Community Corner

Local Photographer Raises Cancer Awareness with Camera

Cynthia Sambro-Rier and Shoots for a Cure donate to American Cancer Society.

Local photographer Cynthia Sambro-Rier uses her lens to capture life’s joys – children, family, weddings – but she recently decided to use it to fight cancer.

Sambro-Rier, a mother of two, is a participating photographer in Shoots for a Cure, a national network of photographers who raise awareness and make donations to various cancer organizations.

According to the Shoots for a Cure web site, the organization “celebrate[s] life through complimentary portrait sessions for all cancer patients by networking professional photographers with patients going through cancer treatment or in remission. [It] support[s] the cause by charitable donations to the American Cancer Society, Susan G Komen and fundraising for other cancer organizations.”

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Sambro-Rier said she was compelled to get involved when her mother died of cancer eight years ago. “It was this helpless feeling and I wanted to do something,” she said. “But for a while I didn’t really know what to do.”

In October, Sambro-Rier participated in the Marine Corps Marathon, running for the American Cancer Society’s DetermiNation team. And in November she announced her participation in Shoots for a Cure on her photography blog.

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“I decided that I really liked the work that they were doing, and I really liked the idea of photographing somebody who was going through the process, if that’s what they wanted to do,” she said. “And also photographing cancer patients who wanted to celebrate their success or beating cancer.”

Patients interested in working with Shoots for a Cure can choose to document their fight against cancer before or during treatment. If they prefer, they can schedule a session within 12 months after treatment is completed to celebrate their victory. Shoots for a Cure sessions are free for the patient and 10 small prints from the session are complimentary as well.

According to Sambro-Rier's blog, if customers book sessions between Nov. 12 and Dec. 9 and mention Shoots for a Cure, she will make a personal donation of $100 to the organization.

She will also donate $10 from every session booked in 2012 to DetermiNation. 

A graduate of Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C., Sambro-Rier recently made her photography business her fulltime job. "I like photography because there’s an intimacy about it that I loved," she said. "You can capture fleeting moments. That’s what led me to want to do it as a fulltime business."

She said she loves working with children, and selections of her work can be found on her web site

If you're interested in scheduling a session, contact Sambro-Rier directly at 703-216-8132 or email her at csrphoto@verizon.net.


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