Our photographer volunteers are the heart of our organization and we love spotlighting them. This month, we are sharing more about Cheryl Cagle Photography with you. Cheryl is a Massachusetts natural light photographer specializing in newborns and family photography. She specifically shoots to capture emotion and connections rather than more traditional posed looks.
How would you describe your photography? I would describe my photography as lifestyle. I don’t pose people, I guide them to the right location and light and let their emotion and connections come out.
What made you want to join The Gold Hope Project as a volunteer? I have a friend that has a child with cancer and seeing what that family went through, I wanted to give back to families that are going through the same thing.
What is your favorite thing about being a Gold Hope photographer?I loved feeling like I could make a difference in a family’s life.
Has working with children with cancer changed anything in your life? It’s totally made me appreciate much more in my life and I’ve come away with more of an understanding of what families with childhood cancer go through.
What is one thing you hope the families you photograph for the project can take away from this experience? I want them to see how beautiful their family’s love and connection is, and the remember the happiness and joy that we shared one magical night.
This month we are so excited to be shining our photographer spotlight on Rachel Friedman. Rachel Friedman is a newborn and family photographer based in the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.
How would you describe your photography? My photography is based primarily on connection and light. I was drawn to photography as a way to freeze moments in time, and my family jokes that it’s really because I have a notoriously bad long term memory. When I had my first child, I was so fearful that I wouldn’t remember these days that I became obsessed with becoming our family documentarian. This translates into my client work, because I believe so strongly in going beyond the posed images and capturing the essence of each child’s personality and the love that members of a family share.
What made you want to join The Gold Hope Project as a volunteer? I was inspired to join the Gold Hope project after one of my past clients young daughter was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. I offered them a free photo session, and it felt so good to be putting my passion to a good use while helping someone who needed to capture these moments- now more than ever. That year, we coordinated a large fundraiser to support childhood cancer research, and while it felt wonderful to use my photography skills to raise money for a good cause, I knew that I wanted to find other hands-on ways to give back in a more concrete way to families fighting for their children’s lives. I began searching for other great opportunities to give my time and talent through photography, and found The Gold Hope Project. I’m so glad I did.
What is your favorite thing about being a Gold Hope photographer? I love connecting with the families, getting to know the fighters and their parents and being able to capture them as they are in this phase in their life. Yes, the goal is to create something beautiful, but there’s something beautiful in the raw moments that aren’t necessarily the smile-filled moments as well.
Has working with children with cancer changed anything in your life? I find that working with families who cannot take their children’s health for granted have really taught me to pause and appreciate my own blessings. As cliche as it sounds, having three healthy kids is something that I know I cannot take for granted because I’ve now witnessed firsthand how that can change on a dime.
What is one thing you hope the families you photograph for the project can take away from this experience? Because I work very hard to make sure that the session itself is stress-free and fun, I hope that our time together can be a glimmer of hope for those who need it, a positive happy experience in the midst of such intense adversity. And of course, I know that they will treasure the images themselves for years to come.
This month we are shining our photographer spotlight on Darcy of Darcy Graf Photography. Darcy lives in Miami, Florida with her husband and two children (Titan and Athena). Darcy and her husband also own and operate a martial arts school and fitness facility. A lover of light, laughter and coffee, she is either at the gym or at a shoot (or if it’s dark out, she’ll be at her computer editing). Darcy loves using her passion for photography to give back and the best way to do that is by capturing the beautiful connections between families. Those priceless moments that they can always look back at and cherished.
How would you describe your photography?I’m a lover of natural light and I really seek to let my subject’s personality, emotions and true essence shine through. I want to make images that make you FEEL. Images that make you smile. Images that let you feel the warmth of the sun on your face. Images that bring you back to that moment. Photography to me is truly bottling a moment in time and it means so much to be able to capture precious moments for our Fighter families.
What made you want to join The Gold Hope Project as a volunteer?
I found out about The Gold Hope Project last September during Childhood Cancer awareness month. The moment I read about the organization and what they did to support so many little fighters as well as the education and research funding aspects, I knew I had to get involved immediately! It seemed like such a beautiful way to be able to help in even the smallest way. I also own a martial arts school with my husband and around the same time, I found out that one of our martial arts students is a pediatric cancer survivor. It hit so close to home for me. You would have never known what she had been through-her smile just lights up a room every day yet she fought so hard for her health. I wanted to be able to give the Fighters not only special images of themselves and their families, but to have a day where they could just relax, enjoy themselves and feel fabulous. To truly enjoy the process. To not worry about doctors or tests or anything but snuggling with their family. At our sessions, I do whatever it takes to get laughs, sometimes that means knock knock jokes or my really bad dancing but hey, we have a blast together. My goal is always to have the families walking away smiling and usually covered in sand since we are in Florida.
What is your favorite thing about being a Gold Hope photographer?My favorite thing is definitely meeting such amazing people. The fighters and their families are truly amazing and each one of them has left a huge imprint on my heart. I love getting to know as much as I can about my Fighters, what they love, their passions and dreams. It’s truly so special to be able to connect with such amazing people in this way. I still keep in contact with each fighter and they’ll always have a piece of me.
Has working with children with cancer changed anything in your life?Absolutely. I don’t know how you can help but be impacted but working with such amazing people. The Fighters I’ve worked with show such fortitude, such resilience and still such joy, it truly makes you look at yourself and how you lead your own life. Every session I leave, leaves me with valuable lessons and it just makes me want to give as much as I possibly can. These Fighters are so strong-they fight every day, they smile and look ahead and I know they’re going to do BIG things in the future! It’s just an honor to be able to work with them.
What is one thing you hope the families you photograph for the project can take away from this experience? I hope the families and fighters can take away some joy and happiness from the time spent together. The images they’ll receive are important but when they look back at them, I want them to remember what it felt like to be there in that moment, laughing, snuggling up and being together.
This month we are so excited to be singing our photographer spotlight on Kaleen of Kaleen Enke Photography. Kaleen is an artistic family photographer for families who want to remember the beautiful and raw details of their everyday life. She documents life events both big and small, from birth to end of life, capturing the moments that represent the experience through visual storytelling. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband, 3 kids, and 2 dogs in a house that has been in some state of rehab for nearly a decade.
How would you describe your photography? I approach photography as a visual storyteller. I work to observe and capture the moments and details that honor reality and tell a story that is unique to the people and places I photograph. I love light and shadows, quirky kids, and raw emotion. Humanity is endlessly fascinating to me, and I’m always trying to reflect that in my pictures.
What made you want to join The Gold Hope Project as a volunteer? When I first heard about The Gold Hope Project, there was no hesitation about wanting to volunteer. Being a mother, I really can’t imagine the experience of watching your child be diagnosed and treated for cancer. I’m so thankful for the gift of photography to have some small way to hold space for families who are living out the struggle of a cancer diagnosis.
What is your favorite thing about being a Gold Hope photographer? Meeting the children and the families is my absolute favorite part. I come away from a session feeling so inspired and in awe of the raw strength, resilience, and tenacity of the fighters and their families. I think about them all the time long after the session has passed.
Has working with children with cancer changed anything in your life? Working with children with cancer has given me a lot of perspective and gratitude. I’m reminded that lives can change dramatically without any warning, and my relatively stress free days with my family are something to never take for granted.
What is one thing you hope the families you photograph for the project can take away from this experience? I hope the families I photograph can see how much goodness in their lives coexists with the tough stuff. I hope they can take away from the experience a renewed strength in their ability to do hard things together as a family. And for the children, I hope they can look back at these images years from now and see and feel how much they are loved.
This month we are so happy to be shining our photographer spotlight on Crystal of Crystal Freemon Photography. Crystal is an engineer turned family photographer, obsessed with chasing light and capturing real moments. She lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee (just outside of Nashville) with her husband and two daughters, ages 12 and 10. She believes family portrait sessions should be fun. She’s a hockey mom, Nashville Predators fan & loves the county fair. Crystal photographs everything from maternity to seniors, but her passion is family photography. She loves being able to give families, especially moms, photos that really mean something to them.
How would you describe your photography? I’m fascinated by the way young children and toddlers see the world…the way that every little thing is a wonder to them, and just being outside is an adventure. I try to capture that wonder in my photography. I love bold, colorful images of families interacting with each other. I’m obsessed with light, and particularly love backlit images. I encourage families to have fun at our photo shoots and to think of them more like playdates than photo sessions. We run, jump and play and create wonderful memories together. Creating a relaxing, pleasant experience for my clients is just as important to me as the final product.
What made you want to join The Gold Hope Project as a volunteer? I’ve had the honor of working with a few childhood cancer fighters on my own before I signed up as a Gold Hope volunteer. My little friends Arya, Katelyn and Finn have been such an inspiration to me that I knew I wanted to be able to photograph more heroes like them. I love that the Gold Hope Project offers this gift to families who are going through so much, all while raising awareness and money to fight this awful disease.
My buddy Finn was an amazing little 3 year old who completely touched my heart and recently got his wings after a long fight with Rhabdomyosarcoma. The faith and strength with which his family fought this battle has been an inspiration to me, and to our entire community. While I am heartbroken, I feel blessed to have known this super hero for even a brief time. If I can give just a little something to other kids like Finn and their families, then I want to do that.
What is your favorite thing about being a Gold Hope photographer? I like feeling like there is something I can do for these families, even if it is something small. But more than anything, I think these kids have taught me so much. They have been through more in their short years than most of us will ever endure, yet they still possess that beautiful wonder of childhood, and an ability to live in the moment that we seem to lose as we get older. They inspire me to appreciate each day and to really see the beauty in the world around us.
Has working with children with cancer changed anything in your life? The problems in our world can be so overwhelming, it can be easy to assume that we are helpless to do anything about them. Before working with these kids, I often felt that way. I recently watched a Ted Talk by Mark Bezos called “A life lesson from a volunteer firefighter.” The story he tells shows that even though we can’t all perform a grand heroic act, we can all do small things that make a difference. I can’t cure cancer, but I can give the gift of beautiful memories to these families. I can get the shoes, as the Ted Talk puts it. And in doing so, I get so much more back in return. These kids and their families show so much strength, love, faith and even joy. You can’t help but be changed by that.
What is one thing you hope the families you photograph for the project can take away from this experience? I hope that they can find a few moments of joy, leaving behind the burdens and stresses of fighting cancer. At my recent Gold Hope Session, the mom talked about how little Kelly had spent so much of her young life at the hospital and how much fun she had at our outdoor session playing in the leaves and exploring. I’m so glad they were able to take a break from all the worries and just enjoy their beautiful little girl. I hope that when they look at the photos, that it brings them back to those happy memories and gives them hope of more beautiful moments in the future.
We are so excited to be shining our photographer spotlight on Meg of Meg Loeks Photography. Meg lives remotely in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with her husband, three boys and saint bernard. She is drawn to timeless environmental portraiture, lifestyle photography, landscapes, low light, creative storytelling and color. She loves to find ways to merge different photography genres together, especially children’s portraiture and nature. Meg is a mentor and instructor at Click & Company and Sigma Ambassador.
How would you describe your photography? I would describe my photography, at least what I strive for, as nostalgic, timeless, rich with color, and peaceful. I spend a lot of time outside and love to capture the beauty of nature. Nothing makes me happier than watching my boys explore and discover the natural world around them. We live in a remote area and there’s lots of rural beauty around us. My favorite types of light are low light and golden hour backlight. I really love Rembrandt and Dutch Masters and they often influence a lot of my work.
What made you want to join The Gold Hope Project as a volunteer? I first heard about The Gold Hope Project when my own son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ALL. I knew that I would one day want to volunteer, especially because of how personal it all was to me. I waited till about a year after my son was diagnosed, when things were thankfully starting to get a little better, to apply. I felt I could offer something special, not only offering free sessions to families who have been effected by pediatric cancer but also being able to relate to these families on a personal level.
What is your favorite thing about being a Gold Hope photographer? While I have not photographed a family yet, my favorite part is just being part of an incredible organization doing amazing things for families in need. I know how hard it can be to watch your child go through chemotherapy. I know how special it is to have family photos. Just being part of an organization like The Gold Hope Project has truly changed me as a person and hope that I can one day uplift a family in need.
How has your child’s cancer diagnosis affected your family and your outlook as a photographer? Leo’s diagnosis truly changed everything for our family. It has changed the way we think and changed the way we live. We spend more time together than ever before, my husband and I often unplug more, we have a strong desire to adventure and explore but we know the value of a slow life at home too. It has made us acutely aware of how fragile and fleeting life is and what matters most. As a photographer I already know how important family photos are, but after Leo’s diagnosis that importance was increased tenfold.
What is one thing you hope the families you photograph for the project can take away from this experience? The one thing I hope families I photograph take away from our session together is joy. I want them to forget about all the hospital procedures and medicine. I want these families to simply be present and happy in the moment together. My ultimate goal is to capture their love and support for one another.
