Hi folks, this is Henry, Lucia’s invisible half. Last month I became a wedding photographer for a day when I stood in for Isabella at the first annual Thirst Relief Benefit Shoot in Las Vegas. I’m sure y’all are stunned to hear that my pictures did not win any award at the following day’s WPPI Conference, but I had an absolute blast at the shoot. Lucia and I met a busload of new friends, learned from some of the best in the biz, and along the way raised money for a wonderful organization called Thirst Relief. I was so impressed with what I had learned that day, I asked to write this post so I can share with you a bit about this charity and the amazing people who make it happen.
Some background: Thirst Relief makes clean water available to people without access to any. According to the World Health Organization, 1/5 of the world’s population don’t have clean, disease- and parasite-free water to drink and use. Some 30,000 people die needlessly each week from contaminated water, most of them children. Thirst Relief has been partnering with local organizations across three continents to build and install water filters at a cost of less than $5 per person served. What a beautiful thing! We can do so much with so little.
Wedding photographer Jim Davis-Hicks founded Thirst Relief five years ago, and his “philanthropic photography” has inspired many others in the industry to devote personal time and resources to this noble cause. This year’s benefit shoot was set up as a fund-raising auction where we vie for the chance to go on a mock wedding shoot led by celebrity photographers Mike Colón and the father and son team David and Luke Edmonson. Thanks to Isabella’s astute eBay bidding skills, we landed two of these highly coveted spots and spent a memorable afternoon in Red Rock Canyon. Here are two of our leaders aboard the party bus, Luke in the cap and Mike in the beanie:
Our first volunteer models were Aric and Casey, themselves photographers who were just married last Fall. Casey dragged her own wedding dress through the brambles and kept her smile glowing despite the winter desert cold. And it was bitterly cold! Lucia and I were bundled in ski jackets and I still almost lost my fingers to frostbite. Casey and Aric, I don’t know how you guys survived it, but thank you so much for your sacrifice, and for your patience with my novice attempts at posing.
Nathan and Jessica, our other newlywed couple, have a fascinating story: They booked Jim Davis-Hicks to shoot their wedding last year and were moved by his philanthropic ideals into joining Thirst Relief. According to Jim, they are now indispensable part of the organization, where they work almost full time but receive compensation for only a fraction of those hours. Jessica not only organized this benefit shoot, the two of them modeled for us all afternoon and into the evening. Bravo to you both!
By the way, I took this picture. :D
Lucia and Isabella love this headpiece.
Being a non-profit has its advantages. Luke Edmonson walked into the Gallery at CityCenter and persuaded them to let a dozen photographers and equipment crowd into their hall. What’s the chance that we’ll ever shoot another bride against a backdrop of Dale Chihuly’s glass work? Kudos to the Gallery for supporting our charity!
I particularly like this picture with Mandarin Oriental in the background. I believe Lucia was the only one in the group who thought to shoot at this angle and had the right lens to pull it off:
Another Thirst Relief shoot is featured in the current issue of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, with pictures shot on location in Tanzania by Mike, David, Luke, and many other wedding photographers. Those photographers all donated quite a bit of money and paid their own way to see the charity’s work first hand. Jason Thon, who was at our dinner table, related his experiences from that trip, which he called “life changing”. Makes us proud to be a part of this community!
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