The last days and weeks of a persons life are filled with precious moments, and award-winning photographer Diane Schafer deftly captures those moments for VITAS patients and familieson her own time, at her own expense.
Diane, a volunteer photographer for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of Broward County, has been taking photos of VITAS patients and families for a year. As a professional photographer, she was inspired to get involved with VITAS after a tragic death in her own family.
“My granddaughter, Meghan, was born weighing only one pound,” says Diane. “She had cystic fibrosis and a number of other health problems. I was constantly traveling to see her, and I was constantly taking pictures of her.
“Meghan died when she was 8 months old,” continues Diane. “I realized how much it meant to record the few moments of life that she lived, and how much it meant to my son and daughter-in-law to have those photos. It made me think that others might enjoy having similar photos.”
Diane, who, with her husband, owns Music Tech Studios in Pembroke Pines, learned about VITAS when she joined the National Association of Charitable Photographers.
“The association has photographers all over the country who do volunteer work for VITAS,” she explains. When she realized there was a VITAS program in Broward County, she volunteered her services.
Diane had to undergo the rigorous volunteer training that VITAS requires, then waited until field staff spread the word among their patients that free, professional photography was available to them. Soon enough, the calls started to come in.
Diane typically spends an hour with her subjects, taking both posed and candid shots in black-and-white and coloralthough she prefers the candid ones. “Theyre usually more emotional,” she says. She spends up to three hours editing the photographs, preparing slide shows with music and creating photo CDs, digital files and paper prints, all of which go to the patients and families without charge.
One patients family gave Diane so many photo opportunities during her visit that she won first prize in a photo contest hosted by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in late 2007.
“This work is very rewarding,” says Diane. “I feel blessed to be able to do it.”
The last days and weeks of a persons life are filled with precious moments, and award-winning photographer Diane Schafer deftly captures those moments for VITAS patients and familieson her own time, at her own expense. 
