Grant Palmer – 2024 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year

A podcast brought Grant Palmer to Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. While commuting to work one day, he was listening Australian photographers talk about their work with bereavement photography. Intrigued, Grant looked up whether a similar organization existed in the United States and came across NILMDTS. He attended the NILMDTS information session at the ImagingUSA conference that year, but was still hesitant to jump in. A year (and one more Imaging info session) later, and Grant decided to start volunteering.

“Your timing is your timing,” Grant reflected. “You’ll know when it’s time.” 

Drawn to the flexibility of the role, Grant signed up to be a Digital Retouch Artist. As a DRA, Grant volunteers to gently retouch photos taken by others, whether that be Medical Staff, families, or volunteer photographers. He knew he had the skills to do the complicated editing that might be difficult for others, and could do it when it worked for him. “I don’t have to be at the hospital,” Grant said. “I can do all this other stuff – and I can do this work that other people can’t do, and I can do it on my couch!” He enjoys that each photo presents a unique challenge. It encourages him to try different approaches and learn new skills, saying, “It doesn’t let me get set in my habits when retouching.” 

Volunteering with NILMDTS is also work …