Dancers Against Cancer

It was about a year ago, I think, when I first became aware of DAC. I quite honestly, can not tell you how I learned of them. However it did happen, I am glad for it. I whole heartedly believe in what Mare and company are doing. What are they doing exactly, you ask?

Marilyn Hess founded Dancers Against Cancer along with her daughter and niece, to help raise funds for those battling cancer. They accomplish this through sales of their tshirts and a variety of other community events.

For their full story, please visit here:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_22cf0d07-a9db-542a-9681-db88708abce5.html

I was eager to do my little part in the beginning, buying a shirt and pushing the events on my page. In time, we discussed the possibility of having me come out to Utah to be part of a fundraiser. Eventually, those talks picked up and I traveled there to help raise funds for a young lady named Sarah Hays Shurtz.

Here is the page for Sarah:

http://www.facebook.com/sweatinforsarah

I arrived in Salt Lake City on Friday the 26th, my birthday. Sadly, as I landed in Denver to change planes, I learned that one of my childhood friends lost his battle with colon cancer. He had been battling it off and on for years. Such a tragic loss!

Marilyn picked me up from the airport and we traveled some doing site visits. During this adventure, I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the Dance Club dance studio. We drove around some more then headed to Bridal Veil Falls for my first shoot!

Here is a shot from there!

From here, we traveled to Sundance and shot at the resort there. I loved it here! so beautiful! Here is a shot from there…

Here is a shot of me at work:

This ended my session with Bree and it was time to head up to Squaw Peak for a session with Kenzie, Mare’s daughter. OMG, the ride UP the mountain was soooo white knuckle for me. I don’t do well with heights. Once I was up there, I was fine, but it was the lack of road on my side of the car, on the way that was the issue. lol

Immediately, Kenzie and I connected and were very comfortable and joking around. She has a great, warm and fun personality and I took to it from the start. We did two wardrobe changes and they wanted sunset shots.

Here is a sample from the first one:

Here is one from the second, and my favorite outfit, with the sunset behind us.

This is one of me and Kenzie. She was so cool. I think I have a new little sister!

I had so much fun up there. Such great images too! After the session, we went out for a bite to eat. I really enjoyed the meal and our conversation! It was getting late and we had an early morning ahead of us at the Sweatin for Sarah 5k, so Mare dropped me off at where I was staying (with Kenzie’s dad) in Orem.

Saturday morning, we headed over to Highland High School for the Sweatin for Sarah 5k. Here, I finally met Gev, from Season 4 of SYTYCD. He was a blast. I took some candids of the runners, then awaited Sarah’s entrance on a motorcycle.

Everyone received a purple balloon to be released when Sarah arrived.

She was so overwhelmed by the show of support and love!

After the festivities were done, I finally got a chance to meet Sarah and had my picture taken with her. I was moved to tears and could hardly make eye contact with her. Just an amazing spirit!

To help raise money, people had their pictures taken with Gev for $5.00.

Before we knew it, the parking lot had cleared and it was now time for my shoot with Gev. He was a blast to work with and we got some great images!

Dinner time was fastly approaching and having not eaten much since breakfast, we headed over to Park City for some grub. We landed at Red Rock, I think. I ordered nothing but fried food and beer. Let me tell you how well that went over that night. EEEEEK. The SIZE of these onion rings.

After the meal, back to Orem, I went. Just chilled for a while, then Jeff’s roommate, Mark, wanted to watch the movie, 300, so he and I headed down to the man cave with drinks and snacks and some theater action, on this bad boy…

Great night of manly bonding! I really loved those guys!

Sunday was a very chill day. I had one shoot, locally. In fact, it was right out front of the house. Here is why:

Well, that and I didnt have a car. But with amazing scenery right out front, we didnt need to travel.

Here is Zach. Zach is a young boy with SPD and is part of a project I am doing for SPD.

We had fun!!! This also marked the rest of my “work” in Utah. I did some editing and putzed around mostly on Sunday, helped the boys with some things around the house, then we had dinner and watched the VMAs. They were fun to watch it with!!! Did I tell you I loved my roomies! Sooo much fun! Wish I had more time to hang with them!!!

The next morning, I was back at the airport and on my way home. I had so much fun in Utah. Met a lot of amazing people. What a life changing trip!

Here are some behind the scenes of me shooting:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bmengini?feature=mhee#p/a/u/2/N5FPUTvoKp0

Here are some behind the scenes of Sweatin for Sarah:

http://www.youtube.com/user/marehesstv?feature=chclk

Angie & Mollie Sansone

Back in July, I traveled to Savannah to do mini sessions for some of the competitors for DTI’s nationals dance competition. I was very much looking forward to it! I had never been to Georgia and was very excited to see the area of Savannah!


A day or two before I was to leave, I received a Facebook message from a friend of mine, Suzette, who owns a dance studio on Hilton Head. She informed me that Mollie and Angie Sansone were going to be guest teaching for her. The two girls had been students of my good friend, Claudia Folts, who owns Tutu.Com. I was not familiar with them at first, but after seeing their photos, I was very eager to work with them. However, it would have to be very much thrown together and done so on the fly, as me and the ladies were both traveling from far distances. Both girls work for professional ballet companies, Mollie in Nashville and Angie in KC.

I established contact with them before leaving and wound up connecting with Angie via Facebook. Our communication was very scattered and did not become solid until I was actually on my way over to the island. While in transit, Angie and I confirmed that we would shoot that evening after class.

After class ended, we hung around and chatted some, getting to know each other a bit before we headed out. Since day light was quickly leaving us, we dashed over to the plantation where they were staying so they could freshen up. I was a little nervous about having enough “good” light to yield a successful shoot. As the girls were prepping, I was asked to pick out what color leos they were to wear, which I was happy to do. I must say, I am very pleased with my choices as they matched the girls tones and that of the sunlight perfectly. Had I missed my calling as a stylist??? Perhaps an overshoot of a thought…

The girls came down and we started shooting with Mollie first. Then some together, then Angie. The area we shot at was just gorgeous. It was a huge home that overlooked a marshy area. There was tall grass and all sorts of amazing things that lended themselves quite nicely to the ambiance of our session!

I also have to admit just how smitten I was with the golden tones of the sunset. The girls also played so well off the rays and the area in general. They were very adventurous and needed little direction. The shoot itself was quite quick but I am in love with the images. The girls were a true delight to work with. It was also very nice to be able to get these two girls together in one photograph given that they work in two different states.


I want to thank Suzette so much for making this happen and the girls and their mom, Janet, as well for their time and letting me in to their world. Aside from making great images with them, I made great friends.

Hope you enjoy the images!

Leos: ELEVE

Portraits of a Disorder

Some of you may or may not know that my son, Dominic, is a special needs child. Back in 2005, he was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder. SPD (for short) is a neurological disorder that affects 1 in 20 kids. That is one child in every classroom.

Here are some facts about SPD:

From SPD Foundation’s website:
Sensory processing (sometimes called “sensory integration” or SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation or “sensory integration.”

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as “sensory integration dysfunction”) is a condition that exists when sensory signals don’t get organized into appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological “traffic jam” that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively.

What Sensory Processing Disorder looks like:
Sensory Processing Disorder can affect people in only one sense–for example, just touch or just sight or just movement–or in multiple senses. One person with SPD may over-respond to sensation and find clothing, physical contact, light, sound, food, or other sensory input to be unbearable. Another might under-respond and show little or no reaction to stimulation, even pain or extreme hot and cold. In children whose sensory processing of messages from the muscles and joints is impaired, posture and motor skills can be affected. These are the “floppy babies” who worry new parents and the kids who get called “klutz” and “spaz” on the playground. Still other children exhibit an appetite for sensation that is in perpetual overdrive. These kids often are misdiagnosed – and inappropriately medicated – for ADHD.

Sensory Processing Disorder is most commonly diagnosed in children, but people who reach adulthood without treatment also experience symptoms and continue to be affected by their inability to accurately and appropriately interpret sensory messages.

These “sensational adults” may have difficulty performing routines and activities involved in work, close relationships, and recreation. Because adults with SPD have struggled for most of their lives, they may also experience depression, underachievement, social isolation, and/or other secondary effects.

Sadly, misdiagnosis is common because many health care professionals are not trained to recognize sensory issues. The Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation is dedicated to researching these issues, educating the public and professionals about their symptoms and treatment, and advocating for those who live with Sensory Processing Disorder and sensory challenges associated with other conditions.

October is National Sensory Awareness Month and every October, I plan something for it. Sometimes it is an awareness event. Sometimes I offer something for the SPD community. This year, I have decided to launch a photography based project. Between now and October 1st, I will photograph 100 children with SPD. These portraits will be unveiled, virtually, October 1st via the project’s website, http://www.portraitsofadisorder.com. In addition, I will host a live exhibit at my studio October 15th. Lastly, I am in talks with the SPD Foundation to host an exhibit at their symposium in Ft Lauderdale, Florida at the end of October.

This project is important because it gives a face to an otherwise invisible disorder. It affects 1 in 20 kids but no one knows about it. Some may ask if it is like Autism, which technically it is not. It is its own separate disorder. The parallel is that most kids with Autism have sensory issues. Unfortunately, our disorder does not have any celebrity spokespeople. We do not have a major marketing campaign to create awareness. The bulk of the awareness campaigns are being done in local communities by average parents affected by it.

So, this is my own little way of contributing to a more widespread awareness! Please stay tuned for more information!

For more of our story with SPD, please visit:
http://www.spdfoundation.net/newsletter/2011/02/sensational-families.html