Making Strides

This year, I changed things up a smidge. This year I did not cover Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure. And if you have scrolled through my blog or my website, you know that that event was one that I always looked forward to. I missed it. I missed the community and the familiar faces. I missed the atmosphere.

Enter the American Cancer Society and their Making Strides Walk!

Yep. On Saturday, October 24th, I returned to the community that I was missing. At 5am, my alarm was going off, and by 6, I was hitting up Dunkin Donuts for some much-needed coffee with some of the members of my shooting team before heading down to cover another amazing event.

The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event is held at Yeatman’s Cove in Cincinnati, Ohio. The route takes walkers across 2 bridges and along the Ohio River on both the Ohio and Kentucky sides.

I had the privilege of shooting alongside several area photographers. Some of which had covered events with me previously, and a few new faces joined in on the fun as well. Everyone had a great time and captured some amazing moments!

So, without further adieu, please enjoy some highlights from the day…

The entire image collection from the Making Strides Walk can be found here: http://www.eclecticallyforyou.com/strides2015

Thank you to Carrie, Hannah, and the other amazing individuals at the American Cancer Society that invited my friends and I to cover this awesome event.

And a HUGE THANK YOU!!! to my friends/colleagues that donated their time and talents to helping me capture every nook and cranny of this event!Team Photographers:
Tiffany S. with TSI Photography
Pamela S. with Stevens Photography
Steven K. with Steven Kohus Photography
Kasie F. with Kasie Fisher Photography
Tara F. with Tara Fahlberg Photography
Monica J.
Lindsey D. (that’s me!) with Eclectically for You Photography

Aki + Ryan

Sunday, September 20th was a gorgeous day. Filled with blue skies, puffy clouds, and wedding bells. (Yeah, I went old school cliche.)

As I understand it, the story goes… Girl watches “The O.C.” Girl has a crush on a character named ‘Ryan.’ Girl meets a boy named Ryan. Girl falls in love with Ryan. Ryan proposes. Girl says, “YES!” And here we are..

..At this beautiful venue (I could totally shoot here for days.) If you haven’t seen it yet, please make plans to. This is the Historic Hauck Mansion. It is still a venue in progress, but you would never know.This is Aki (aka, “Girl”) with her team of maids. And this is Ryan with his fellow groomsmen.It was an intimate affair; with a mix of American and Japanese traditions. Please scroll (slowly) and enjoy images from Aki and Ryan’s big day! Congratulations to the beautiful couple and best wishes to the future!

-Lindsey ❤

Steve + Jennifer

May 16th, 2015 was overcast, with a 60% chance of rain. And at the Bel-wood Country Club, it did rain. But as “they” say, rain is good luck on a wedding day. So these rain drops were not going to put a damper on Steve and Jennifer’s big day!

Congratulations to the beautiful couple!

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…
It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
-Vivian Greene

Meet Sammy

Sammy is an amazing 5 year old little boy who suffers from epilepsy.  On Friday, October 18th, 2013, Sammy was granted his Make-A-Wish.  He was named Honorary Captain for the Kings Vs. St. Charles Preparatory School football game at my alma mater, Kings High School in Kings Mill, Ohio.  [Sammy’s feature on the Kings Knights website]

Attendees donned some purple attire and players wore their purple socks.  All in support of epilepsy awareness.As the Honorary Captain, Sammy warmed up with the players, stood at their side on the 50-yard line, and even called the coin toss.  Sammy and his family then led the Knights out onto the field at the start of the game.I’m pretty sure that he, his 5 siblings and his Mom and Dad had a pretty incredible evening!

***
I want to give a little shout-out and a HUGE “Thank You!” to my fellow Kings graduate, Sommer B. for thinking of me when this little man’s wish came true.  I had an amazing time capturing the joy and honor that encompassed the entire stadium that night.
-Lindsey

My PINK Saturday

My Saturday began at 4:30am with a pick through my pink hair, a pair of pink Strawberry Shortcake knee-high socks, pink capris, pink earrings, nose ring, pink mascara, pink eye shadow, and a purple team shirt.  PINK overkill?  Nah.  Just the perfect look for a perfect day at an amazing event.Saturday, September 14th marked my 3rd year photographing the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I shoot for all of the survivors, their family and friends; but most importantly to  honor my Mom, a 13 year breast cancer survivor.  I take great pride in what I do and I love that I have the ability to share it with so many people.

Each year, I am joined by other local photographers that are awesome enough to donate their time and talent to covering this HUGE event.  This year, I had the privilege of working with these 4 amazing individuals: Sarah R. of Sarah Anne Photography, Samantha G. of SJG Photography, Lisa H. of Hezlep Photography, and Adam G. of Gabbard Photography.

L-R: Angie, my camera and human wrangler, Lindsey (me,) Sarah, Samantha, Lisa, and Adam.

Not only did I have a great shooting team to work with, but I was fortunate to have my Grandma K. graciously manning my booth space for a 3rd year.

And if that wasn’t enough, my favorite henna artist, Jill Jaiswall hung out at my booth too; offering up some free henna to race participants.Prior to all the running and walking, people congregated around the GABP for some breakfast at the Komen Kafe, takeaways throughout the sponsor expo, and a Jazzercize warm-up on the main stage.This year’s event consisted of a 10K run (8am,) a 5K run/walk (9am,) and a 2K family fun walk (9:30am.)THIS is the 5K crowd and THESE images do not do this crowd justice.
(And the purple shirt with the cutest kid in the world on his shoulders… those are my boys.)Did I mention that I love making new friends?The route took participants across and along the Ohio River, via two bridges and along the Newport Levy.All culminating at my absolute favorite shooting spot… the finish line.And if I could post all 700+ images from that spot on this blog, I would. (But, for those that do want to check out ALL of those finish line shots, I offer up this link.) The smiles, tears, hugs and high-fives were never-ending.  And I do not lie, my human wrangler, Angie has to drag me, kicking and screaming from the finish line every year to make the next deadline in the stadium.

So, what happens inside the Great American Ball Park, you ask?  First, the kids take to the field (well, the brown dirt part around the field) for the Annual Kids Fun Run!And then, every year Komen gets a group shot of all of the survivors in a creative way.  For the 2nd year in a row, this magic was created in the stands (baseball is apparently still happening.)  And along with the group photo, survivors and guests are entertained by performers and speakers. The speakers are amazing. The performances are amazing. The crowd is amazing. The survivors are amazing.  And the entire day (though it is over before noon) is beyond amazing and I cannot wait for next year.

And if you were at the race and would like to find yourself in the crowd OR if you would just like to see all the fun that was missed, please visit my website for the complete collection of images from the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 2013.

I will end this post with a series of photographer action shots. ❤ Lindsey

ROYGBIV #5: Brown

This is my Rainbow Project. Conceptualized November 2010. First session photographed January 2011.

Brown: That Girl!
Model: Rachel Photographed: February 17, 2012

You can see all 10 images are available on my Facebook page.

Please stay tuned…

ROYGBIV #3: Silver

This is my Rainbow Project. Conceptualized November 2010. First session photographed January 2011.

Silver: Metal
Model: Thuy Photographed: May 22, 2011

You can see all 10 images are available on my Facebook page.

Please stay tuned…

Race for the Cure 2012

Last Saturday was the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The event is both the largest and the most inspiring event for me to photograph.  This year I teamed up with another 5 photographers, 4 of which are fellow FILM Project photographers.My shooting crew (left to right): Adam Gabbard, Gabbard Photography; Lindsey Driscoll (me,) Eclectically for You Photography; Pamela Stevens, Stevens Photography; Sarah Richardson, Sarah Anne Photography; Amanda Davidson, Amanda Davidson Photography; and Samantha Gunning, SJG Photography

Our morning started around 7am down at the Great American Ballpark and we spidered out from there.

The mainstage provided check presentations as well as the National Anthem, sung by Eben Franckewitz (American Idol.)  Frank Marzullo, from Fox19 acted as MC, along with Jeff and Fritsch from Q102.

8am began the first ever Race for the Cure 10K!  And 9am led the way for the 5K (survivor/family walk.)  Leading the walk, as they’d done many times in the past, were the girls in Pink from Fox19, Sheila Gray, Tricia Mackey, Stephanie Woods, and Katy Morgan.  Once the crowd passed by (which, by the way went down several blocks and wrapped around the corner) we hopped off of the scissor lift and headed straight for the finish line.   This is by far my favorite location to shoot.  The high fives, the tears, the success! Words cannot describe the emotions underneath the big, pink inflatable finish line.  Runners, walkers and survivors were greeted by Jay Kruz with Rewind 94.9, cheerleaders, and bunches of cheering spectators.  Survivors were given medals as they crossed their finish line.

(I don’t normally prefer to show off my backside, but…) I’d like you to meet Josie.  I photographed her last year as she danced in the flash mob.  I met her again this year.  She’s been through it, going through it again and still always with a smile on her face.Photos by: SJG Photography

Immediately following the race, came the Kids for the Cure race inside of the GABP.  The finale is the Celebration of Hope Survivor Ceremony.  Awards are handed out to some of the race finishers, as well as some of the amazing teams and individuals that raised an outstanding amount of money for the cure.  Our MCs for the event were Frank Marzullo with Fox 19, Brian (a fellow Kings alumni and photographer) and Laura from Q102.  Eben also returned to sing “What a Wonderful World” during the balloon release.And for my finale, I climbed onto a knuckle truck (I’m getting pretty good at knowing my lifts) and grabbed some shots of the amazing sea of pink, smiling and waving at me from the stands.  Again, no words…And now you’re thinking, “Seriously, 6 photographers; 19 thousand attendees and that’s all the images you’ve got to post?!”  I have tons, literally TONS of images to go through.  I am working as fast as I can and will have EVERY SINGLE IMAGE posted as soon as possible on my website.  Please check back for new additions: www.eclecticallyforyou.com/Events/Race-for-the-Cure

A special shout-out, hugs and kisses to my mother.  A 12 year breast cancer survivor!  Looking amazing in pink.  Photo by: Amanda Davidson Photography (ground-level)

Big hugs and thank you’s to my family and friends for being there.  And to my bestie, Angie for carrying the clipboard for the day. 😉

Survivor Portrait Sessions
I am hosting my 2nd annual day of mini-sessions (family portraits) for breast cancer survivors and their friends/family on October 20th at the Heritage Village, inside Sharon Woods.  For more information, please click this link or visit my website, under the “EfyP Events” tab.

Race for the Cure is Coming

This gallery contains 3 photos.

Two weeks from today is the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Cincinnati.  This will be my second year photographing the event and I am beside myself with excitement.  My mother is a 10 year+ breast cancer … Continue reading →

Batting Practice with the Musicians

I am going to start out this post with a bit of information.  Angelman Syndrome is a neuro-genetic disorder that occurs in one in 15,000 live births.  My Mother’s best friend is a Mom to one of the 15,000.  She had a little girl, named Madonna.  And since the day she received the diagnosis, Penny (Mom) has been giving everything she can to Madonna and doing anything she can for the Angelman Syndrome Foundation.  Each May, my family participates in the Angelman Syndrome Walk in support of the research and the many families that have Angel babies.So, how does this have anything to do with batting practice?  Well, this past weekend, Penny organized a benefit concert in honor of her daughter.  Named “The Madonna Jam,” the concert featured Eliot Sloan (from Blessid Union of Souls,) Regie Hamm (singer/song writer,) Brian White (singer/song writer,) and his wife Karyn Williams (Christian recording artist.)  Brian White and Eliot Sloan are from the Cincinnati area and both are HUGE Reds fans.  So as a thank you to everyone, Penny arranged for tickets to Saturday night’s Reds game and the full VIP batting practice experience prior to it.  Enter Lindsey!

From Left to Right: Brian White, Karyn Williams, Eliot SloanMy “job” was to meet and hang out with these amazing people (camera around neck) and follow them throughout the afternoon.  Unfortunately, Regie became ill and was unable to join us.

We gathered in the Marriott hotel’s lobby at Covington Landing and walked to the Great American Ballpark from there.It was HOT and very sweaty, but we all made it across the Roebling Suspension Bridge and into the stadium.  We were treated to an en route tour of the underground GABP tunnels.  We saw where the club house and media rooms were.  Then we were led up the stairs and onto the field. Our “viewing area” was just to the left of the Reds’ dugout and just off of the grass (no touching the grass.)  The children that were in our area were treated to the occasional ground ball, which would ultimately end with a few of the player’s autographs for their new collection.  We were told that we were not to interrupt a player, however if they approached us, we were more than welcome to chat. Have you met Todd Frazier? Hanging out with these incredibly talented individuals for several hours made my day; but to then have the opportunity to meet some of Cincinnati’s hometown heroes was an amazing experience!  Along with Todd Frazier, I had the opportunity to photograph Dusty Baker and Bronson Arroyo.  And then, because apparently all of that wasn’t awesome enough, Martin AND Charlie Sheen just happened to be enjoying batting practice with us.  Seriously?!So, yep it was a pretty spectacular day!Penny (the Mom who made it happen) and Your’s TrulyFor more information, please click on the following links:

• Angelman Syndrome Foundation
• Eliot Sloan/ Blessid Union of Souls
• Karyn Williams  *Karyn’s debut album “Only You” comes out August 28th! You can purchase a copy either on iTunes or at Family Christian Stores
• Brian White
• Regie Hamm