Gustavo Fernandez Photographer

Tomorrow i leave on my HOG for KIDS project.  It has been several months in the making and i am looking forward to some time on the road.  Learn more about the project on the HOG for KIDS website. Below is a map and the route of the almost 5,000 miles i will be covering on my 2003 100 YR Anniversary Harley-Davidson Fatboy.

The HOG For Kids Project is designed to raise awareness and support for impoverished boys and girls in the Dominican Republic (DR).  Many Dominican children grow up in extreme poverty, giving them a disadvantaged start in life. As these children transition to adolescence and later adulthood, breaking the cycle of poverty is daunting.

Gustavo Fernández is addressing this situation by raising public awareness and support for underprivileged Dominican children.  Gustavo, a San Francisco Bay Area based wedding and portrait photographer and native Dominican, combines his passion for photography and commitment to helping needy children in a two prong strategy to accomplish this goal.

First, Gustavo will embark on a cross country tour of the United States on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle (the “HOG”).  This 2^nd annual ride will include visits to clients and friends, with stops in at least 18 cities including Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburg and New York.   Gustavo will perform a photo shoot of the children of these clients free of charge.  In return Gustavo will ask them to support a needy child in the DR through the sponsorship program of Children International, an international humanitarian organization based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Gustavo’s clients will help address the needs of a Dominican child by paying the cost of sponsorship for one year, $264, through the Children International website.  Children International programs provide medical and dental care and remove the barriers to getting an education.  Gustavo’s goal is to acquire sponsors for at least 50 Dominican children on this trip.  This trip will take place during July and August, 2009.

In the second part of his plan, Gustavo will undertake a two week photo project in the DR to capture the experience of poor children, focusing on the children his clients have sponsored.  The photos will portray the children in natural settings at home, at play in their neighborhoods, at work and at school.  The photos will show the spectrum of their human needs, aspirations and potential.

Gustavo will publicize the project and display the DR photos through a combination of social media outlets.  Gustavo will document the U.S. cross country tour and the DR trip on his daily blog and Twitter and create a Facebook page where people can go for project updates and view video clips.  Gustavo will also seek publication of the photos in magazines with wide circulation such as Rangefinder and Professional Photographer and local magazines like Diablo Mag.  A radio talk show is considering highlighting the project as well.

Located in the Caribbean, the DR is about twice the size of New Hampshire and has a population of nearly 10 million.  42% of Dominicans are considered poor, with many families earning $2 or less per day. The public schools are overcrowded and 59% of Dominican youth are not in school, one of the highest dropout rates in Latin America.  Many children are unable to attend school because their parents cannot afford the required supplies and uniforms.  Only 58 percent of children reach the fifth grade.  Clapboard houses with dirt floors are common and create unhealthy living conditions where children often get sick. Respiratory tract infections, malnutrition, parasitic infections and gastrointestinal disease are the most common health threats.  Government health clinics are inadequate, overcrowded and often inaccessible.

The result of this project will be to help 50 needy children grow to be healthy, educated and prepared to meet the challenges of adulthood while raising awareness about child poverty around the world.

Yesterday i had the opportunity to help out at Sandy Puc’s “Tot’s to Teens” Tour.  She co-founded the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) for which i am a local Area Coordinator and photographer.  To best describe the NILMDTS foundation i copied their About Us section on the webpage.

Pregnancy and birth are miraculous journeys. This amazing time of life is full of mystery, anticipation, joy, hope, and wonder. Feeling the powerful energy of birth and new life, watching as a new family is born unto each other. These things humble and amaze. These are the things that we celebrate when a baby is born.  But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth. There is an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is confusion, sadness, fear, and uncertainty that cannot be explained. There is sorrow where there should have been joy. During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future.

This is the place where the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation gently provides a helping hand and a healing heart. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives.

The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation administers a network of almost 6,000 volunteer photographers in the United States and twenty-five international countries. At a family’s request, a NILMDTS Affiliated Photographer will come to your hospital or hospice location and conduct a sensitive and private portrait session. The portraits are then professionally retouched and presented to the families on an archival DVD or CD that can be used to print portraits of their cherished baby.

Our entire network of affiliated photographers graciously donate their time and talents to our families and we are proud to be able to offer our services at no cost.Your Donations are greatly needed and greatly appreciated.

I set up the booth and answered questions to many of the photographers who stopped by and asked about volunteering. I also got to enjoy the talk by Sandy and pick up a few business tips to implement in my kids photography. If you are a photographer and want to learn more about photographing children this talk is a must see.

Sandy is amazing, i don’t know how she does it, she will be covering 50 cities in 70 days!