what we give

we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.- winston churchill

a friend and i were talking today. she's a military spouse and photographer also and relocating in march to VA, after only being in FL for about six months. she was talking about how when she restarts her photography business in VA, she really wants charity work to be a significant part of her business. i...feel the same way.

giving back is and always will be an integral part of my business and who i am as a person. there's times when i wish i could give more but i do what i can, for the place that i'm in and at right now. later, when my kids are older and my husband is home more, maybe i can give more.

while i never, ever expect to get anything in return, i always do.  i get the good for your soul kind of something--that something that cannot be touched, but instead felt with your heart and soul.  that's what i get and that's what giving is all about.  but every now and then, i get an incredible little treasure like this...

deb, you are so amazing. i wish there were words to tell you how much this means to us. the gift you give to people is so powerful and something that is timeless. i remember when i was sick i would look through our coffee table book and cry. i could literally remember that entire day and all those emotions. but that coffee table book gave me hope. it reminded me of the love we had at a time when i so lost. it brought back feelings that helped me to know that everything would be ok. what you do cannot be described with words. i just wish somehow i could repay you. if there is anything i can ever do, please don't hesitate.

give what you can. give when you can. just give something... and see how good it feels.

i'll close with a couple photos of sam and his family.  shooting sam is one of my ways of giving back.

p.s. speaking of giving. i still have to announce my giving is awesome winner, which will hopefully happen this week.  

i heart all of these

some things that i've come to love. i adore her work so much. i think i could own every piece. there are possibilities for any one. possibilities for any room in your house. i'm going to create an inspiration wall in my house and one of her pieces will be on it.

because life is pretty darn amazing and i don't ever want to forget it, i love (and bought) this poster.

there's so many awesome pieces of inspirational jewelry on etsy. you can check out some here, here and here. they make such awesome gifts.

and then there's this bracelet, which not only looks awesome, it also has an amazing message and...the proceeds support a great cause.

her voice is beyond what i can even describe. angelic is the first word that comes to mind but you have to hear for yourself. she plays often in my house. soothes my soul.

more for my inspiration wall and gifts to others. i love her art so much. and her book.

and still more amazing work. i haven't bought a print yet, but i will soon...for the inspiration wall.

just discovered these shirts. oh...my...gosh...i heart them so.

in the spirit of giving, check out this amazing story. you never know what's possible if you dream big and go from there.

i don't have a coffee table right now but i do have this book and i love it so. when i do get a coffee table, *this book* will grace the center of the table and sit proudly for all to view and read. for now, it graces my bookshelf, reminding me daily of the wisdom of others, who have truly made an impact and made a difference. reminding me of what's possible.

i heart her. she not only followed her dream of being a photographer, she also took a greater leap and followed her dream of becoming a dog photographer. her work is amazing and i know she's going to be wickedly famous sometime soon. erin is the epitome of following your passion and your dream.

i love etsy so much. what could be better than sharing some handmade goodness this christmas? this year i bought a lot of my gifts from etsy, along with making some of my own gifts (calendars, greeting cards, etc.) to share with others. it feels so much better to give something i or someone else made versus something i went to the store and bought.

i cherish the beauty and power of a handwritten note so much and therefore, i am often looking and buying some sort of stationery product. right now i'm particularly loving letterpress products. i'm even thinking of doing letterpress business cards next year.

i adore these monsters and love the fact that the kids can design them themselves. however, i don't adore the fact that my dog already got to skyler's monster and put a hole in it. grrrr!

lastly (speaking of monsters), i so love skyler's homemade "good monsters" that she made to help protect ryder from the monsters that he says live in his walls and scare him.

getting in on the giving

and giving is awesome. those who follow my blog regularly know how thankful i am. and how much i love to give. because giving is awesome. giving feels good.

well...there's this awesome giving thing going on right now amongst the photography community (started by kirsten kalp). so of course, yes, yes, yes--i want to participate (i've actually been thinking about doing something similar for a while now, so what better time than now).

here are some words about the program and what i'm giving:

know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is selflessly volunteering despite extenuating personal circumstances? know someone who cannot afford custom photography, but would so cherish it like no other? know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love and beauty?

NOMINATE THEM.

give them the chance to win over $1700 of custom photography. Â they will receive: a deb schwedhelm photography photo session all of the images displayed in their gallery on CD 1 - 8x10 1 -11x14

and...the person who nominates the winner will receive a $250 print credit on a future deb schwedhelm photography session.

rules: you cannot nominate yourself (however you can nominate one of your family members). the person nominated must sincerely have a story and be incapable of purchasing custom photography. the nominee must live around the san diego area. photo session must take place sometime between jan through jun 2009.

you MUSTÂ email the full story to deb@debsphotographs.com tell me who you're nominating, what they're experiencing and why you feel they deserve to win this (giving is) awesome custom photography package. if possible include a photo of your nominee (and their family). include contact information for both yourself and the nominee. and, please comment here (on this blog entry) to let me know you've entered and ensure my receipt of your email entry.

the winner will be announced january 1st, so please tell your friends, spread the word and get nominating.

and if you're not in the san diego area, click here to find a participating photographer in your area. there's over 112 participating photographers, with over $153,085 in photography giveaways.