Monday, February 16, 2009

Baby, you oughta be in pictures


Meet Sam'ayah. Isn't she precious?

















I met Sam'ayah and her mom last Thursday when their nurse and I stopped by for a little photoshoot. Even though a wiggly, teething infant in low light makes a challenging subject, I got a good dozen or so shots in.




Sam'ayah has a proud, caring Mama. She also gets a lot of love from her young aunt and uncle, who came home from school while we were there.



I am continually amazed at how seeing our nurses in their element makes me learn so much about them as people. My partner on this excursion is a smaller, wiry woman who sweeps in and out of the office almost daily to solve computer problems and stock up on donated items. She always seems frazzled when I see her. When she's on the road, however, she is upbeat with sense of focus that is the NFNF trademark. We hopped into her new Ford Focus, which she is determined to keep immaculate, and with Frank Sinatra blaring on XM radio we were zipping off to Vandeventer Ave. This nurse didn't seem the sentimental type, but she really has a huge heart. She lavishes compassion and a listening ear on the immigrants and African-American families on the south side. She was especially excited about the joy our little photoshoot would bring Sam'ayah and her mom. "I wouldn't be in this business if I didn't get to bring people things like this."

I'm always hesitant about barging into a stranger's home with my camera and snapping away, but Sam'ayah's mom was welcoming. She's rather shy, but the smile on her face and excitement in her voice when we talked about getting prints of the pictures said it all.

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