Past Wednesday, December 17th, was supposed to be a party-oriented day. I was invited by Alex, beautiful editor of Resource Magazine (left), to the “Crash the Old Resource Office Christmas Party”. I was all anticipating the evening hour when a phone rang and a nurse from the Maimonides Hospital called me, informing of another death in their NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). As a volunteer for NILMDTS, I was called just a few weeks ago by the same hospital for another little soul but wasn’t available to shoot. This time, I had all the equipment at hand, prepared for the party…
For the record, NILMDTS foundation offers professional infant bereavement photography as a form of healing to those parents who need and request it. I rushed to the hospital, gathering my emotional strength. I will not go into the details but upon my arrival and the initial discussion with the medical personnel, the parents approached us and indicated a reversal of their decision to use my service. I could only express my wholehearted compassion and hugged them before leaving… I’m not sure if I’d be able to party otherwise but with this change, as unexpected as the call from the hospital, I felt like needing to lose some thoughts and imagery.
Jp Sevillano of VanJes Foto accompanied me in the hospital so I invited him to join me for the Resource Magazine party. There we went. The party was organized on four floors of the magazine’s office in Brooklyn. It gathered photographers, graphic designers, editors, stylists, models, and other artistic minds. There were few cameras flashing, mine among them. Magazine’s staff kindly allowed the usage of their space, improvised props, and light. And many artists were willing to obediently follow my directions… 🙂 What an exciting way to demonstrate their hidden capabilities and to make friends! Here are two of the original themes that I developed on the spot there.
