Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

In November, I headed out to Topeka for a training seminar for an amazing organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. If the name sounds familiar, it is probably because this non-profit has been receiving a lot of press over the last year.

In a nutshell, the organization provides complimentary portrait sessions to families who have a stillborn or who will pass shortly after birth. There is a powerful article about the organization and process in Newsweek this week. There is also a sidebar about how the organization started.

(FYI: For privacy reasons, it is unlikely that I will ever post a photo from one of these sessions on our blog).

The training session covered a lot of the paperwork and housekeeping items that is involved, but I was incredibly lucky to be in an actual hospital, so the nursing staff at Stormont-Vail talk about the babies and their families, and what a valuable memento the photos are to the family. The above photo is from our hands-on session. We worked with both studio and natural lighting (but you know we're suckers for awesome natural light!).

One valuable tool the organization provides is a forum for parents, family and friends who have lost an infant ... please feel free to pass along this forum link. Also, I know a number of photographers read our blog ... if you're interested in getting involved, please feel free to contact me. The organization is SUCH a worthy cause and is always looking for volunteers. There are upcoming training sessions, and I'd love to help connect you with one of those if you're interested.