Project: Things That Make Her Smile from Droze on Vimeo.
Over the weeks a lot of people have inquired what exactly these pieces are and how they are made. So I set my camera up on a tripod and shot some video while I worked. While it isn’t the finest piece of cinematography. I think it will give you the gist of the process. 45 minutes of work chopped down to a few minutes of footage. Enjoy.
Yesterday was a huge day for us thanks to some very generous people. Our new total has grown substantially to $7050. Holy Snikies. Incredible, Just when you think things are winding down a bit, BAM. Thanks again everybody for the reposts on twitter, facebook and your blogs. You have no idea the incredible impact it makes.
Don’t forget about the raffle as well. Click Here
P.T.T.M.H.S Raffle
So it’s been almost three weeks since I launched Project: Things That Make Her Smile and I’m extremely stoked to say we have raised $4300. That’s quite amazing when you think about it. On top of that today was a huge day for Carolina. We spent almost the entire day between the orthodontist and the dentist’s office. The day started off with the removal of her braces. Whoo…Hoo.. Don’t get me wrong she looked super cute in her braces. But I had forgotten what a pain in the arse they are. Between the daunting task of eating, the compounded hours of extra cleaning, and bimonthly appts. What a drag for her. But she did great and got them off a few months early. From there it was off to the dentist’s office where she had to get a gum lift, 4 teeth filed down for the prep of the veneers, and the installation of a temporary temporary top bridge. Did I mention this girl never complains. Nor has she once, over the last almost year and half. My wife was chiseled from some stone that only exists in a deep cavern off the Isle of Cuba.
I’d also like to announce the P.T.T.M.H.S Raffle that I will run for the next two weeks. The raffle will be held two weeks from today. Where Carolina will draw the two names from a fish bowl or some hollow device. To Enter, Donate at least $25 or Purchase an item from the Etsy Store. For every $25 you will get one entry into the raffle. Prizes are as follows.
1. First name drawn will win First Prize a 3 Hour Session of Choice (Engagement, Maternity, Family Portraits, Trash the Dress or Baby Portrait)
Slide Show DVD
All images High Res on DVD.
2. Second name drawn. Grand Prize will win a Day with Droze. A What? I will shoot anything up to 6 Hours. Think of it as your personal photographer for the day.
Short Wedding, Birthday Party, Rehearsal Dinner. You name it I’ll shoot it. (Sorry no Budior Sessions, Jello Wrestling or any conflicting
scheduling with previous bookings).
Slide Show DVD
All images High Res on DVD.
16×20 Custom Things That Make Her Smile Piece.
So spread the word. Some killer prizes for a good cause. Feel free to call if you have a question on a specific date.
*ALL ENTRIES MUST BE IN BEFORE JULY 8th 2009 at 12:00pm EST.
Shop at the P.T.T.M.H.S Store
Donate here for your chance to win
UPDATE 6/15/09 - Project: Things That “Make” Her Smile
Again we can’t say thank you enough. As word has continued to spread on Carolina’s project the amount raised has continued to rise. We have now raised $3200!!! Carolina’s first of her last two surgeries is next Wednesday. Wish her luck. Thanks again everyone for the ongoing support.
UPDATE 6/12/09 - Project: Things That “Make” Her Smile
Just wanted to drop you guys some more info on the projects progress. We’ve now raised $2400 total in 2 Days. Facebook has been an integral part of this project and continues to send lots of traffic our way. Thanks for all the posts. Stay tuned. I will also be releasing some new items next week. Also if you guys have any suggestions for items you would like to see. Let us know at studio@drozephotography.com.
UPDATE - Project: Things That “Make” Her Smile
I am in awe at and humbled by the response from this blog post. In only one day we (that being all of you) have raised over $1,700. Between ReTweets, Facebook,The Knot and Sun-Sentinel (half way down in the middle) almost 600 people checked out the project yesterday. Carolina has been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of not only friends and family, but people who she has never even met. Society often gets a bad rap, but the negative is all too often overshadowed by the positive. This is proof that people care and that people can make a difference. Even the mere act of sharing this story with others has made a huge impact. Stay tuned as I will be updating this often.
Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.
The Project:
As many of you may know, my family was involved in a serious car accident when we were returning from our wedding anniversary weekend in Key West. While my son and I were not injured badly, my wife suffered severe injuries to her mouth as well as a broken wrist. You can see the extent here (warning these images are graphic). 
Carolina has made an amazing recovery both mentally and physically but has had to undergo a tremendous amount of dental work. Unfortunately the insurance company of the party at fault paid the bare minimum and our insurance company, whose name will be left unmentioned, has left us drastically short covering the medical bills - to the extent of $16,500.
In this economy doctors require their money up front. So it’s pay in full or wait to have the work done. We’ve already paid thousands upon thousands of dollars out of pocket and have depleted our savings. In my eyes she’s waited long enough. Therefore I started a project a few weeks ago called Things That “Make” Her Smile. I’ve gone through my library of photos and picked some of Carolina’s favorite things (that make her smile) and have created a limited edition series of prints on hand-crafted frames. These pieces have been made with my hands in the hopes that I can help rebuild her smile. As you can see from the pre-accident picture, Carolina had a beautiful smile that lit up every room she walked into. While the rest of our lives have been blessed with many things to smile about, her smile isn’t quite as big :(. I will be selling these pieces here at an Etsy Store that I have created. All the proceeds will go to Making Her Smile once again, and the series will end when the amount has been reached. While I have spent many days in the past few weeks working on these in my parents’ garage, Carolina has been left in the dark as to what I have been working on and will only find out when this has been posted. I hope you enjoy them.
I will also be offering custom versions of these pieces with which you can choose the picture you would like on them. So if you have a great picture you would like to have created for a great cause, I can create it for you. All you need to do is send the high-resolution file and leave the rest up to me. Out of respect for other photographers and copyrighted materials, please only request images that I have shot or that you own the right to reprint. Also please don’t request any shots that you are not directly related to the subjects or close friends. I will not print any of my clients’ images without their consent.
Well they didn’t get that dirty but they did smell a descent amount of cow poop. So a few months back I was on my way to Miami to shoot a wedding when I saw off the distance “awesomeness” in the form of a broken down crane. This crane had it all size, graffiti, desolate surroundings, and rust. Lots of rust. Anyways about a month later I scouted this crane out via Google Earth and a short reconnaissance mission where in fact I stepped in a mud hole and got my flip flops sucked right off my feet (I’ll miss you guys). But all in the name of photography. So after I trecked only yards up the road and realized you could walk safely in to the location. I knew this was going to be a sweet future location. So when Barret and Collete said they’d be in town from Jacksonville. The date was on. In lieu of this post I will have a contest for the first person who can correctly identify the location of this crane. The winner will receive a free session of their choice (Engagement, Family Portait or Baby/Kid Session). Enjoy and Good Luck
I’d like to start off by thanking Juan for being a good sport. While I’m at it I’d like to thank all the grooms and future grooms I’ve shot for taking the time to come hang out and get photographed. For most guys I’m sure spending a Saturday getting photographed when they could be enjoying a nice game with the boys or out doing some kind of recreational activity. Anyways enough of thanking the men. Thanks ladies for always looking stunning and bringing the energy. Enough banter and on to the pics. Enjoy
