The Beginning of Something New

So I received another inquiry from a mother who was hoping to bring some joy back into her daughter’s life, after grieving the loss of all cancelled graduation events. It was a joy photographing this lovely young lady and I think it’s safe to say that we both had a lot of fun! I loved walking away from the session and hearing her whole family hollering out “Thanks Nichola!” as I walked back home.

After this session, and receiving more inquiries, I began to realize that there might be a lot more kids facing not only the challenges of isolation, but also the grief of losing something they had been working hard towards. For us as adults, it doesn’t seem as bad because we know that there is so much more to life once out of High School, but for these teens it has had a major impact on their mental health. I was continuing to hear over and over from concerned parents that they just wanted them to have something to look forward to, with all the loss and stress going on around them.

Emotions have been very high for everyone and a break in the monotony has been huge. Yes, this is a first world problem. So many people around the world are devastated in so many catastrophic ways right now. My hope is that if I can impact one individual, or family at a time, that we can begin to see a ripple affect of others helping, risking and giving to each other (in safe ways) as well. Maybe this is superficial, maybe not. What I do know, is that lots of tears have been wept by many and with each session I do, I see tears of gratitude and deep felt emotion by the parents and family members. I can come into their yard and see how they are doing, bring some smiles and say, “Hey, you’re not alone. It’s going to be ok. You’re loved and valued.”

I believe we all need to think of how we can make a positive impact creatively with what we have on hand. For me it’s a camera and my love for people.