Brentwood Photography Group

For our first meeting of 2010, we are honored to host Leisa Hammett and Rebekah Pope. A writer and speaker, Leisa, had a concept for a book project and joined with Rebekah, a photographer, to begin the process of the production. Their initial idea had been to produce a Blurb book, but quickly evolved into a full-fledged publishing adventure when they enlisted the help of a designer and finally a publisher to produce the final product.

Leisa and Rebekah will share with us their journey, from concept to printing to marketing and sales. Rebekah will also describe the process of her photographic techniques to capture dozens of families. There will be time for a question and answer period at the end, so come prepared with your own thoughts and questions. Copies of the book, From Heartache To Hope will be available to review or purchase.

Leisa A. Hammett is a 30-year veteran of the corporate and nonprofit communications industry, including public and employee relations. In addition to writing for regional and national magazines and newspapers, she was the associate editor of Nashville Arts Magazine during its first two years and also served a brief stint as an arts reporter for The City Paper. In 1997, her only child was diagnosed with autism, offering the greatest challenge of her life. Her response to autism was ardent volunteerism, networking and advocacy on behalf of her child and other families living with autism and other disabilities. Leisa speaks frequently on disability issues to university students, educators and parents and has been featured, along with her daughter, on local and national radio and television, including ABC's "The View."

Rebekah Pope is a native Nashvillian who discovered her passion for photography when her oldest child was born more than a decade ago. Her specialty is baby, children and family portraiture. Her work has been shown nationally, including the Soho Photo Gallery in New York, the St. Louis Artists' Guild and the Parthenon in Nashville. Currently, her work can be seen at the L. Greer Gallery in Nashville's Edgehill Village.