By James E. Miller:

I believe in people who care.

Even more, I believe in what these generous people offer others.  They bring caregiving down to its essentials:

What more can I say?

Logan is ABSOLUTELY HANDSOME! I loved photographing him. Logan was very excited about getting his picture taken. Then, he wanted to see all of the pictures…and we even worked together to take a picture of his mom and little sister. He is so beautiful!

What a beautiful family photo. The girls look so much a like and the boys look alike, don’t you think? My favorite part is our little guy’s hand on his Dad’s face. Precious.

Isn’t Olivia beautiful! She’ll be a senior in high school this year and I’m jealous of the person who got to take her senior pictures. It’s obvious that Olivia is incredibly photogenic and fun to work with. Thank you for all of your expressions and for your zest for life!

I’m not sure how we got so many great models for these shoots, but look how beautiful Shante is! She brought a few props along…

Yes, that is a REAL sword. Shante is into fencing. She was telling me that when her mom came to America from Cuba, she learned to fence and that is how Shante’s parents met. Now, Shante competes in fencing as well. The picture above is the “stance” they take when they begin their match. (I’m not sure my words are right here, because I don’t really know fencing lingo. Shante, feel free to comment and correct me, if I’m wrong.)

Nick brought his whole family along with him and I got several pictures with his older sister. He is just 4 years old. Then, we took some pictures with each of his parents and this one (below) of him with his dad is beautiful. You don’t often get great photos of kids with their fathers…so I had to include it.

What a sweet little guy.

On Saturday, I also got a great shot of this pair. Kianna’s mom loves her daughters with everything she has. I am honored to get a chance to meet and talk with the amazing “Wish families” and capture their relationships.

Sawyer was extreemly shy. His wish is to have a playset in his backyard. The wish will be granted in August. I am so excited for him!

Good thing that Pup-pup was with Sawyer to give him courage. Most of the Wish Kids have a favorite stuffed animal that they keep with them during any treatments or hospital stays. I’m not sure if Pup-pup is Sawyers, but he sure loves that dog.

Sisters.

These two seems so different from one another. Red hair and frekles, dark hair and tan skin…quiet and shy, energetic and talkative…but they are two peas in a pod. I love the way that younger siblings look up to their older brothers and sisters. This moment captures that feeling. (I know, I’m a little sister and I have the BEST big brother ever!)

The symbolism of the picture above…with the bandaid and bruses…and the Wish sign. I think it really speaks for itself.

This final image (below) breaks my heart. It really seems to sum up the feelings behind the reasons that Make a Wish exists…

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy!

Here are more images from our shoot last Monday…and a few from today.

Every year, we do two major days of photography for the Make a Wish Foundation of MN. This year, we had nearly 30 children come and get their pictures taken. What beautiful families. I am so honored to be a part of your lives.

Please enjoy these images.

I think the image above might be my very favorite photo from our shoot on Monday.

These two girls are twins. They are absolutely beautiful and were such a joy to photograph.

This little guy, AJ, had lots of ideas of how to pose and was all about giving me a thumbs-up!

If the images of these children touch your heart, please consider donating your time and money to this amazing cause.

To donate, go to their website.

If you like my photography, watch for more information about how you can help grant a wish and get your Christmas photos taken!

We will be offering a special this fall…

All proceeds from the Christmas portrait shoots will be going to the Make a Wish Foundation. Alison Lea Photography has a goal of granting an entire wish! I am THRILLED to be able to do this. If you are interested, please watch for more details or email me (alison@alisonleaphotography.com) and I will be sure to contact you when we have more details.

This is my third or fourth year volunteering with the Make A Wish Foundation of MN. I love the staff and other volunteers there!

Mostly, I am amazed and inspired by the children and their families.

Having Jordan pose like “super-girl” seemed appropriate to me as I heard about her story and her wish to go to Florida.

Will is only 4. How can you say “no” to supporting HIS dream? If you’d like to give support to Make a Wish Minnesota, to help grant the wishes of THESE kids, please go to their website. (By the way, most of the images on the website were taken my myself or Kendra, my associate photographer. We LOVE MaW!!!)

Volunteer, give financially, and tell others.

This picture of Will and his mom breaks my heart. To me, the image represents how we feel about our beautiful children. Each year, I am more aware of the depth of sorrow a parent feels when their child is hurt. This was just a moment today, when Will’s mom was warming him up and getting ready to pick him up because his shoot was finished.

That is what it means to capture a moment.

Lexi and her brother were hilarious. She looks up to him so much. Everything we asked Lexi to do, her response was, “I want my brother to do it, too.” So, he did. From my observation, there is something extra special…a closeness…between siblings when one has an illness like cancer. It seems, all too early, that these kids understand that each moment of life is precious. They understand that the most important time in NOW because you don’t know what will happen tomorrow.

Enjoy TODAY! Love TODAY!

Doesn’t Justin make you want to join the Mickey Mouse Club? He is so cute.

Cody is amazing. He came to the shoot ready to be our model.

He is an actor and it shows. Cody was easy to photograph and really hammed it up for us. But, these are the best shots of this amazing guy. He really is someone I would love to be friends with. Immediately, the other volunteers and I were impressed by Cody’s confidence, sense of humor and the ease at which he talked with us. Watch for Cody in other Make a Wish media. I’m sure he’ll be a STAR!

I realize that I took quite a few sihouettes today…but I think that they show the strength of each of these children.

I do not wonder why “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”" (Matthew 19:14)

These children have more strength, faith and courage than I do.

They ARE my heroes.

(This is only half of the kids we photographed today…I’ll have to write more later – it’s almost 1am and my daughter gets up around 6. Goodnight, y’all.)

Jackie plays this beautiful instrament and wanted to have some of her senior pictures with it.

I think she looks amazing!