Say cheese for charity

Courtesy of Photo Lyrical Photography
Two-year-old twins Julian Alexander Ellison and Bianca Alexis Ellison, children of Pamela Ellison Courtesy of Photo Lyrical PhotographyThis year, the beneficiary is Mothering Across Continents, a Charlotte nonprofit that supports health and education programs for orphans and other at-risk African children. Growing up in South Africa, she witnessed poverty firsthand. “I’ve seen people living in abject poverty without even the most basic of necessities,” she said.The calendar features two themes: “Tasty Treats” for babies up to 15 months old and “Movie Stars” for children 16 months to 7 years old. All children were invited to pose for the calendar, and Cooney planned an online vote to determine who’d appear in the finished product. And while there was a winner – 1-year-old Siana McBean of Charlotte, who netted her mom a $350 photo bag – Cooney decided, in the end, to feature all the children, scrapbook style. Babies were photographed as strawberry parfaits, banana splits and lemon sherbet. Older kids dressed up as such film icons as Elvis Presley, Audrey Hepburn and Peter Pan.From the Mountain Island area, 2-year-old twins Julian Alexander Ellison and Bianca Alexis Ellison posed with giant lollypops, with Julian sporting bright green pants and Bianca in a bright green tutu.“It was fun. They had a great time,” Pamela Ellison, the twins’ mother said. “Mimika is really great with kids. Julian and Bianca took to her right away. They just laughed, ate their lollypops, jumped around and took lots of pictures.”1-year-old Joseph Maddox Honeycutt son of Kristen and Joe Honeycutt
Waxhaw photographer cajoles the brightest smiles for 2010 calendar
October 30, 2009
Laura Johannesen

What’s cuter than a picture of a dressed-up baby, and what’s more meaningful than giving to the world’s less fortunate?

Photographer Mimika Cooney seems to have found the answers by linking the two for her 2010 charity calendar project.

Cooney, owner of Photo Lyrical, moved from England. She has a background in marketing and public relations, but she’s always loved photography and decided to go into the business when she arrived in Waxhaw. And since 2007, she’s put her talent to work by shooting a calendar to benefit a charity.

The twins were joined by fellow Mountain Islander Joseph Maddox Honeycutt, who’s a year old and also posed with a big lollypop.

Six-year-old Emily True Burns of Huntersville posed as her favorite fairy, Tinkerbell, and her 8-month-old cousin, Ella, was one of Little Bo Peep’s sheep. Jennifer Burns said her daughter initially was shy at the photo shoot but eventually cooperated.

Ella and her mother, Jennifer’s sister, are staying at the Burnses’ home because Ella’s father was killed just months ago in Afghanistan. “The charity was very dear to me because my sister and her husband traveled extensively and had planned on living in Africa as missionaries when his tour of duty was finished. It is a way to honor him,” Burns said.

Jennifer Farrell of Waxhaw took her sons Brady, 4, and Ethan, 6, to pose for the calendar. Brady got to play the lead character in his favorite Disney movie, “Peter Pan,” and Ethan was a stalwart Obi-Wan Kenobi, of “Star Wars” fame.

“They were shy but very cooperative, and I just thought it was good for them to do this,” Farrell said. “This is fun, but more importantly, it’s for a good cause. Children can grow through an experience like this. Knowing we’re helping out a worthwhile charity makes us all feel good.”

Cooney’s goal was to raise $8,000, and she’s “tremendously pleased” that thanks to sitting-fee donations, she’s been able to give $4,400 to Mothering Across Continents, which recently piloted a meal program for high school students and helped fund the construction of a play center for children. Cooney is hoping calendar sales will raise the additional money to reach her goal.

She’s grateful she can use her talent to help. “I have been given gifts that I can use to help others. I love to capture special moments with my camera. It’s a way of documenting memories that can last a lifetime – the only way to remember an innocent smile, a feeling, a beautiful scene or emotional moment.”

It isn’t always easy to work with youngsters, but it’s rewarding, she said. “Kids have such a short attention span, and they get wired up and want to go home, but we get through it,” she said. Cooney provides all the costumes and materials. Tina Parker of Tip Finishes helps Cooney sort the costumes, and her daughter, Avaquinn Parker, is the main sponsor, covering the calendar’s printing costs.

Cooney’s excited about her latest project and grateful to the parents who decided to participate. “It is our duty to help others, is it not?”

Want a calandar?
Mimika Cooney expects her charity calendar to be available by mid-November. To buy one, visit www.photolyrical.com/charity.htm. She will donate all calendar profits to Mothering Across Continents.