Have you ever started dancing in hopes that your spirit would rise?

Have you ever had to Twist Out Cancer?

Tiny Twister has been an inspiration to me for nearly a year, and I finally got to meet her a few weeks ago!

I found her blog through mutual friends and became enchanted by her open and real style of writing, and encouraged by her stories that are so full of hope, pain, honesty, fun.

Today is her Cancerversary.

What does one say to someone who is “celebrating” their one year diagnosis of cancer? Honestly, I don’t know what to say. All I can really say is thank you, Tiny Twister, for taking this year to encourage and inspire.

And thank you so so much for letting me photograph you.

You are beautiful.

So beautiful, in fact, that I really can’t even choose which images to blog. You can see all my favorites on facebook.

<3

Liesl Diesel

]]> http://liesldieselphoto.com/blog/twist-out-cancer/feed/ 2 http://liesldieselphoto.com/blog/jericho-road-ministries/ http://liesldieselphoto.com/blog/jericho-road-ministries/#comments Tue, 17 May 2011 16:37:33 +0000 Liesl http://liesldieselphoto.com/blog/?p=4231 Anna recently hired me to shoot a day in the life of her refugee drop in center in Buffalo, NY.

I spent the day watching hard working people solve problems for refugees who were overwhelmed by issues of paperwork, transportation systems, immunization records, green cards, etc . . . that they simply could not deal with without the help of a translator. In fact, some of their issues would have been hard to solve for an American-born English-speaking citizen!

Anna’s own words on why she founded Hope:

“I co-founded Hope Refugee Services in 2008. After several years working in refugee resettlement, I realized that a huge gap in services existed and this frustrated me. For refugees arriving in Buffalo, the majority of services ended after six months, and for many this was simply not enough time to adapt to life. Literacy is required for life in America more than most people realize. The ability to fill a simple form is needed to get medical care, maintain food stamps, apply for a job, or even rent an apartment. Many refugees can’t speak English let alone read it within that time period. For others, they want to go to college, complete a GED, or buy a house. It bothered me that people were falling through the cracks. It was unacceptable to me that people came here to start a new life and got caught up in the cycle of poverty, especially when it could be addressed or avoided.

Hope Refugee Services opened its doors to provide services to refugees for whom services were otherwise unavailable. Our intention was to provide a continuum of service to our clients. We are the only post-resettlement agency in Buffalo. Our cornerstone program is the Hope Refugee Drop In Center, which is open to clients three days a week. It is not traditional case management. A client comes in, identifies their own problem and we help them find a solution to that problem. Every day is a surprise and we do anything from referrals, scheduling appointments, and filling out forms. We also started an afterschool program for middle schoolers, a home ownership program, an adult education program, a sewing project, and an urban gardening initiative. All of our programs were designed in dialogue with refugee communities, to make sure they addressed each need as effectively as possible

I chose the name Hope, because I wanted to see hope restored to our clients. I wanted to bring hope to our wider community. I wanted the refugee community to feel that they had a part in their own destiny’s, rather than riding along in a system that was inaccessible.

In 2009, we merged with Jericho Road Ministries, strengthening our programs and infrastructure. This also helped provide sustainability. JRM had several refugee projects as well, including a pregnancy mentoring program, a financial literacy program, and a program working with toddlers for school readiness.

Jericho Road Ministries was named for the parable of the Good Samaritan, running on the Biblical principle of helping others in their time of need. Located on the West side of Buffalo, we currently have three locations. If you are interested in volunteering, you can call 716-348-3000 and ask for Joelle. IF you would like to send a donation, the address is Jericho Road Ministries 184 Barton St Buffalo, NY 14213″

Burmese refugees get off the bus by Jericho Road Ministries

word has quickly spread about the services offered by Hope, and the drop in center stays busy all day

Hope Refugee drop in center

Anna meets with a potential donor.

Her "CAN DO" attitude has taken this service from concept to full fruition! What a lady!

Anna excels at solutions.

Because of their wonderful reputation, the waiting room is full as soon as the doors open!

A social worker and translator work together to help a mother understand how to enroll her child in school, get him there on time and in proper uniform, and have his medical records up to date!

Anna applies for grants in her back office.

The grants help cover expenses and hiring new workers as the center continues to grow and help more refugees!

Anna helps a family with paperwork, with the help of Tha Dah, a Burmese refugee who now works for the center as a translator.

This mother was at the center nearly all day with her three children.

Her children were so well behaved and patient.

Simple things like turning off electricity when someone moves. These small things make a huge difference in the lives of someone who cannot read or speak english.

They keep their files very organized, and their system of helping their clients is very efficient.

It was great to witness the good/effective side of social services. Creating independence, not dependence.

Anna doesn't rhyme with Awesome. but it should.

Anna's commitment to help doesn't end at work.

She rents rooms in her house to refugees who have relocated to Buffalo.

They all get along . . . for the most part =)

This image, I love. I think it describes the caring chaos that forms Anna's life. She is open, and always has room to care for one more person. I love her heart so much. Please consider volunteering or donating to her organization!

Dakota was supposed to hand over her title of American Leather Woman to the next representative, but when I got in touch with her later it ends up she kept her title for another year! WOOT!

Of course this meant she needed some promotional photos!

We met up at a bar, Suck Bang Blow, because there was a mural there she likes.

This might be my favorite image. The wings on the mural are so perfect with her Harley!

I like this composition because Dakota gained her title for one more year, so she is IN! I also like it because, well, she looks totally badass.

Thanks so much for having me do this, Dakota & Kim! I was so glad to meet up with you both again and I hope it can happen again soon!

If you are a fan of Triumph bikes, check out Triumph Motorcycles on Facebook

And if you are a fan of me making ridiculous faces, check out some of Jeff’s Behind the Scenes shots on Flickr.

I did some very informal interviewing below for those of you who care about motorcycles (I have recently learned NOT to call them bikes, I’m getting better at it).

<3

Liesl Diesel

The Triumphs line up to pose for me while I test my lighting set up.

Liesl:  Mike, tell me about your bike, anything custom?

Mike: Well I have the the OFF ROAD exhaust which means that its a race only exhaust meant for the track. I eliminated the front signals and integrated them into the head lights. There is a fender elimnator on the back with custom braket and all foot controls, and it is powder-coated semi-gloss black.  The rims are pin striped with reflective tape.

Liesl: So, Mike, why did you pick that bike?

Mike:  I wanted it for two reasons …First was the bike and its’ feel and it’s what I was shopping for.  Second was that it was a special edition and there are only 500 that were shipped to the states, maybe less.  That black and gold combo.

Liesl:  So you liked that it was limited edition?

Mike:  Yes. The bike is not a common bike but the fact that it was that color combo made it better, and I like black.

Liesl:  Jeff, why did you pick the Triumph Daytona 675?

Jeff:  Because it’s beautiful, it’s different, the 3 cylinder engine sounds wonderful.  It has soul that japanese bikes just don’t have. I was looking for something sportier than what I had.  Also it’s a middleweight so i won’t get in quite as much trouble compared to if i had a larger bike. and it’s not so exotic that it would be very unreliable.  Should i keep going?

Liesl.  Yes! Have you done any customization to it?

Jeff:  Yes, I have a slip-on exhaust from two brothers racing and an aftermarket rear shock and aftermarket stuff in the front fork, that’s about it.

Liesl:  Mike, what is your favorite thing about having this bike, is it speed?

Mike:  It is freedom. In a car you feel nothing.  When you turn can you feel the thing move with you; it turns cause your body turns it, not just your arms.

Liesl:  So it’s like Old Spice? Wind, Ice, and Freedom?

Mike:  Yes.  like a mountain in my pants . . . Eagles and America and apple pie and watermelon.

Liesl: So Jeff, would you say you got this bike as a chick magnet?

Jeff: chick magnet? well, I thought girls might dig motorcyclists back when I wasn't one. Then I got one and it didn't really work like that, so then I went racing and thought girls might like that, but it didn't really work like that. Then I got injured racing and chicks dig scars, right? But no . . . So no, not really is the answer.

Jeff & Mike line up the bikes for me before the sun drops completely

Jeff actually trains other motocyclists how to go faster, both racers and street riders. Mike enjoys working on bikes and customizing them.

And in case you didn't notice, Mike is proud that his bike is black.

Boys and toys . . .

Jeff likes designer t-shirts, Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Mike enjoys wind, ice and freedom.

When models get like this, there is nothing for me to do but shoot them. In the face. For all to see.

]]> http://liesldieselphoto.com/blog/triumph-daytona-motorcyle-portrait-photos/feed/ 1 http://liesldieselphoto.com/blog/more-viper-action/ http://liesldieselphoto.com/blog/more-viper-action/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:07:56 +0000 Liesl http://liesldieselphoto.com/blog/?p=1251 A few more of my favorites from a recent portrait shoot with Sven from Happy Viper!

Sven is clearly one slick designer! Check out his design portfolio!

Thanks for being such an awesome poser!

<3

Liesl Diesel