NILMDTS - Houston get together - tonight

[Cajungaltx]

We are having a NILMDTS get together tonight at 6:30pm.

If your curious about volunteering with NILMDTS - come join us. It's a worthwhile organization, and we are in need of volunteers to help cover the hospitals in the Texas Medical Center.

We are going to have a guest speaker who has photographed more than 300 weddings in the last 10 years. He's built a gorgeous studio! (Which is where we are having the gathering).

He has a MBA with a concentration in marketing from Rice University. He'll give a presentation on his thoughts about the business aspects of starting & running a business in today's environment.

It's gonna be GOOD information!

The event is laid back & casual. Send me a PM, or an email at my username at yahoo.com and I'll give you the address, etc so you can join us!

Thanks!
Donna

[Cornbread]

Um... Acronyms are kinda useless when I don't know what they stand for.

[kamekaze]

Originally Posted by Cornbread

Um... Acronyms are kinda useless when I don't know what they stand for.

About Us - Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

I think what ya'll do is truly amazing but I don't think I could steel my nerves enough to do it...

[linque]

How can you do that without your tears filling up the viewfinder? I have a lump in my throat just thinking about it.

How often do you have these get togethers?

[janetg]

i didn't see this either...hats off to everyone.

[Cajungaltx]

Originally Posted by linque

How can you do that without your tears filling up the viewfinder? I have a lump in my throat just thinking about it.

How often do you have these get togethers?

Scott - we are trying to have them every couple of months - although we aren't always successful. ;-) We just started incorporating speakers into our meetings, and we had the largest turn out since I took over as the area coordinator.

We also ate some seriously yummy italian sausage/pasta creation that was made by a visiting Yankee friend... and loads of desserts....and tea...and a few folks had a couple Corona's. We ate, and visited, then let our speaker talk for about 30 minutes, then we discussed different things brought up...

It was alot of fun.

It's funny you ask about crying - every photographer always asks the same thing - it's never about skill... or posing... or anything else... it's always about crying.


It's one of those questions that really tells me how much we connect with what we are photographing on a daily basis.

Honestly - I've been doing this for a couple years now - and I have yet to do a session that I haven't cried at. It's not a joyous time... and it's hard to describe... I may start crying a few minutes after I'm introduced to the parents and I get to meet their little angel. I may not start crying until after I start taking pictures, when I put down the camera and look at the parents holding their little one...

But the moment the camera comes up, and I'm looking through the viewfinder - I stop. It's weird... but at that moment, it is simply about taking photos knowing that this is something that will help them remember....and help them heal....and help them hold something tangible in their hands that says: My child existed.

When I first applied to be a NILMDTS photographer - I can remember praying to NOT be approved... to have them say that I needed more experience... cause I was terrified. What kind of weird person does this???

But I was approved... and it has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. In so many unique ways. I will tell you that there are days when I have a session, that I come home and do no laundry...no housework... I order a pizza or pick up take out...and I do nothing but play with my girls... it makes you recognize the blessings you have at home... which sometimes we lose sight of during the busy day.

We need photographers - especially in Houston.

We use an 'on call' calendar system - meaning you get to pick one or two days a month to be 'on call'. If we get a call needing NILMDTS services, the person 'on call' takes care of the session. So there are days I'm on call, that no one calls for our services. And there are days when they do.

When we have no one 'on call' - the voicemail is switched to say: "We have no available photographers to handle your session."

The goal for our group (we just cover the Texas Medical Center area) is that we have 30 ACTIVE photographers - who are on call ONE day a month, and are 'backup' ONE day a month. The 'on call' photographer would handle the first two sessions that come in... with the 'backup' handling two additional if they should be needed.

The MOST sessions we've had requests for during a single day has been 4. And that's only been once during the time frame I've been the area coordinator.

Let me know if you (or anyone else) has any questions.

I'm happy to answer them.