This blog carousel is about hope. Just a little over two weeks ago Jen Burgess Thompson, a photographer friend and mom to two boys was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. She has touched so many lives by sharing her story publicly before and after her surgery. She has motivated so many to take charge of their health and aptly so in the Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. You can read about her journey so far on her blog Am I Still A Girl and also watch this incredible video we won’t be defeated. The video contains beautiful images of Jen and her family captured by three amazing photographers Kevin Kubota, Benjamin Edwards and Craig Strong. Also, in my thoughts is my friend Kerry. Her husband Noel was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in April 2011 which has metastasized to the liver. It is  too late for life saving surgery but Kerry and Noel along with their two beautiful kids are making the best of their time together. They renewed their vows in a beautiful ceremony on their anniversary date of August 18th. Jen and Kerry could use your thoughts, prayers and support. If you would like to donate please visit Jen’s blog and Kerry’s webpage.

For this post of hope I chose to share some images that celebrate Kerry and Jen’s faith in Christianity. Most of my family practices Hinduism, my sister-in-law Christianity and I follow the Buddhist faith which indicates how various religions coexist in India. These photos are from my last year’s trip to India with my son. The first set of images were taken at Basilica of Bom Jesus, a popular church in Old Goa. As one of the oldest churches in India it is also a World Heritage Monument. It symbolizes the spirit of hope that is offered to thousands that walk through the doors and light candles. The hand you see holding the candle is my son’s as we made our own offerings during our visit. The second set of images were taken at a tiny church called St. Joseph’s in Panchgani. It was a beautiful, serene church that my brother took us too. The church was closed when we stopped by yet the groundskeeper was kind enough to open it for us. As you can imagine, it was a perfect opportunity for me to take a few photos

Please be sure to make your way around the blog carousel to check out various interpretations of hope by amazing photographers around the globe. Next up is Julie Tauro, Kitchener Waterloo Child, Family, and high school senior photographer.

making new friends…

We stopped by this teeny beautiful church. It was closed but the groundskeeper was nice enough to open it for us.

At the end of our 1/2 mile turned almost 5 mile hike to the Russian Gulch. Amazingly the boy walked most of the way with a short carry on strong shoulders (not mine!).

Winding down Highway 128 at 35-50 miles an hour with an iPhone while snapping these out of the car window (while trying not to get motion sick).

Turns out that the boy could actually hold a pretty good tune on the Marimba. There were some pretty cool instruments in the store.

This session was a quick one with my kindergarten friend Aparna’s family while visiting Mumbai. Her little one Tara is close to my son Rowan’s age and they had an amazing time playing together as well. I could have photographed this adorable desi girl all day.

And one off R and T together…

To those clients that have been patiently waiting for proofs, I will be in touch soon. I will be booking limited sessions starting February so please email me if you are interested. My email has ben down off and on so if you don’t get a response in 24 hours please call me or send an email through the contact us section on my website that gets routed to a different address.

Happy New Year!