Julie Steiskal will be missed.

A friend and fellow photographer died last night.
Matthew texted me, "Did you hear about Julie?"

You know it is never good news when those words are used.



(Photo by Daniel Snow.)


.



(Photo by Johnny).


...Life is so short....


(Pic by Daniel Snow...my guess... setting up the shot for Julie to sit there. Who knew it would be such a powerful image. It makes me cry.)



Here is the LINK about the accident.


She was trying to save someone.
If she hadn't tried, she may be alive and living with guilt of, "What if I had only tried?" But I'm sure she didn't give saving that girl a second thought.

I'm having a really hard time with this. But I can't imagine how her closer friends and her family are handling it.. especially those who witnessed it, and the pastor, who tried to save her... When tragedies happen, I put myself in the shoes of a bystander (not intentionally), and I replay, over and over what they might have seen.

Julie was a member of Open Source Photo forum (a forum where photographers meet and share stories, questions, and give advice). I met her in December at an OSP gathering in downtown Minneapolis. After the event, she drove me to my car so I didn't have to walk in the cold, and we sat in her car and talked for over an hour.

On her OSP profile, she had this quote listed:
"Life is short. Hold the apple."
(An inside joke between Johnny and her.)

Please pray for those affected by the death of Julie... She was an incredibly sweet, thoughtful, helpful, and loving person-- Someone who loved God, and her job as a photographer.

If you would like to get to know what Julie was like, stop by HER BLOG. She had a great sense of humor:)

Here is the bio from Julie's photography website:
"When i was six, i walked into the empty kitchen, looked behind me, stretched my arm as far as i could and borrowed my mother's camera for the first time. and when i was done with it, i quietly slipped it back on the counter and went back to my book with a smile on my face. today, as then, i find beauty in the eyes of those i love, in the details of God's creation, in laughter, in light, in wonder.

i like my garden. i like my front porch and my little old house. i like knowing my neighbors and i like crossing my street to get the mail. i like a good book, a movie that makes me laugh, a song that makes me sing. i like food. i like thai restaurants, good pasta and the tacos that come out of my kitchen. i like the smell of the grill on a warm summer night and i like my mother's cheesecake. i like the water. i like the smell of rain, the sound of a creek, the infinite possibility of a lake and the dampness of dew. i like falling asleep and waking up to thunderstorms. i like the sound of my nephew's giggle and the feel of his brother's hand in mine. i like that my family includes some of my best friends.

my life is both simple and complicated. it is a peaceful spring morning, it is a commute surrounded by people i don't know. it is finding the quiet in the chaos, it is knowing how to be alone in a crowd.

i think you, your child, your dreams are beautiful. i know that time is quickly passing. i want to help you capture the moments of your life that you never want to forget.

this is what i bring. this is who i am."