megan w photography blog » Life http://www.meganwblog.com midwest & destination wedding photography Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:41:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Ellie Kate http://www.meganwblog.com/ellie-kate/ http://www.meganwblog.com/ellie-kate/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:35:59 +0000 megan http://www.meganwblog.com/?p=1286 Wow, it really just seems like yesterday that I was nervously sitting in Barnes and Nobles with April and Matt discussing the possibility of me photographing their wedding. The two were married in October of 2007 and trusted me, a very new photographer at the time, to capture their day. I’m so thankful they took a chance with me, allowing me to be a part of their lives. They’ve been faithful followers of my work and Matt still has every single wedding photo saved on his iphone. They truly are two of the most kind and gentle people I’ve ever met, and with faith out of this world.

Matt and April knew they wanted to be parents and after the painful loss of their first baby Maddy, they prayerfully considered getting pregnant again. They became pregnant again with little Ellison, or Ellie as her friends and family call her, and shortly thereafter it was discovered that her little body was not developing as it should. Ellie made her courageous entrance into this world on May 25, 2011 at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and has been fighting for her life since.

I was honored to meet sweet Ellie yesterday and to take her photograph. Ellie’s future is uncertain, but the doctors say that she is a medical miracle for surviving as long as she has. She is one tough little girl. I left Cincinnati heavy hearted yesterday and deeply affected by Ellie’s story. I am hopeful. I am angry. I am incredibly saddened. Mostly though, I am moved by Ellie’s strength and the faith of her parents. I am in awe of the frailty of life and feel prompted to love the people in my life with further depth. I’m thankful for the impact and perspective this sweet, little baby and her family have given me. I’ll end this with a few words from Ellie’s daddy.

“We hope that Ellie’s life and her story will in some way touch hundreds, if not thousands of people.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will work through Ellie’s life to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.  We know with out a doubt that Ellie was given to us for a reason, besides to bring us incredible joy, happiness and life long memories from these short few months.  We know that some day in the future our family will be together.  We know that Eternal Life in Heaven with our girls is going to be a much longer period of time than our time here on earth.  And, Heaven is going to be that much sweeter knowing that our family will be whole!”

Please meet the beautiful Ellison Kate.

 

 

If you’d like to read more about Ellie’s condition, or leave some encouraging words for her parents, visit Ellie’s blog here. Please keep Ellie and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

 

 


 

]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/ellie-kate/feed/ 14 Andre, Regina, & Oscar http://www.meganwblog.com/andre-regina-oscar/ http://www.meganwblog.com/andre-regina-oscar/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 02:22:56 +0000 megan http://www.meganwblog.com/?p=1222

Indianapolis, IN

This has to be one of my favorite sessions to date! Oscar’s arrival is set for this September, and I can’t wait to meet and photograph the little guy.

I think it’s safe to say he will be one beautiful baby, what do you think?

:)

MEGAN W PHOTOGRAPHY

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]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/andre-regina-oscar/feed/ 1 Baby Charlie http://www.meganwblog.com/baby-charlie/ http://www.meganwblog.com/baby-charlie/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:34:24 +0000 megan http://www.meganwblog.com/?p=1168 Evansville, IN

Well, I don’t normally photograph infants and children, but when two of your favorite clients come to you with the news that they’re expecting their first child and they want you to photograph them…well you just can’t pass that up! Matt and Katie welcomed little Charlie into this world just a handful of weeks ago, and it was such a great honor to photograph that cute little face. Congratulations again Matt and Katie, he is just perfect and parenthood sure does look good on ya. Enjoy ;)

MEGAN W PHOTOGRAPHY

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]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/baby-charlie/feed/ 0 nicaragua : la chureca http://www.meganwblog.com/nicaragua-la-chureca/ http://www.meganwblog.com/nicaragua-la-chureca/#comments Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:23:51 +0000 admin http://www.meganwblog.com/?p=1074

I wanted to take some time on this blog post to tell you about a little school called Oasis de Esperanza. This school offers a free Christian education to over 400 children pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Not only is this school educating these kids, they’re also providing meals, health care, and offering adult literacy and parental involvement programs. We spent the day learning more about the school, putting on presentations and work shops, and loving on the amazing students.

In order to understand just how special this little school is, you need to understand a little more about where these kids are coming from. Oasis de Esperanza is a ministry for the kids of la Chureca, which is the largest open air landfill in Central America, located in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Managua. Over a thousand people live in the enormous eighteen square mile dump, half of which are children. Residents of the dump spend their days searching for food through rotting waste from restaurants, biochemical waste from hospitals, and bones and other animal remains from a local slaughterhouse. The consumption of rotting food along with constant inhalation of burning trash has left the people of the dump with countless intestinal and respiratory issues. The extremely impoverished families fight vultures and livestock in search for any salvageable items to recycle for money. It’s no wonder why la Chureca has been classified as Hell on Earth.

One of the students of Oasis de Esperanza.

The entrance to la Chureca.

Child prostitution and trafficking has become a serious issue in La Chureca. The garbage truck drivers have obtained a position of power within the dump, in return women and young girls sell themselves to have dibs on trash in hopes of recycling for profit.

Enter Oasis de Esperanza, literally meaning Oasis of Hope.

It’s still difficult for me to connect these sweet, clean cut kids as the ones who live in the dump. It was completely obvious to us that they are so incredibly happy at their school.

Elaine, pictured above on the right, came to Nicaragua with her husband Wayne over 7 years ago to found Oasis de Esperanza. The couple was ready to retire and relax when God gave them their call. They sold everything they owned and moved to Nicaragua and faced countless obstacles in the process. Oh, if I could just have a pinch of the faith of those two… I admire them so much.

Elaine had explained to me that when the school first started, the kids were incredibly underweight and would hardly make eye contact with you.

When we visited, they were healthy, happy, and so full of love.

By God’s grace, Oasis de Esperanza is growing and expanding to help meet the needs of their impoverished community. There are some really practical ways to help out and partner, such as purchasing school supplies, shoes and uniforms, and backpacks, etc. If you’re interested at all in helping to change the lives of these kids, please get in touch with Bridges of Hope.

For more information about Wayne and Elaine and their ministry, visit their website here.

]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/nicaragua-la-chureca/feed/ 6 nicaragua : casa de esperanza http://www.meganwblog.com/nicaragua-casa-esperanza/ http://www.meganwblog.com/nicaragua-casa-esperanza/#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:22:53 +0000 admin http://www.meganwblog.com/?p=1043 A hope in darkness.

Many women in Nicaragua, especially in Managua, are mislead to believe that the only way they’ll be able to support their families is through prostituting themselves. Prostitution over the age of eighteen is legalized, yet discouraged in Nicaragua. Still the exploitation of young girls and boys in Nicaragua has reached alarming proportions. Most girls, by the influence of their mothers, are being pimped out by the age of eleven. Many, even younger, are sold by their mothers into sexual slavery for just a few dollars.  Other young children are kidnapped and sold into sex slavery or kidnapped and killed for their organs. A shocking 60% of human trafficking taking place in the western hemisphere is from Nicaragua.

In such darkness there is hope, in a place called Casa de Esperanza or House of Hope. The name is quite fitting, as it is the only refuge for women and children trapped in prostitution in all of Nicaragua. House of Hope provides shelter, protection, food, and an education for recovering prostitutes, their children, and victims of human trafficking. Women also have the opportunity to be involved in a three year micro-enterprising program where they can build their own businesses and provide for their families in a non-degrading way. The women also receive counseling, have opportunities to speak with psychologists, and begin the process of healing from constant sexual abuse.

Most importantly, the women who come to House of Hope are able to learn about a God who desperately loves them.

We were able to visit on a Tuesday, the day of the week that over 350 women come from all over Managua to be at House of Hope. There is singing and praying, a message, and time for women to work on their micro-enterprising. It was incredible to see these women cry out to God in worship. You could feel the deep hurt and pain in their sobbing, but there was this obvious sense of relief and healing too.

Girls as young as five years old are rescued from human trafficking and brought to House of Hope.

Women arriving for the Tuesday morning program. They walk for miles or are bused in to attend, some are still involved in prostitution.

This is the apartment of a 13 year old recovering prostitute. It may not look like much, but for her it’s safe and peaceful. The image below is the door to her room.  My Spanish is rough, but I believe it reads, “I can do all things through His strength.”

Los Discipulos praying with a woman.

These ladies have been selected to be a part of the micro-enterprising program. They learn to make jewelry, cards, and other products to sell.

Some of our team members held a simple seminar for the ladies. They learned valuable ways to stand out and improve their businesses.

The rest of our team got to spend the afternoon with the younger kids. :)

I love the image above. To see a child, who has gone through so much, be absolutely lost in laughter makes me so, so happy.

It doesn’t take much to change a life, and I’ve seen first hand how badly these women want to change their circumstances.

For more information on how you can sponsor one of the kids’ education or help a woman start her own business check out Bridges of Hope.

For additional information on House of Hope, check out their website.

]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/nicaragua-casa-esperanza/feed/ 8 nicaragua : part one http://www.meganwblog.com/nicaragua-part-1/ http://www.meganwblog.com/nicaragua-part-1/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:05:38 +0000 admin http://meganwblog.com/?p=980 I didn’t want to go.

I heard all the details about the people, the projects, and just nodded my head and brushed it behind me. Even though it was an avenue of photojournalism I’ve wanted to explore for the past five years, I knew I wasn’t the right man for the job. I needed time. Time to recover; time to heal. I was picking up the pieces after a painful divorce, quickly followed by the heart breaking loss of my oldest brother to cancer. How could I ever be of use after the year that I’ve had? God, you’re crazy and you’re just going to have to find someone better suited for the job.

I have nothing to give.

It’s funny how things happen in your life. Things that were never supposed to be a part of your plan. Things you thought would destroy you. God’s timing is a funny thing, it sure is.

I lost people in my life, who at just the right time were replaced by solid, influential people, and sometimes frustratingly persistent friendships. I was scheduled to be in Mexico at the same time, which fell through.  My plans and my wants kept changing uncontrollably. The final straw came when I flew home from a long week documenting a wedding out of the country. Out of emotional desperation, and a pinch of boredom, I opened one of two purchased books on my iPad that I hadn’t touched in a long time, and began to read.  I was skimming through the pages and my eyes caught a verse from Isaiah. It read,

“And if you give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday
And the Lord will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring, whose waters do not fail.”

I began to see why God was changing my plans and prompting me to get past my deep hurts. This verse was opening my eyes to look past my own pain and grief, and focus on anothers needs. I made the decision there on that plane that I would cast my fears aside and to commit to this trip. I would use what resources and talents I had to help. I would somehow bless these people in Central America.

What I never suspected, however, is that they would bless me.

That they would heal pieces of me. That these people who seemingly had so little to offer would give me a joy that I’ve never felt in my life.

God’s timing is a funny thing sure, but it is so perfect. I can’t fully understand why I had to go through the things that I did to get here. And I can’t explain the feelings of peace, and contentment I encountered while I was in Nicaragua and since I’ve returned.

All I know is that I serve a God who has it figured out, and it is just my job to be still.

–

As I’ve been preparing images and video to post, I catch myself wrestling with doubts. Will these sufficiently tell their story? Will you understand their pain and their struggle when you see their faces, in the same way I experienced first hand? Will you see the simple hope and joy they have in Christ? Will these images create a reaction in the people viewing them? A reaction to give. A reaction to serve. And a reaction to live more simply? I certainly don’t claim to be the most amazing photographer out there, but it certainly is my hope and prayer that these things translate through my work.

So, here it is. My first post from my time in Nicaragua, documenting the efforts of Bridges of Hope. Feel free to leave any responses or questions you may have in the comments section below.

Our first location, Barrio Santa Elena. Here we distributed beans and rice and put together a simple eye clinic.

The line waiting to enter the church where we held our make shift eye clinic. Over 200 people walked away that day with a new pair of eye glasses.

We did not have nearly enough supply to meet every need. It was heartbreaking having to turn people away.

Some ladies eager to show off their new specs. :)

We traveled with Los Discipulos, an amazing group of ex-gang members from El Salvador, led by pastor Giovanny (above). By using their talents in break dancing and rapping,

they share their stories and faith to others in ways we couldn’t. More on these awesome guys later. :)

It’s safe to say that the children everyone loved them.

An impromptu break dance lesson at the local school.

I had the opportunity to walk around the barrio and meet more people who lived there. We met a widow whose feet and shoes were in terrible condition.

We asked her if we could buy her a new pair of shoes, and she obliged. We drove her to the nearest market and let her pick out a new pair.

The kids absolutely loved having their picture taken, and would squeal when I turned my camera around to show them the photo.

I photographed this group of older boys several times throughout the day. It wasn’t until later that I realized they were gang members,

who were threatening our efforts at the church.

I’ll end this post with a few moments that broke my heart the most that day. It was explained to me that many of the kids become

ill with parasites due to the sewage in the yards and streets. Above is a photo of a girl running through the sewage overflowing into the street.

Below is a toddler I found alone playing in the sewage runoff in the backyard.

I’ll be posting more from Nicaragua soon. If you’re interested in helping the people of Santa Elena

or if you’d like to support Bridges of Hope,  please visit their website.

Bridges of Hope International

]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/nicaragua-part-1/feed/ 9 my inspiration http://www.meganwblog.com/my-inspiration-my-revelment/ http://www.meganwblog.com/my-inspiration-my-revelment/#comments Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:58:49 +0000 admin http://meganwblog.com/?p=961

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action,

and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost.

The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression.

It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.

You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased.

There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is on a queer, divine dissatisfaction,

a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”

— Martha Graham

I crave creativity–I NEED to create. I’m constantly devouring magazines, blogs, and all types of art and design to get my visual fix. I’ve found the need to create a place

that holds my daily inspirations. And so, here is REVELMENT, a handpicked medley of my inspirations, musings, obsessions, and things that make my heart smile.

I hope you drop by sometime.

-m :)

]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/my-inspiration-my-revelment/feed/ 1 Mark & Patty http://www.meganwblog.com/mark-patty/ http://www.meganwblog.com/mark-patty/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:11:33 +0000 admin http://meganwblog.com/?p=481

Patty, a fellow photographer and absolutely wonderful friend, wanted a few images for her website which will be launching very soon! Be sure to check out her incredible work, here.

:)

Megan W Photography | Indianapolis Portrait Photographer

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]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/mark-patty/feed/ 3 Jonathan http://www.meganwblog.com/jonathan/ http://www.meganwblog.com/jonathan/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:33:08 +0000 admin http://meganwblog.com/?p=433

Megan W Photography | Indianapolis Portrait Photographer

Jonathan, a talented photographer of Indianapolis, contacted me a while back for a few photographs for his website. Be sure to take a moment to check out his work, here.

WEBSITE |  BLOG |  CONTACT

]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/jonathan/feed/ 3 stephen http://www.meganwblog.com/stephen-senior/ http://www.meganwblog.com/stephen-senior/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:05:57 +0000 admin http://meganwblog.com/?p=297

7/5/09 – indianapolis, in

]]> http://www.meganwblog.com/stephen-senior/feed/ 0