Flashes of Hope at Victory Junction Gang Camp

A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to photograph family day at Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, NC with Flashes of Hope.  I can not begin to describe Victory Junction Gang Camp in any way that will do it justice.  Their mission statement describes it well:  “Victory Junction Gang enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment”.  And boy do they ever – we were absolutely amazed by every aspect of this place from the staff to the facilities to the grounds that were beautifully decorated.  We left bright and early (well actually it was very dark and early) and you can imagine the excitement a group of photographers would have getting to spend a day shooting in a place like this.  Everywhere you look is a bright, colorful, fun design – really it’s a photographer’s dreamland!  I wish I had some photos of the grounds to share with you to give you an idea of what I mean…but I don’t.  Why?  Well because it rained like Noah himself would be making an appearance.  It was dark as night and the rain came down heavily all.day.long.  We shlepped our gear through the rain and mud into the few indoor spots large enough to house us and made it work.  So yes, I shot family sessions in…a gym.  Against a lime green cinder block wall on a metal gym bench.  Right, so you can see what I mean by “make it work”.  But it DID work and the perpetual game of kickball going on right behind us kept us going all day long.  Here is a small peek into our day!