singing!!  singing proudly, no matter what the tune.  :-)

in closing, sharing a quick snap from yesterday, their first day of school…

p.s. none of them were happy about having their picture taken. go figure.

alex and skyler.  they met in 2005…2-years-old and next door neighbors in san diego.  it was during our unfortunate military housing situation and it was our temporary house (while our unfortunate house was being repaired).  our temporary house ended up being our home, next to the B family, for about five months.  we joked that sky and alex were the yin and yang of friendship — so different and yet complementing one another so perfectly –creating a magical friendship, even at such a young age.

when we moved, we didn’t move far (around the corner and a few blocks down) so the kids continued to see each other once a week or so, over the next couple years.

in 2007, just shy their 4th birthdays, the B family moved to pennsylvania.  sky had a photo of the two of them (see below) on her dresser.  alex had hers on her wall.  we never stopped talking about alex through the years.  and occasionally, we’d get an email from the B family with photos and updates.  we never doubted that one day we’d see the B family again…and sky would see alex.

lucky for us, alex’s grandpa lives in orlando.  lucky for us, their annual florida trip took place a couple weeks ago. it was so awesome seeing the girls together again — as if they were never apart.

i really do feel blessed to be a military family and i share with my kids often, how very lucky we are.

love you B family!! so excited to see  you over the next three years.  © deb schwedhelm | tampa children’s photographer

april 2007 (one of their last photos together) & august 2010

a few from our trip a couple weeks ago

i just love them sitting together on this bench outside our orlando condo.  i can’t help but envision them 60, 70, 80 years from now, sitting together.  in a similar manner. on a similar bench.

and the whole gang, minus kiele because she was at her dad’s.

that was the title of my email, back on feb 17, 2006 — 1-1/2 months after purchasing a DSLR and deciding to pursue photography.

my great friend and fellow military spouse, shawn, found the emails and forwarded them to me today.  it’s just so crazy to see images and read my thoughts, from when i first started photography.  and to think about where i am today.  i just feel so grateful!!

i get a lot of emails, from people inquiring about tips, recommendations for learning, business advice, etc.  and time and time again, i tell them something similar to this…

my best advice is to study, learn and practice as much as you can, from as many avenues as you can (books, online, peers, mentors, etc.). learning photography and becoming a good photographer takes time, dedication and hard work (lots and lots of each).  look within and allow yourself to grow…from within.  be cautious in comparing yourself to others (often a big mistake in the beginning).  there’s no secrets.  there’s no magic.  be passionate, honest patient and work your ass off.

here’s what i had to say and share back then, feb 17, 2006…

…for photos today. It all started b/c Ryder got into Sky’s buggy and
it was so darn cute. He was just sitting there in it. So, I pulled
down my background, got him undressed, got my camera and put him back
in the buggy. Well…now he didn’t want to have anything to do with
it. I snapped a few and my exposure was off. I did my best to
salvage the buggy photo but it still looks yucky. So then I tried to
put Ryder on the chair for an opportunity to practice. Ooooh, was he
mad. This is what I got out of the five minutes. I still think I
ended up with some cute shots. Love the last one…I was trying to
shoot his feet b/c he kept putting them like that and at the same
time, he was screaming. That was the end!

Now I’m off to take a nap. Those 1 AM nights are really catching up
to me today. I’m tired, eyes hurt, headache…pooped!

Deb

and the next day, i wrote this…

Well, Sky was totally into photos today so I ran with it. YAY! We
had fun and it only took about five minutes to get these shots. I’m
so excited b/c I feel that each day, it’s getting easier for me to
capture some pretty special moments. We didn’t do anything special
today…in regular clothes, no fixing hair…just grabbed a couple
chairs and started talking.

Enjoy!
Deb

it’s crazy to think about back then — starting from nothing and working every single day to learn and grow as much as possible.  i am so grateful to all those who have encouraged and supported me throughout this most amazing journey — especially my husband and kids.

here i am, today, proud to be a tampa children’s and family photographer. i wouldn’t be here without each and every one of you, who have been by my side…thank you!

and a couple photos of sky and ryder from earlier this month…

i was reading max’s blog today and came across this post and especially loved this part, written by max’s dad:

I’m not bitter when people decline to participate because they aren’t available, can’t afford to, or even just don’t believe in the cause. Long ago I chose not to take it personally when someone declines to contribute, participate, or otherwise engage with our cause – life’s too short to worry about that kind of stuff (and there’s so many people who DO want to help if only you ask and show them how, so that’s time better spent anyway!).

But what gets me are the excuses. “Oh sure, I care Andy, just make it easy for me to care, and I’ll show up.”

As Melissa and I have started giving more and more of our time to fighting neuroblastoma and other causes, a constant theme has emerged for me, and that is when giving is easy, you get less out of it. Giving in a manner that challenges the giver, also helps the giver; it helps them appreciate the sacrifice of their giving more. It makes the giving mean more to the giver. Altruism is a funny concept (quick refresher: altruism being an act that benefits someone else other than the actor). Altruism doesn’t align well with biology and evolution.And while I know that evolution exists, I also believe in God. Perhaps that’s where love enters the equation. Maybe God’s love makes it possible to see past our own selfish interests and limits. To extend ourselves past our comfort zone. Take risks on behalf of someone else, but get something unattainable otherwise in return.

and of course, i noticed the MAX RUN, which is taking place in san diego on september 11th, to raise money for pediatric cancer.  my initial thought was,

oh how i wish i could be there to participate in the run.

but why can’t i run? and participate?  why can’t i encourage people to sponsor me (donate) and just run here?  and why can’t i encourage others to do the same?

so  you think you can dance did it with their july 31st national dance day, where people all across the world danced together on the same day.  okay, so maybe running isn’t exactly as fun as dancing but…let’s try it.  let’s try to run one mile on september 11th — together — no matter where you are.  and let’s, together, spread the word and encourage others to donate to fight pediatric cancer.  and while your donation can’t help max or sam,  it could possibly help children like will or talia, who are both currently battling neuroblastoma.

so…

on septemeber 11th, at 9:30 AM, i am going to run one mile.  can you please sponsor my run — simply click on the Chip In button below to donate to fight pediatric cancer …

p.s. steve is going to be in iraq at the time, so the kids and i will be doing this one mile together.  i hope you’ll join me.  think about it!!

ETA:  i’m so excited that i’ve already had a number of people share that they will be running the MAX RUN with me on september 11th — from all over the country.  but my real hope is that along with the physical support and encourgement,  i can help gather financial donations for max’s ring of fire.  if you’re running or simply want to support in any way, please donate…any amount will help.

and please spread the word!  if everyone shares with a few friends, who also support and donate, we could together make a huge impact!!

sharing my favorite image of max and a tree at his school on the day of the celebration of his life.  do you see the angel?  i do. © deb schwedhelm | tampa children’s photographer

meet my dear friend steph beaty, who i respect and admire beyond words. steph was actually one of my very first clients in may 2006 (referred to me by carrie sandoval) — which is still hard to believe.  the photo below was from that first session together.  little did we know at that time, that we’d one day be the best of friends.

steph’s husband is currently deployed and will (hopefully) return when the baby is two months old — making steph’s shirt peace on my mind very literal.  they also have a four-year-old and two-year-old.  steph’s strength, along with her kindness, passion, faith and goodness, inspires me each and every day.

lucky for me, steph grew up in the tampa area and her family still lives here.  so while we live plenty apart, i’m excited that steph and i will see each other (at least once a year) over the next few years, while we’re stationed here in tampa.

on steph’s trip last week, i was able to do maternity photos for her.  to say the evening was magical would be an understatement.  we had already rescheduled once because of weather and this was it — no more days to work with if this one evening didn’t work out. i think the only thing that could have possibly made the evening the tiniest bit better would have been a can of bug spray.  at one point, i looked down at my leg and had at least 10 mosquitoes chomping on my calf.

i am blessed to have steph in my life and so grateful to call her my friend.  i could go on and on but i’ll stop there.  i think y’all get my genuine admiration for this woman.  :-) © deb schwedhelm | tampa maternity photographer

do you remember her?  my great friend and an amazing photographer, terrie kellmeyer.  while on vacation the past few days, terrie emailed me how her profoundly hearing impaired baby, poppy, just received a gift from an angel (literally!!) — sam’s loaner hearing aids.  poppy (like her brother and my daughter) will be implanted with a cochlear implant in the the next year and until then, she will wear hearing aids, in case there is any chance of her having access to sound between now and then.  here is what terrie shared –

i took poppy to her audiology appointment yesterday to be fitted for her hearing aids.   after talking with joan and laurie and also the audiologist at children’s hospital that did poppy’s BAER test, i wasn’t too optimistic that she would get any benefit from the aids, as her hearing loss is so profound.  but, my friend that has a son that also has a profound loss was over at the beginning of the week and she said that her son had a huge benefit from the aids, and was able to distinguish some words by the time he was 12 months and received his implants.

joan and laurie had arranged for a pair of loaner aids for me, but now that i was more hopeful that there might be a benefit, i asked joan if they were good quality aids, because i wanted poppy to have every chance to hear as much as possible while we’re waiting for her implants.  she looked at me and said “these are VERY good aids” with a funny look on her face and i actually felt silly about even having asked the question…

she was fitted with the aids, and as i was getting ready to leave, joan looks at me and says “these were donated by sam’s family……..”  both our eyes instantly filled with uncontrollable tears and i was completely and totally overcome with emotion.  there was another family in the room waiting for their appointment who had no idea what was going on other than joan and i were crying over a pair of hearing aids…

i can’t tell you how much the aids mean to me and to poppy.  her presence in our lives continues to bring blessings to our family, and now i have a renewed sense of peace that a little piece of sam will live on through her and that she now has her own little angel up in heaven watching over her…..

laurie gave me some covers for the implants that are a little more “girly” than the black and white strips, but i won’t have her wear them- she will wear her black and white aids proudly in honor of sam.

i took some photos to share with sam’s family.

thank you deb for introducing me to sam through your blog and for all the blessings that have come my way simply through your friendship and your beautiful soul that loves to give to others.

lots of love to you!

terrie

here is sam, wearing his new hearing aids (in sep 09).  i saw margot and sam at the audiologist’s office, the day sam was fitted with his new hearing aids and i  remember (like it was yesterday) margot sharing with me how excited sam was to have his new hearing aids with zebra covers.

and sam and one of his brothers, in nov 09…our last photo shoot together.

thank you sam for the gifts you continue to share with us — each and every day.  we miss you but know that you are watching over us from Heaven!

and here are a few photos that terrie took of poppy, wearing sam’s gift to her.

love you neil and margot.  and think of you and the boys daily!!  thank you for coming into my life.  xo!!