
Dan Chavez – 2024 Digital Retouch Artist of the Year

A Facebook post looking for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep volunteers first convinced Arizona-based Affiliated Photographer and Digital Retouch Artist Dan Chavez to apply.
“To this day, I don’t know how that Facebook friend got the post or why he posted it, but he did,” Dan laughs. The friend wasn’t a NILMDTS volunteer, but Dan thought he’d like to be.
Twelve months before seeing the post, Dan had personally learned about the importance of remembrance photography. In June 2016, Dan’s daughter was due to have her second child, Isabel. Dan’s wife had gone out before delivery to help, and Dan was due to switch out with her a few weeks later. Complications arose during delivery, and Isabel suffered fatal injuries. She lived for seven days.
Once they had a better idea of what was happening, Dan and his son immediately packed up to be with their family. At the last moment, almost as an afterthought, Dan, a commercial photographer, decided to grab his camera bag. “To this day, I don’t know what possessed me to do it,” he said. But after arriving, his daughter asked him to take a few pictures of baby Isabel. At this time, she was still intubated and hooked up to IVs and monitors. A couple of days later, when she was taken off life support, Dan’s daughter, her husband, and Isabel’s 2-year-old sister took Isabel to the hospital’s outdoor park and play area. Their aim was to show Isabel the beauty of the sky, the sun, flowers, trees, and birds. They took her on a ride on the little wagon, sat on the bench, and read her stories; in the process, they created micro memories that would forever be etched in their hearts. Dan took photos all the while.

Personal image provided by Dan of Baby Isabel and her family.
Ninety days after Isabel passed, Dan sent his daughter the photos of their micro-memories. Six months later, she sent him and his wife an album with all the images, tenderly collated into a loving memory book of Isabel. He said,
“I learned firsthand how helpful the healing power of remembrance photography has been in guiding my daughter and our whole family along grief's continuum."
“You are journalizing that this little being was here, and we loved them,” Dan reflects. “I read once that we’re not photographing death, we’re photographing love, and that’s so true.”
So Dan decided to volunteer as an Affiliated Photographer, shadowing other photographers in his area and then eventually heading out to sessions on his own. The team of volunteers he serves on supports one another and the families in his area well, so he found himself with extra capacity. He decided to apply to be a Digital Retouch Artist, too, and assist with editing NILMDTS photos. “There was a backlog, especially as the Medical Affiliate launched, and COVID had more families turning in photos. I thought, ‘I can do more.’ I know how important it is to get these photos,” Dan said.
Through it all, Dan has continued to be an active member with his local NILMDTS team. Dan has started doing hospital outreach on behalf of the Tucson team, establishing rapport with the medical staff and helping train them on how to utilize NILMDTS services, or take their own photos if a NILMDTS photographer is unavailable. He shares his photography and editing knowledge with his local team, too. Reflecting on Dan’s contribution to their area, his nominator wrote, “Dan’s willingness to share feedback and insights enriches our team’s skill set, fostering continuous growth. His DRA work reflects sensitivity and excellence, producing cherished portraits that honor each child’s memory with dignity.” Dan’s commitment to the families he serves, and the community of volunteers he serves with, led the Board to select him as the 2024 Volunteer of the Year.
Seven years into his volunteer experience with NILMDTS, Dan reflected on how the organization has changed him. In practical ways, the NILMDTS training has helped grow his photography skills for the commercial work he does. But volunteering with NILMDTS has also impacted him in non-tangible ways, including making him more comfortable dealing with and talking about death itself, especially when those around him experience loss. Dan sees the photos he takes as helping people navigate the transition death brings, and he personally knows how much the photos meant to his daughter and their family when they lost Isabel.
Whether he’s editing images behind the scenes, educating hospital staff so they can support other families, or taking photos himself, Dan is honoring Isabel’s legacy as he serves families in his community. He’s grateful to do it. Thinking of the families he's impacted over the years, Dan said,
"I feel honored to be able to serve them. I want to thank them for trusting me and having faith in me to take pictures of their precious infant. You feel sorrow and loss, but you cannot also help but feel the embrace of the family's love and innate strength. It's an honor to spend time with them and their dear baby.”
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a dedicated 501(c)(3) non-profit, offers families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss with complimentary remembrance portraits, capturing precious moments with their babies. Your generous donation can help us extend this heartfelt service to more families in need. Please consider supporting us here.
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