Tampa Photography Blog

Flashes of Hope never disappoints.

Even though I can't disclose the identities of the kids, I know their names. I know their smiles. And I've seen their joy.

These children are an inspiration--for just one hour, maybe less, they act like kids. They aren't concerned with tubes, treatments, needles and pain. It's truly amazing to watch the transformation from timid patient to silly kid in a matter of minutes.

One boy winked at me, one girl growled like a lion and another giggled so hard, she almost made me cry.

But unfortunately, not all the kids are ok. Not all of them can let loose. Some either feel too sick or are just too scared to enjoy the photo shoot. And that's ok too.

The goal of this organization is to raise money (of course) and photograph kids with life-threatening illnesses like cancer and give those photos to their families as a gift.

The structure of the photo shoot changed a bit allowing us to photograph outpatients, which means more families! I photographed 17 families in one afternoon at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, with the day organized by Tampa Bay Chapter Directors Dana Hudepohl and Marc Silbiger. (Aveda provides make up and styling services and local photographers rotate monthly.)

All of the people involved are volunteers and the families don't pay a dime for any of it. They receive a print package and a CD with the high-resolution photos after the photographer edits the images.

So far, 215 children have been photographed in Tampa Bay.

If this charity interests you, I urge you to donate your services or money to keep it going. It means a great deal to me and I hope after seeing some of the photos, you’ll feel touched too. For more photos, please visit my Facebook page.