About 3-4 Saturdays ago, our Portrait from the Heart team was called upon to do a family portrait.
I have not took family portraits for quite a while.I feel rusty to shoot.
It didn’t turn out to be one with smiley family members. It was rather sombre for the family members.
I could imagine why.
The eldest of the 3 is dying.
I have this feeling that I cannot shake off, even though I have been part of the shooting team a few times.
It just feels weird at times especially when you know why the team has been invited to do the family portrait.
A perfectly well kid. Months ago, a brain tumour was detected. The boy’s life just spiralled downwards.
We did the makeup for the family. We shifted the hospital bed and other furniture away. We completed the shoot with a single setting, 2-3 variations and wrapped up.
The fact that needed Morphine to endure the pain in his body as we went through the photo shoot was heart wrenching.
His mum had been asking him to hold out for this shoot.
We did the shoot, headed off, did the post processing and sent a soft copy to them the next day.
2 days after the shoot, we received news that he had passed on.
Fulfilling the family’s wishes, we were glad.
Sad as the ending may seem, we are just glad to bring a tiny spark in the dark days.