10/04/2026
Footprints on the Heart's 15th Annual Candle Lighting Ceremony was last night and what a night it was. I love this opportunity for loss families to be able to get together and celebrate their babies.
I spoke on this a little bit last night but if you are a photographer friend or acquaintance of mine, at ANY level, I would love to talk to you about the opportunity to volunteer with us and meet these incredible families and babies in person and answer any questions you may have about what all is involved.
I think unless you’ve experienced this kind of loss, it can be hard to understand why someone would want photographs of such a painful day. And I understand that. But after doing this for families, I’ve realized that these photographs really aren’t about death. They’re about this baby being here.
For most of the parents that I see in the hospital, the pictures I take may be some of the only tangible things they get to keep from an entire lifetime they had imagined with their child.
When I walk into those rooms, of course I see the sadness.
But through my camera, I see so much more than that.
I see a mom studying every detail of her baby's face because she knows she needs to remember it. I see parents holding tiny hands and kissing tiny fingers. I see dads wiping tears from moms' faces. I see grandparents loving their grandbaby. I see people taking care of one another. Sometimes I hear funny family stories. Sometimes we laugh.
There is an incredible amount of love in those rooms and suddenly you understand exactly what a photograph is worth.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please reach out to me and I'll connect you with Footprints on the Heart, Inc. and Khristie Massey Staines
