We are so excited to be shining the photographer spotlight on Lindsey Rabon of Lindsey Rabon Photography. Photography has been a lifelong hobby for Lindsey, somewhere amongst the many boxes of old photographs you’ll find the one of her in diapers playing with my fathers 35 mm camera. Fortunately, her high school offered photography and she enrolled the first change she got, following that passion into college, and even into her first “real” job working with an event photography company. She can’t escape it, and would never want to. She has a passion for preserving moments and seeing the beauty in everything. Her business is focused mostly on high school seniors, but I love working with families and capturing the everyday moments with her own children.
What made you want to join The Gold Hope Project as a volunteer? I am part of a wonderful community of local photographers and there was an immediate need on my side of town. We live in a huge metroplex so its not surprising someone “local” would be unable to take a session on my side of town. When I researched more about the organization it was a no brainer. I believe photography is so powerful and it such a wonderful gift to give a family who needs to capture this time with their child.
What is your favorite thing about being a photographer for The Gold Hope Project? It kind of feels odd to say, but I really enjoy meeting the faces of childhood cancer. It has made this horrible disease very real for me. Many of the children are the same ages as my own and it is really easy to see how such a tragedy can strike anyone at any time. I have been fortunate the little clients I have had the pleasure of meeting all have a good prognosis, so I enjoy following their stories. It makes my heart sing when I hear they are in NED (no evidence of disease). I know there may come a time where I meet a family who isn’t as fortunate, and that day will break my heart into a million pieces.
Has working with children with cancer changed anything in your life? Spending time with these children and families have given me a new perspective on what really matters. Before I began working with The Gold Hope Project, cancer was this horrible thing that happened to other people in a far away land. But it is very real, right in my neighborhood and surprisingly more common than I expected. It is so hard to read their stories; I cry every single time. I am forever changed by these kids and their families.
What is one thing you hope to families you photograph for the project can take away from this experience? A photograph symbolizes so many things, it literally stops time. I hope that during the time we spend together, we have a little fun, and capture the spirit of the child. While I have no doubt these families need a photographic reminder of what they have experienced, I hope that what shines through is the child’s personality and the character that remains despite the struggle they’ve been through.
Lindsey Rabon Photography
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A huge thank you to Lindsey for choosing to give back with our project! Want to follow her lead? Apply to be a volunteer photographer here.