Breathless
There aren't many photos that move me. There have been a few that have and I have loved photos before, but this photo took my breath away. I love my family very much and they are very important in my life. I don't know that I have a favorite, but I have always felt very close to my youngest brother. Perhaps it is because we sound the same on the phone, or slur all of our words together the same way... I don't know what it is, but I have always felt close to him. He is married to a very beautiful and talented woman named Melody. Jon was getting ready to go into the Military a few months back and Melody and Him discovered that they were pregnant.
Jon went to boot camp close to the 4th of July (I think that weekend or the next) and Mel was back in MN by herself. Knowing Jon, that was probably one of the hardest things in life to do. He, like me, is a lover and a hopeless romantic. Some would call him whipped, I guess I call him in love. A few weeks into boot camp Melody started to have some issues with the pregnancy. She went to the Doctors and had an ultra sound and found out that they were gonna have twins. Everyone was super excited. Jon had the name picked out as soon as Mel told him that they were having twins.
I am not sure how long after the ultra sound, but Mel started to have more problems with the babies. She had to go in and have a surgery because she was having some contractions. She was put on bed rest for about 10 weeks (if memory serves me right). She moved in with her mother because she couldn't do much if anything for herself because she had to be in bed all day and night.
Yesterday I got a call telling me that Mel was in the hospital again. She started to have contractions the night before and was still having them the next day. All throughout the day she was at the hospital and the contractions did not stop. I was at work and at a photo shoot and getting updates all day from my Dad and Sister. Things weren't getting better for Mel. It was later in the evening when the Doctors had to go and undo the surgery that they did the week before. As the night went on Mel became tired and her body wouldn't stop contracting.
The rest of the details are a little fuzzy and might not be accurate due to it all being second hand knowledge. Around 10:30 p.m. Mel delivered the babies. They were only a few months along, but were developed enough to have a little heart that could be seen beating in their chests. Their nostrils weren't developed or lungs enough to sustain long life. One was darker then the other and both were moving a little. They were alive for about 2 hours before they passed. My sister was in the delivery room and took a few photos of Eli and Enoch McConico. My father emailed a photo that they took last night and it took my breath away. While they were not developed enough to live they were beautiful. Granted I am very close to the situation, but it was hard to breathe when I looked at the photo. It really is amazing what a picture can say or what a photo can do.
Sorry if that was a little deep, but as a photographer who can get giddy about photos and excited about lighting and processing telling a story and capturing the essence of those who I photograph is what I want to do. If you think of it, please say a prayer for my sister and brother while they grieve.
Jon went to boot camp close to the 4th of July (I think that weekend or the next) and Mel was back in MN by herself. Knowing Jon, that was probably one of the hardest things in life to do. He, like me, is a lover and a hopeless romantic. Some would call him whipped, I guess I call him in love. A few weeks into boot camp Melody started to have some issues with the pregnancy. She went to the Doctors and had an ultra sound and found out that they were gonna have twins. Everyone was super excited. Jon had the name picked out as soon as Mel told him that they were having twins.
I am not sure how long after the ultra sound, but Mel started to have more problems with the babies. She had to go in and have a surgery because she was having some contractions. She was put on bed rest for about 10 weeks (if memory serves me right). She moved in with her mother because she couldn't do much if anything for herself because she had to be in bed all day and night.
Yesterday I got a call telling me that Mel was in the hospital again. She started to have contractions the night before and was still having them the next day. All throughout the day she was at the hospital and the contractions did not stop. I was at work and at a photo shoot and getting updates all day from my Dad and Sister. Things weren't getting better for Mel. It was later in the evening when the Doctors had to go and undo the surgery that they did the week before. As the night went on Mel became tired and her body wouldn't stop contracting.
The rest of the details are a little fuzzy and might not be accurate due to it all being second hand knowledge. Around 10:30 p.m. Mel delivered the babies. They were only a few months along, but were developed enough to have a little heart that could be seen beating in their chests. Their nostrils weren't developed or lungs enough to sustain long life. One was darker then the other and both were moving a little. They were alive for about 2 hours before they passed. My sister was in the delivery room and took a few photos of Eli and Enoch McConico. My father emailed a photo that they took last night and it took my breath away. While they were not developed enough to live they were beautiful. Granted I am very close to the situation, but it was hard to breathe when I looked at the photo. It really is amazing what a picture can say or what a photo can do.
Sorry if that was a little deep, but as a photographer who can get giddy about photos and excited about lighting and processing telling a story and capturing the essence of those who I photograph is what I want to do. If you think of it, please say a prayer for my sister and brother while they grieve.
posted by Simon McConico Photography at
3:54 PM
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