looking for a nj couple in the last stages of adoption.

mrsfish05

Hello!

 

 

I am looking for a family/couple in NJ area that is in the end stages of the adoption process.  I am a photographer (a real one, lol, not some creep pretending!) based in Ocean County and I came across something this weekend and immediately knew I needed to give that same gift to another couple.

 

My husband and I are in the middle of sorting things out for IVF (may not be possible) and adoption. So this project I came across really hits close to home for me.  It?s beautiful, unique, heart warming, and incredibly special. I want to give a gift to someone else going through adoption.  No strings attached, no money, just one person doing something nice for another.

 

I know I am being a little vague, but it may be something someone else does not want to share right away, and I want to be respectful to that. I promise, it?s something every mother deserves : )  

 

If you or someone else you know may be interested, please let me know.  They can email me at leanna@leannafisherphotography   I have tried to find couples via facebook but I not having much luck.  I thought I may find a couple/family here.

CaptainSerious

I take it you are looking for a couple adopting an infant/newborn?

Dr.Loretta

Sorry, this just screams creepy stalker to me. What kind of gift are you hoping to give to some strangers? Or are you looking for someone in particular?

Cissi64

If you are planning on taking "new family" pics for free for someone, just say so.  I think you would be better off contacting an adoption agency/attorney in your area  rather than searching the internet.   I hope your vagueness is just because of anxiety over your own situation because it does come across as "stalkerish". Read the FAQ if you end up looking into adoption yourself.

Art Teacher

It's called Celebrating Adoption.  We found a local photographer who participates and she gave us a session with no sitting fees.  She also gave us all of the proofs free.  We bought a couple of larger family photos from her.  It's a great program.

CaptainSerious

I had all the same thoughts.

OP, we're not trying to be mean, but there are a lot of scams in the adoption world, and we generally all have our guards up.  I'm in NJ and my husband and are are about to adopt a 5 year-old boy.  I'm interested in learning more, but am not comfortable sharing my e-mail address just yet.  Would it be possible for you to share here, or in a PM, or at least explain why you can't tell us a little bit more about what you are hoping to do?

Also, I checked out your website.  You seem to have a knack for capturing very sweet moments in your children's photography.

mrsfish05

Thank you for some suggestions on where else I may be able to look? I have actually posted here before, so I thought it may be ok. I included my business email address, which includes my first and last name, and is easily linked to my website. A simple google search could show anyone MUCH more about me, my life, and business. I will take this post down in a few hours, so those of you he felt it was inappropriate will have time to see this response. I came across something called ?Mock Maternity? sessions. It is for couples/mother who are missing out on an opportunity to have maternity photos done.If any of you are on pinterest, if you pin adoption, it is one of the first things to come up. It was such a beautiful session; it brought tears to my eyes. Being in the situation where I may never get the ?maternity photos? I take on a bi monthly bases for people, I thought it juts may be a beautiful and free gift I can give someone. That?s all. Plain and simple. No woman should miss the opportunity to have custom portraits done showing the excitement of their childs arrival because they didn?t carry the child. I apologize if it came off wrong. I didn?t want to go into detail because I thought a couple may want to keep it private until the adoption was finalized. That they may not want to broadcast things. I was trying to be respectful, not deceitful. And as a member of the knot/nest/bump for years, I thought this would be a decent place to post. I understand there are scams in adoption, but I was just trying to offer something nice to someone. I know adoption is expensive, as we are in the process of saving for it ourselves. Sometimes people do want to do goof things with nothing in return. Thank some of you for offering other suggestions. I will DD this post in a few hours?

Art Teacher

When you say 'mock maternity' do you mean the photo sessions, for example, where there's the couple and then a sign that says 'waiting for you' or 'growing in my heart'?  That kind of thing?  I like those...we didn't do anything like that before dd was born but I do think it's nice. 

I also looked at your FB page and webpage.  Your photos are beautiful. 

I think the board members who commented were just looking for more information from you, that's all.  Thank you for giving it.   

CaptainSerious

Thank you for clarifying.  With this information, I'm sure no one thinks you are trying to scam anyone.  But the first post did raise a lot of concerns, as each poster said.  We're just used to being very careful, as I'm sure you understand.

Also, I'm not sure why you couldn't mention in your first post that you were offering a mock maternity shoot.  That wouldn't "out" anyone who wanted to remain anonymous or discrete.  Anyone who posts here pretty much has their story out there, and anyone who lurks, well, who knows?  Either way, you clearly offering a gift of your time and professional talent in no way is disrespectful.

That said, I think it's really sweet of you to be offering this opportunity, your time, and your service to a lucky couple.  And equally sweet that you tried so hard to be respectful and discrete.  No one here was offended or upset by your post, and there really is no need to delete it.  We just were asking for more details because we are fairly protective of one another and always try to stay on the alert for things that might not be as on the up and up as your offer.

sarahinbdpst

Along the same lines, I've recently seen a lot of buzz on facebook about a similar organization that a friend of a friend started.  It's called Red Thread Sessions.  It connects volunteer photographers with families.  One thing that seemed neat was that they offer both normal portrait sessions and "airport sessions" for international adoptions. 

 

Art Teacher

I agree with Captain Serious...I don't think you need to delete your post. I forwarded your info to a friend of mine in NJ  

Dr.Loretta

Yeah, you don't need to delete your post. IMO it would have been easier to either link the pin from Pinterest or mention the mock maternity sessions, and that you were looking to do something like that for a family. While I understand that it may be difficult/long to explain, it just raises red flags when we get vague stuff on this board. Now that you've explained it, I think it's a great idea, and hope someone can take advantage of it.

GL!