Skydiving, Connecticut Parachutists, Ellington Airport

Here are some Skydiving photos of our trip to Connecticut Parachutists at Ellington Airport in Ellington, CT. As any parent would usually do, I asked my daughter Kayla what she wanted for her 19th birthday. Well, she already has a car, a laptop, a blackberry and an iPod. So her answer was simple...I want to go Skydiving.

Now, I'm all for living on the edge and everything, but at this stage in my life I was over wanting to jump out of a plane...or so I thought. (read on)

I offered to bring her to the airport, pay for her to jump, and take pictures from the ground up, but she would have none of that she said. I would need to go with her or she didn't want to go. So, guess what daddy did.....yup.

Now that wasn't the hard part! No way, the hardest part for me was having to diet and keep a close eye on my weight if I was planning to jump. You see, they have a scale there and a weight limit for jumpers...and of course I was over the limit.

So, I had to diet hard and fast in order to meet the requirements.

Some people are passionate about certain things. Me? I'm passionate about food and photography. So it wasn't easy and I didn't have more than a couple of weeks, but I was on a mission. The things we parents do for our kids huh?

Well, I reached my goal and was able to jump with my daughter.

The feeling of pure adrenaline, excitement, fear, and the many other ones that I experienced were nothing short of awesome! What a great feeling that was. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm glad I was able to share it with my daughter.

I also must say, I didn't think the day could possibly get any better!
Then, it did.

Later that day, while checking the statuses of all my Facebook friends, I saw a comment that Kayla had posted on her wall for all of her friends to see. It said "Went skydiving with my dad. Just got back. Best day ever. Dad is my HERO.

I can't imagine that those last words she said are heard much by us parents from our teenaged children, but when I read those words...I got all choked up. My 19 year old daughter thinks I'm cool!

And for however long that thought inside her head lasts in real time, which I imagine won't be so very long, I will forever hold those words deep inside my heart, because for me, jumping out of a plane to hear those words was so worth it. Would I do it again? You betcha! Only if she comes with.

International Charity Model Search Contest

DIAZ DIGITAL DISCOVERIES is participating in the International Charity Model Search Contest to select North America’s Cutest Family and to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. (NILMDTS.org)

Are your loved ones North America’s Cutest Family? We’ll give you the opportunity to prove it! Many exciting prizes will be awarded, and the grand prize winner receives A New Car!

Contest begins on November 1, 2009 and expires on April 4, 2010

Model Search Special:
Your $49 entrance fee includes a 30-minute model session and one image submitted to the national gallery.

Finalists will be determined by online votes. Each vote is only $1 (no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS.org).

Grand prize international winner will be determined from the 52 city finalists. The winners will be selected from the finalist gallery by photography and modeling industry experts. The winning family also receives a session with the renowned portrait artist Sandy Puc’ and international recognition.

Call us at 508-216-5898 now to book your model session on or after November 1st 2009 and enter your family in this exciting contest!

*Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. For more information, visit http://sandypucmodels.com/.

Engagement Portraits Are Important!

How Important is an Engagement Portrait?

Your engagement is the official beginning of the life you’re about to share with each other. Your engagement portraits show everyone that you plan to spend the rest of your lives together.

Another reason to do engagement portraits is so you can share the portraits with members of each family. They can also be given as gifts to show your appreciation. This is especially handy if there is a major holiday between your engagement session and the wedding.

However, I feel one of the most important reasons to do an engagement portrait is so we can get to know each other better. I want to learn how the two of you mesh, how you relate to each other. That way on the day of the wedding, when you will be a little nervous, I can watch for and photograph the “real you!”

Just as important is, I want the groom to see that photography can be fun. Many guys feel that this photography thing is going to be a pain and that they are going to feel awkward. When he sees that I’m not going to push him into weird poses that make him feel uncomfortable, then he will looking more forward to the wedding photography. I can also get to know him and his personality so I can capture it on the wedding day.

What should you wear? This may sound silly, but if you dress alike (same colors) people won’t look at the clothing but look at both of you. The clothing will add to the feeling of the portrait. It is just as important as the background selection.

And we are here to help you, so if you have any questions, just ask.

The most important thing to do is relax and enjoy your time together during the first official photographs of your wedding experience! Have fun with it! Some of the best images are the ones that happen naturally.

Call us today to schedule your Engagement Portrait session and get ready to have lots of fun and get some really great images.

October is Family Portrait Month!

We have had the honor over the past years of being a registered Family Portrait Month / Operation Smile participating studio. This year our goal is to raise more money than we did last year and in years past.

Our studio, together with other members of our national affiliation, the Professional Photographers of America (PPA Charities) donate money each year for Operation Smile; a worldwide children’s medical charity whose thousands of volunteer health care professionals treat children and young adults suffering with facial deformities such as cleft-lips, cleft-pallets and more.

During the month of October we will be booking family portrait sessions and you’ll have several opportunities to have your family portraits made, while at the same time helping to raise money for these children.

We have cleared our busy schedule for the whole month of October in order to accommodate as many families as possible in this very short time. Why not help us help these children with this simple yet life-changing operation.

We are booking appointments for Family Portrait Month right now and every year our appointment book fills fast, so don’t delay! Call today to book your family portrait session with us. We book appointments on a first come, first served basis, so the sooner you call to book, the more flexibility you will have on choosing an appointment date and time.

Our studio session fee is $100 and will be donated entirely to Operation Smile from every family portrait session we have. All appointments are reserved upon full payment of the session fee. For faster service and to ensure your appointment, please call us and have your credit card information ready.

Family Portrait Month sessions will be limited to 50 minutes instead of the normal 60 minutes to allow time for families to enter and exit our studio with greater ease. We ask that you please be on time (not too early & not late).

Any additional donations to Operation Smile will also be greatly appreciated! For as little as $240 you can help provide a cleft lip surgery that will transform the life of a child. For clients who do not wish to have a family portrait session but still wish to donate, a check for any amount may be mailed to us Attn: Family Portrait Month. For more information about Family Portrait Month visit:
www.FamilyPortraitMonth.com.

Thank you very much to all who have donated in the past years and to all who will donate this year. You are helping to give a child their smile!

Sincerely, Ed Diaz

All donations need to arrive to us by October 31, 2009

Send to:
Diaz Digital Discoveries
38 Dudley Rd.
Oxford, MA 01540-2218
Attn: Family Portrait Month