Sorry for the non-photography posts this week.  It’s been one for the record books.

This week, I sat with a woman in her last conscious moments.  I have been closely following her situation since tuesday.  Her name is Sharlotte, or known as “Shay” to her friends & family.  She is 36.  A mother of 3 boys, wife to a man named Sean.  The update as of tonight, is that she is officially brain dead and will be kept alive until tomorrow when her organs will be donated to people who need them to continue their lives.  The only comfort to come from this is that people will get to live because her body had to sacrifice. 

Wow.  This is how it ends.

After a little research on Shay, I found an interesting yet heartbreaking story about her family.  In 2003, her brother DJ was in Iraq when he was accidentally shot in the face by friendly fire.  Sadly, he didn’t survive.

There are so many things I wish I could say to Shay’s family.  None of them will make this situation any better.  Nothing I say could change it.  I pray tonight that they find comfort and peace.  That’s all I could hope for.

Thanks for following along.  I know I couldn’t save her life.  I know I couldn’t do a thing.  I’m ok, and I’ll be ok.  Thanks for your prayers everybody!

Most surreal day of my life.  Today I was part of one of the most difficult things I’ve gone through in a long time, and one of the greatest things I’ve seen in a long time.  I am a zombie inside right now, just thinking about it.

This morning, I was photographing a home in Poway, CA … and as I left, approximately 11:49am, I crested the hill outside the neighborhood.  I saw a truck up on an embankment so I pulled over real quick to make sure the driver was ok. As I got out, I noticed a woman sitting on the ground, with her head in her hands.  She was hurt, very badly.  Apparently I had just pulled up on a very fresh accident. There was one woman on scene already who had been jogging by, and a man who saw the accident happen in his rear-view mirror. Then me. The driver of the truck hadn’t even exited his car yet.  As I approached closer, I could see someone was calling 911, and the jogger was standing there not knowing how to help.  So I go into survival mode and approach the woman, who was sitting on the ground.  I put my hand on her back and ask her if she knows what her name is.  Understandably, she couldn’t articulate.  I’ll spare you the complete details, but when she looked up at me, I could see that she had a serious injury above her right eye.  I kept her sitting up until the paramedics arrived and let them take care of her from there.  I was in shock, not necessarily because of the extent of her injuries, but because I was helpless in that situation. All I could do was rub her back and talk to her.  Helpless.

Moving forward.

This morning, 2 of my best friends had a baby!  I was out working all day and didn’t think I’d get to swing by and see the new boy in their lives.  As the day went on, I got a text that said, “You need to come to the hospital to make your bad day a little better, and hold my baby!”  And with that, I couldn’t resist.  I headed to the hospital and had a fantastic time meeting this new addition!  The parents were so happy, and in such great spirits!  I got a bunch of awesome photos, but will tease you with the image above since I want to let the parents introduce you all to him first.

Then as I was leaving, I remembered that the paramedics mentioned taking the woman from the first story to the same hospital I was in to visit this newborn baby.  Wow, the day comes full circle.  I know hospitals.  They won’t let a stranger find anything out about a patient.  So I got in the elevator, pressed “Parking Garage” and started down.  In the elevator was 1 nurse, and her tag said “Critical Care Unit” on it.  I knew this was my only hope of finding anything out.  I mentioned that I witnessed an accident, and that the woman was taken to this hospital.  She shook her head, and I said, “I understand, you can’t tell me anything.  But she had an injury above her right eye.”  She shook her head again, and quietly said, “We got her in this morning.  I’m sorry, we don’t think she’s going to make it.  But I didn’t tell you anything.”

And with that, my day had become surreal.  Unique.   Heartbreaking, yet heart-growing.  I had met a woman, in her most critical moments.  Then I met a boy, a small infant, in the first moments of his amazing life.  My day started with sorrow, and ended in triumph and joy.  I don’t even know how to process today.  But I hope the nurse in the elevator was wrong.  I am praying for a miracle for this woman.

Thank you Lord for each new day, and the adventures hidden in each new sunrise. 

Gnomey Gwynn … the result of another late night.

To the chemist’s daughter:

Your father is worried for you. “She’s a smart girl in college” he says.  “She just changed her major,” he pauses, “…to photography.  And I don’t think photography can make a living.”  He’s probably told you this, and it’s probably made you sad or angry.  But you, the chemists daughter, you know.  Life is more than what you do, it’s who you are.  Keep at it.  He’ll be ok, as long as you’re happy.

(…oh, and I set him straight for you.)

Before I start writing, know that this picture I took of the American flag has absolutely nothing to do with this blog at all.  It’s just a shot I took that I love.

There’s a good chance I’ve neglected this blog.  This JonnyUps.com thing … for a little bit now.  You see, I have been working on this thing you’ve probably heard me rambling about.  It’s called FourMinuteStory.com and it’s my way of lending a hand to projects, organizations, goals and whatnot.  It’s my donation to the cause.  You know, to promote people who need promoting so that they could earn money towards their goal.  Or gather volunteers for something or someone who needs volunteers.  Or whatever it may be.  Maybe someone is selling something and is donating their profits to something good.

You see, it’s something I want to do.  At least for now.  And to be honest, it’s taken quite a bit of energy.  I’ve told 3 stories so far.  The next story is an exciting one.  It’s the host of The Mikey Show here in San Diego.  Stoked to tell his story because it’s nuts.  I can’t even begin to tell it.  He tells it in so many ways, whether it’s on the air, on his website, or at one of the many appearances he makes throughout the year.  What’s great about telling his story is the platform it gives to the other stories that are told.  You see, Mikey doesn’t need the publicity.  But he is graciously taking it, knowing full well that it’s helpful for me.  Helpful to others.

That said, I’m not trying to turn this JonnyUps.com blog into a FourMinuteStory.com blog, but I am trying to say that that the only way others can be helped in a big way, is if you (yes you, the one reading this right now) do something about it.  You tell your friends, or share the blog, or something.  Something free, something easy, something.  And that’s better than nothing.  Make sense?  FourMinuteStory.com is my something, what are you going to do?  What’s your something?

I’m going to start off by apologizing.  I post a lot of photos and blogs of and about my friend Jonathan.  That said, let me explain.  He’s a musician, and a great friend.  Being a musician, he needs photos.  Being a photographer, I take them for him.  Hope that explains.

So back on October 23, I posted about Jonathan’s attempt to raise $10,000 in 30 days.  He raised $10,000 in half the time and ended up raising $13,000 by the end of the 30 days.  To start it all off, he asked me to take a shot of him holding a sign mentioning his need for the money.  So once the goal was reached, we brainstormed an equally simple photoshoot to become the poster he would give away to supporters.  The photo above is a shot from that photoshoot.

I have been messing around with umbrellas and lights with a couple recent shoots.  My style of shooting is casual, fast, and imperfect.  I am not a perfectionist.  So for me, using umbrellas has been a struggle since they control the situation more than normal, and they aren’t easy to move around quickly to capture the moment as easily.  But with that challenge in mind, I decided to give it a shot.  We took some shots inside, outside, all with umbrellas and lights.

I am pleased with the outcome, and will post the actual poster photo once the poster is printed and sent out to his supporters.  They get to see it first.  :)  In the meantime, enjoy this non-secretive photo of Jonathan, and please support his music!

3 years.  Miss you dad.