gwendolyn waite photography :: blog

As my daughter likes to say before each meal…

“We wish for peace, joy and happiness, to all the children of the world”.

I’ll throw in the adults too.

Happy holidays.

-gwen

I knew how strongly I felt about being a part of the Giving is Awesome portrait giveaway, but I had no idea how hard it would be to read the nominations and choose one as the winner. No idea. There are so many deserving families, all with different and equally touching stories.

But I’ve done it. I have chosen one family as the winner. However, I couldn’t just leave the other families without anything, so I have decided to offer a portrait session to each of the nominated families. I’ll send each of you an email on Friday with more details. (Yes, I have procrastinated until now the gift wrapping, so tonight’s a late one, and tomorrow, well, a bit of a family day with Christmas).

So… the winner is…

An incredible single mom of four and homebirth midwife. She works incredibly long and unpredictable hours as a midwife to provide for her family, and on top of that holds a retail job as well. From the nomination – “She’s extremely good at her job (both jobs, really), and without her, many Minnesota families would have been unable to find caring, non-judgmental, top-notch homebirth care. She’s touched so many lives in such wonderful ways!… She’s been such a generous and caring friend, both to me and to so many people in our community. She’s engaged with her kids and she’s engaged with her community, and I know she would absolutely cherish real, professional photographs of her with her children – especially your work, which I know she loves!  It’s something they’ve NEVER done and realistically, will never get a chance to do without the generosity of someone like you.”

I am so grateful to be able to provide the gift of photography to this deserving family. Thank you so much [N] for the nomination. And of course, you get a session too!

Happy holidays, all!

Fuzzy might not encompass the sheer variety of hair on this beautiful newborn. Not only a full head of the darkest brown, but a healthy protective layer insulating her back and arms. Absolutely adorable. Not so much when you’re 16 years old, but 8 days? Scrumptious. And let me tell you, I would love another insulating layer in this cold Minnesota winter.

Course maybe mom and dad will be longing for this hairy, squishy back when she is 16, cause if she ends up looking anything like her big brother, than watch out. This girl is going to have some suitors.

I had a fantastic time hanging out with you guys at your beautiful home in Minneapolis. Thanks for everything.

I am so fortunate to be doing what I absolutely love doing, and I am constantly looking for ways to give back. Thank you to all of you who had sessions in October – I donated 10% of all of my profits to Operation Smile. What a great feeling to be able to help out people with something so important. Thank you for helping me to support this incredible organization.

I have found a fantastic grassroots effort which was started by one photographer who wanted to do something for a worthy family in her community. It has snowballed into a nationwide giving phenomenon of photographers wanting to do more good. At the time of this posting, there are 277 photographers giving away $259,962 worth of custom photography. Pretty cool, huh. I’m honored to be a part of this.

You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography – $1000 worth, to be exact. Whether it’s canvas or albums, prints for Grandma, or a slideshow to watch over and over, it’s in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $275 credit. That’s a free session ($175 value) and $100 in print credits. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in the Twin Cities area. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : gwen@gwendolynwaite.com by midnight December 23rd.

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve — get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

Giving *is* awesome.

-gwen

ok, not just chilly, it was downright cold. Living in Minnesota, we have to be creative with winter shooting locations. We headed down to the Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis for this mini-shoot, and we were able to use their lobby to take some photos. We popped outside to the balcony and courtyard for some outdoor shots, then dashed back inside to warm up. What a wonderful place to shoot indoors – lots of beautiful natural light. I did another shoot outside the museum in the Ruins Park last fall – I just love all the texture in this location, both inside and out.

This shoot was from an auction for my kids school, and I am SO delighted that one of my absolute favorite teachers won the auction. I got the chance to hang out with her son, our school got a nice donation, and this wonderful family got some fun new photos! All-around goodness.