![]() ![]() Lake Nona Family Session : Me and a dog named RockyWhat a beautiful weather it turned out to be after a day of heavy rain & thunderstorm. Sunny with happy clouds perfectly spaced out in bright blue sky. It was a perfect day to be out and taking photos of this young lady full of life and laughter along with her adorable furry friend. Such a gentle dog and looked like he smiled for the camera in some photos. A fun photoshoot indeed!
Mathes Family session in Lake Nona OrlandoFamily sessions are super fun. I had a wonderful time at this family session in Lake Nona area, Orlando. This one was extra special and challenging because of three adorable furry friends- Mollie, Louie & Callie. I have some experience with wildlife photography but not pet photography. Growing up, my parents did not let me or my brother have pets. The good ol reply would be, "You can't take care of yourself, how will you take care of your pet?". They were right and we both agreed to that. So yes, no experience with pets, although I do adore my friends' cats & dogs. Let's just say I need to upgrade my animal whisperer skills. Naah, it was not thaaaat bad, but I would have loved to be able to make the pet buds look at the camera more. Nevertheless, it all worked out as I let them be them and they let me be me :) Here are some of the photos of the adorable family, The Mathes. Enjoy! #sumonaphotography
2015 Ancient Oaks 100 miles runImagine running from 7 in the morning and throughout the night to finish the race the next day. You say, that's crazy! I say, no kidding! This weekend my friend Sushma KC Manandhar (I also call her Super woman :) finished her 100-mile race in Titusville and I was there to cheer her on. She also raised funds ($5000+) through her fundraise "A 100 miles for a 100 reasons" to help rebuild and restore Nepal post earthquake. A mother of two, she is an inspiration to me and others, especially Nepali women who give up on their dreams after marriage. It's not too late to donate. Link to her fundraise: https://www.youcaring.com/nepal-earthquake-rebuild-relief-process-396891
The Ancient Oaks 100-mile endurance run course is a 3.46 mile loop 29 times. Sigh, that's more than 29 5Ks to put things in perspective. Now, talking about me, the longest I've ran is 7 hours. I was hurting towards the end but surprisingly something happens to you when you are in a race that makes you keep going no matter what. Although I've some long distance running experience, I could not believe or imagine how these Ultra runners run such long hours. Some of the runners were above 60 years old. I kept going back and forth from thinking they are crazy to they are amazing. Ofcourse they know they are both :) I keep thinking of this quote when I see the Ultra runners, "Everyone has a limit, not everyone finds it".
My friend finished her race in 30 hours and not only she was hurting, but was nauseated too from around mile 60. I did not know how she was going to finish the race as she puked and lost control. But this woman never fails to amaze me with her perseverance. She took breaks and quick naps in between and her endurance led her to the finish line. To help her get through the race, Heather didi (sister in Nepali) had a big role too. Heather was amazing with her natural motherly traits in taking care of the runners, keeping track of them and their needs. Being an ultra runner herself, she knew exactly what to say and what to give to the runners, including tough love to get them going.
Heather Davenport Didi I don't think I'll ever run such long distance, but hey I can be part of it by taking pictures. Here are some of the photos from the event, runners and supporters. Hats off to these amazing men and women who push boundaries and make us realize that there's no such thing as impossible!
Sushma's daughter came out to support her mom.
Fundraise Update June 2015Although I started out with print sale fundraise solely to help out with the earthquake relief/rebuild efforts, the whole process in turn has helped me grow personally. Seeing so many generous contributors was heartwarming and reminded me of Charlie Chaplin's quote, "we all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery."
I am grateful to my sphere who appreciated and bought my photographs, I was able to raise total fund of $2,012. After my print, mat frame and website transaction fees, the net amount to donate totaled $1,650, NRs. 167,772.00. (Note: I did not take any profit). Funds collected after the fundraise ended on June 10th ($290) has been set aside for rehabilitation in Bhaktapur. Please view the table below for breakdown of funds. Although this fundraise has ended, I will continue contributing a portion of my photograph sale to assist in rebuilding Nepal. I will update more about the Bhaktapur fund and my ongoing contribution once details have been finalized.
Why Bhaktapur? Well, I am biased to Bhaktapur not only because it is my birthplace but also because it is a timeless treasure with rich cultural heritage and ancient architecture. Bhaktapur, UNESCO World Heritage site, translates to "City of devotees" and has a feel of an open museum. It is a must see place while visiting Nepal.
To avoid Pay Pal fees, checks were mailed to the address included in the organizations' links below: http://nepalrelief.teachfornepal.org/donate-3/ http://www.sebsonline.org/misc/donate.aspx?c=NepalQuakeRelief
Thanks again everyone for helping me with the fundraise! Until next time.... Wishing you peace & harmony, Sumona Fundraise updatesMy first time fundraising and first time setting up a booth to sell my photos. I loved connecting with people, answer their questions and share information about Nepal. My friends helped me setup the tent and table. It was a wonderful experience.
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