Portraits for Puerto Rico

I was so fortunate to have one of my closest friends and photography mentor (mentioned in my last post) Jose invite me to participate as a volunteer photographer for his Portraits for Puerto Rico fundraiser event.

As a proud transplant from the island (born in Bayamon, located about a 25 minute drive from the capitol San Juan), I could not help but jump at the opportunity to take part and contribute however I could. By the day of the event, my mother and I had only recently heard from my grandmother and aunt on the island. Thankfully no major damage to their homes and all were physically safe from harm. Nevertheless, the intensity of the storm left them rattled to the core. Only a few weeks earlier, they were hit by another hurricane, which just skirted the island.

I got the opportunity to photograph a former co-worker and members of her family. While they were all about supporting the cause, I learned an incredible backstory to their portraits. Aixa and her family shared that their grandmother recently passed. As the family gathered to mourn, they realized that Aixa, her siblings, and her cousins do not have any group photos since they were young. Hearing this only reinforced my pride in this event. Because it made this event greater than it originally was. I am blessed to have been a part of their experience. I truly hope they enjoy the end result of my work.

In total, we collected over $1300! All proceeds will be going to casapuablo.org.