Sandy Hook Memorial Shoot at Lover’s Leap, New Milford, CT

The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School is a day that so many will remember for the rest of their lives. I was sitting at my computer when headlines started to appear about something going on in our neighboring town of Newtown. Sirens could be heard and reports of a massive police response to an elementary school were enough to send our town into lockdown and the nation wondering what terrible news was about to be revealed. No one could quite imagine just how terrible that news would be and the lives of so many families were changed forever.

After the tragedy there was a huge outpouring of support and love for Newtown and a movement to pay-it-forward began in this area and probably further afield too. In my Starbucks drive through addicted days the chain of customers paying-it-forward would last for hours and we all became aware of how simple acts of unexpected kindness can impact both the giver and receiver in so many ways.

On the anniversary of that fateful day and to honor and remember the victims of Sandy Hook I offered to shoot a session for a local deserving family and include a package of framed and printed portraits. The nominations and suggestions were amazing – so many people responded with stories of selfless, wonderful families.

Out of so many deserving families this one jumped out…..

Maria was my daughter Olivia’s bus driver. She cares about her bus kids as if they are her own and they in turn love her. She has two high spirited boys and a hard working husband and she was the perfect fit for my memorial shoot. We waited until fall of 2015 to meet and we chatted and walked through the abandoned mill at Lover’s Leap on the banks of the Housatonic river. I know she treasures these images of her boys and I hope to make this memorial session an annual event.

If you know of a family who would be a good fit for a special session of family portraits then please comment below. I want to make sure that I can continue to pay-it-forward in memory of those 26 angels.

Janet xo