From Trial to Triumph!

We were recently contacted about doing some professional profile photos for someone we have known for quite some time. Although we are always honored when someone entrusts us with their photographs, we were especially excited to do this particular session. The subject of this shoot, Millette, is a survivor of stomach cancer.

Gastric (stomach) cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world, and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. In the United States, there are currently no methods of screening or any established programs for prevention or early detection of this type of cancer. There has been some progress made in early detection, however, it has occurred in parts of Asia.

Millette's cancer was detected after experiencing symptoms for only one hour. The diagnosis came in 2010, just as her son was graduating from high school and she was about to receive her Bachelor of Science degree. Her surgeon advised her that she had between 2-3 stage cancer, and that there was no medical data to know how to treat her specific case within her demographic. So instead of celebrating their triumphs, Millette was preparing to fight the illness that had suddenly plagued her body. Then suddenly, right in the midst of all of the medical testing and preparation, the city of Nashville experienced a devastating flood, forcing her and her son to temporarily evacuate their home.  Following a year of trials and tests that would surely break the average person, and after eight months of surgical procedures, radiation and chemo, in December 2010, she received the report that she was cancer free!

Throughout her journey, Millette says that God kept her surrounded by extremely supportive family, friends, co-workers and God-fearing medical personnel. She states, "I know that I am purposed to be here. If for no other reason, but to stand as a testament to God's healing power and to let the world know that we serve an awesome God who can do miraculous things!"

Millette may possibly have the opportunity to model during the upcoming National Women's Survivor Convention, hosted at the Opryland Convention Center in Nashville, TN in August 2013. Keep her in your prayers!

Thank You so much for checking out our blog. You can also find us on FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest at Photography by Sean Ponder, and on Twitter at @Sean_Ponder. Stay tuned for more to come!

Blessings!

Angela

The Creative Director

Visit us on the web!

www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com

www.behance.net/PhotosbySeanPonder

A "Mother's Day" Photo Shoot

Every Mother's Day, I ask my husband to take photos of our sons and me. They have grown so much, that I want as many photos as I can get of them, while they are still young. We have always been very big in capturing photos of them to track their progress, from childhood to adolescence to manhood. It is an exciting time in our lives, as we watch these two very independent young men come into their own, and discover their own gifts and talents. They have actually both become pretty curious about photography, which I am sure makes their father very proud. We decided to teach them early to always have an entrepreneurial mindset and develop the desire to come up with creative concepts, work for themselves, and endeavor to make their own money on their own terms. Once you've lived and you've learned, it is important to teach the next generation about their potential to do more and to be even greater!

Now, back to the photo shoot...generally, every photo session with our kids involves giggling, loss of focus, constant movement, a little irritability, and lots of TIME. We have found them to not be the easiest subjects to work with, possibly because they are our children, and our lives are filled with non-stop laughter on a regular basis. They seem to struggle with getting serious when we're all together.

Our eldest son seems to appreciate getting on task as soon as possible to get the job done, so he can quickly return to the things that teenagers do, but our little one just can not help himself. He is truly a character and literally keeps us in stitches! Well of course, since I am the session coordinator and creative director, I had the task of directing the vision for the shoot and deciding exactly how I wanted the end result to come across. This can be VERY challenging when I am in the photo myself, but I made it happen. What we didn't realize during the shoot was that my husband never stopped shooting, and managed to get some really great outtakes. We generally do not even share these types of images, but they were so funny, we just could not resist! The facial expressions of our little one are priceless!

So after some smile coaching, instruction in what direction to face, and lots of giggling, we finally got it right. Working with our own kids certainly makes photographing other children seem like a breeze!

Final Image



Thank You so much for checking out our blog. You can also find us on FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest at Photography by Sean Ponder, and on Twitter at @Sean_Ponder. Stay tuned for more to come!

Blessings!

Angela

The Creative Director

Visit us on the web!

www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com

www.behance.net/PhotosbySeanPonder

Introduction to Photography by Sean Ponder

The Photography by Sean Ponder brand is being built by two individuals: Sean, the Lead Photographer and me, his wife Angela, the Creative Director. Our formula for success is based on a foundation of professionalism and being passionate about our individual roles. We believe we compliment each other in a way that is unique to the photography field... he has the vision and takes amazing photos and I direct the entire shoot, from wardrobe and style suggestions, to location, to posing for each and every subject.

We recently did a couple of photo shoots that we were pretty excited about! The first one was a fashion shoot with a very down to earth gentleman, and our primary goal during his shoot, was to pull out that debonair personality and really reveal it in his photographs. The results were amazing!

 Action Shot

Our next shoot was with a couple of teens who were on their way to the prom, and wanted a shoot that would yield photos very different from your average prom photography. We did a group shot of several other couples with our lead couple, but our main focus was on making sure our primary subjects were front and center and shined like the stars! We were definitely pleased with how their session turned out.

 Group Action Shot

Thank You so much for checking out our blog. You can also find us on FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest at Photography by Sean Ponder, and on Twitter at @Sean_Ponder. Stay tuned for more to come!

Blessings!

Angela

The Creative Director

Visit us on the web!
www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com
www.behance.net/PhotosbySeanPonder