Saturday, February 28, 2009

A family worth their weight in gold

Sometimes a family really has an affect on me. It could be their vibrance, their love for each other, or their outlook on family life. It could be how much they pamper their pooch. It could be anything. 


The Doak family are one such family. I came away from our shoot knowing I'd met some pretty special people.

Our shoot was part of the work that I do for the Australian Community of Child Photographers. Darling, divine and super sweet Gemma has spinal muscular atrophy (type 1). This very rare genetic disease affects Gemma's motor neurons in her spinal cord and brain stem, meaning she has weak muscles, difficulty sucking and swallowing and won't reach developmental milestones such as lifting her head or sitting on her own. Gemma is 9 months old now, and is not expected to live past 1. 

And Gemma is absolutely beautiful. 

gemma1

She was spritely and chatty. Smoochy and loving. Wicked and cheeky. 

gemma2

gemma5

gemma8

Gemma's parents are beautiful. Despite being faced with Gemma's prognosis, Sue and Justin were doing their all to enjoy every moment with Gemma. I'm sure there are very hard times that I don't see, but at the shoot they were relaxed, jovial, composed and fun. 

gemma3

gemma4

gemma6

I think what impressed me most was that Sue and Justin is that they were not being victims. They were getting on with life. And they were very mindful that there was other children in the family who were just as important as Gemma.  The shoot was about all the kids, and capturing them as a family. 

gemma10 

Can't get any more fun than a jumping Toyota shot. 

gemma7

And can't get any cuter than a child in oversized glasses!

gemma9

My love and thoughts and prayers are with you all.
* Meaghan

11 comments:

Natalie February 28, 2009 at 9:00 PM  

Awwww.....Meaghan they are all gorgeous...what a cutie she is. The whole family are all in my thoughts.

Helen February 28, 2009 at 9:42 PM  

What a gorgeous little girl and family... my heart goes out to them.

Anonymous February 28, 2009 at 10:14 PM  

Wow, what a beautiful little girl...and beautiful photos :)

Anonymous February 28, 2009 at 10:35 PM  

Oh Meaghan these are so so beautiful. they are going to treasure these FOREVER. She is just so beautiful and very very precious! Lots of love to the family x

Claire February 28, 2009 at 11:40 PM  

Oh wow Meaghan, what a beautiful little girl and stunning photos. Thinking of this special family. They and You are amazing :)

Anonymous March 1, 2009 at 8:55 AM  

What a precious little girl, she is adorable! And a beautiful family she is part of also!
Wonderful captures Meaghan.

Anonymous March 1, 2009 at 4:24 PM  
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous March 1, 2009 at 10:51 PM  

Ok so my comment mustn't have worked.

Anyway, what I said before was that I couldn't believe how damn gorgeous this whole family is, and the wonderful connections that you have captured in these images. I love that these pictures are simply pictures of a happy loving family 'getting on with life' despite the difficulties. These are free spirited, loving, and full of life. What an admirable family you had the chance to photograph. You could not have done a better job if you tried.

I just see pictures of love and happiness.

MEAGHAN COOK PHOTOGRAPHY BOUTIQUE March 2, 2009 at 2:58 PM  

Thankyou all for such kind words, and warmest of thoughts for the family. I'll be sure to pass them on.
*Meaghan

MJ March 2, 2009 at 3:23 PM  

I looked at your beautiful photos of Gemma and her family. I loved them!!! I have SMA also and I have my own organization that sends blankets to children with SMA. I would love to send one to Gemma. You can e-mail me directly or have her family e-mail me at b4sma_kids@yahoo.com
Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures!
MJ
www.our-sma-angels.com/b4sma
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mjpurk

Anonymous March 6, 2009 at 12:12 PM  

Hi Meghan,
You are a gorgeous person to describe us, our family as you did in your
blog. We are just family, that's what you saw nothing pretentious, just us.
We were similarly taken with you, you yourself made the shot very relaxing,
we just bounced off you darling.
May I say ahhhh the photos of our beautiful little girl, our Jemma are just
beautiful, the ones I have seen have captured her personality, her beauty,
her magic---thank you so much, you are a very special person.
With thanks from the bottom of our hearts.
Sue and of course Family.

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'Photography makes my eyes prickle, my fingers tingle, and my heart thump in my chest.' - Meaghan

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