Families Helping Families!

Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Cormican adoption campaign!

What started as an idea to simply support a dear couple in their journey towards adoption has turned into a true joy of the heart for me.

Family is everything.

While I love photography and the reward of capturing that 'pretty' picture of a senior or an interesting or creative editorial story, I realize that capturing the moment between two people as they share their lives together is so much more rewarding.  As this campaign begins to unfold with each new family, I am delighted and blessed to see so many great stories and the knowledge that these pictures will carry meaning in someone's life for years to come.

Soon I will post collections from those family sessions with their stories. 

Take time to document your family story.  Whether it is that formal portrait that will hang on your walls for guests and grandchildren to see one day, or simply a casual adventure that captures who you are and how you relate to each other.

You have a wonderful life to share.

It starts with each other and ends with the stories your tell to others. If you want to take part in the Cormican campaign fundraiser to support their adoption journey, while capturing your own story, simply download this form and make your donation!

A Forever Family for Skye, Cayla and Preston!

After months of waiting, it is official... the adoption of Skye, Cayla and Preston by Katie and Joel Longanecker is now complete!

I have been blessed to photograph several families and children of adoption over the years.  Some I call my own, others I have come to know as family and delight in watching them grow and change over the years from session to session.

But, this one... was different.

This was the first time I was part of the process before it was finalized.  As Katie, Joel and I planned and executed the session, we were working to document their new family and have ready images for the adoption finalization announcement.  It would be the first time they could share online images of their children and we wanted it to be fun and special.

What we didn't plan, was how much the children would want to document their new family themselves.  Over the course of the 2 hour session, I would find my camera in the hands of the children nearly as much as it was in my own.  Instead of battling them to pose for me, we went with the flow and let them design the things they wanted to capture that day.  I held the camera and helped with exposure, but the poses and the captured moments were all their own as they looked through my viewfinder and found their own memories at the press of the shutter.

One day, I will post my images from the session.  But today, you will find below the images that Skye, Cayla and Preston captured.   I think it is more beautiful than anything I could have ever dreamed.  Seeing their family through their eyes and their eyes alone.

Yes!  Mommy and Daddy are purposely holding 3 flowers, picked by the kids!

Beautiful Skye - This girl has a wonderfully creative eye.  She is destined to be a photographer one day!

Spirited Cayla - this fun girl is ALL personality and spirit.  She will be a handful, but in all the good ways!

Darling Preston - still a young heart, but oh... such a darling!

Okay... I technically took this one, but the set up was the planning and idea of Skye and Cayla.  (Preston simply added to it!)

The Longanecker's took part it the fundraising campaign to help another adoptive couple - Tony and Tara Cormican.  Their session fee went towards this couple as they prepare to adopt a child from Uganda.  Want to be a part of this great campaign?  Go to 'Giving Back' and learn more!

Celebrate Your Family By Helping Another!

The joy of having children and the joy of belonging to a family are God's greatest gifts.  Yet, so many will spend their lifetime waiting for it or desperately in need of a helping hand to obtain it.

This past year, one very special couple began their search for their child through adoption.  Tony and Tara Cormican are seeking their first child through a Ugandan adoption.  It is a long and expensive process, but I am hoping you can help them find their child and that child find their way to this special family.

This summer, donate $125 or more directly to the Cormican adoption fundraising campaign and receive a full family portrait session at NO CHARGE!

This includes a 90-minute session on location, a disc of high res images and a print release.

The only requirement?  The session must include more than 1 person.  We are celebrating families and relationships.  So let us celebrate yours!

To meet Tony and Tara and hear their story, simply visit their website at www.purecharity.com/cormicanadoption.
You an also follow their adoption journey on their blog at cormicananadoption.blogspot.com.

To learn more and to schedule your session, contact me at christie@christierachelle.com or call (952) 564-4472.

Trust me when I say, there are no better parents waiting than this loving couple!