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Added: 7/8/10


Added: 1/5/10

/local/images/whatsnew/IMG_9538.jpg Wade is show receiving the TPPA's 2009 "People's Choice" award. Jan Wilson, President, from Chattanooga and Eddie Lambert, Print Chairman, from Kingsport are shown presenting Wade the award at the 2009 TPPA annual convention held in Franklin, TN.

Added: 1/5/10

/local/images/whatsnew/IMG_9532.jpg Wade is shown displaying his "TOP TEN" award at the 2009 Tennessee Professional Photographers Association's convention in August! ( Wade is the third from the left on the back row!)

Added: 10/18/09

/local/images/whatsnew/tipton005BW.jpg Philip has been selected by the National Institutes of Healther (NIH) in Bethesda, MD to a post graduate fellowship position. He started this assignment October 15th and will be doing research in neurology.

Added: 1/19/09

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Profesional Photographers of East Tennessee announced the Professional Photographers of East Tennessee “Photographer of the Year” at the December 4th Holiday Party. The 2008 award goes to J.Wade Tipton, M.photog., Cr., CPP, TCD, F-PPO,, F-PPMO. Wade owner of Gallery Portraits not only received the honor for 2008, but he also was the "Photographer of the Year" for 2007!

Added: 7/28/08

/local/images/whatsnew/NILMDTS_Banner_Affiliate_Splash.jpg Wade has become an affiliated photographer for the non-profit organization, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. (NILMDTS)

Three short years ago, one mother and one photographer connected to form a non-profit organization placing professional photographers with families in need of remembrance portraiture. Currently there are 5,000+ professional photographers in 20+ countries who volunteer their professional photography services to the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. As a volunteer member of the organization, I would like to share with you how we are helping families in Knoxville and surrounding areas. When nurses or social workers at hospitals that have agreed to work with NILMDTS call me on behalf of a family, I then pack up my gear and head to the hospital. I first offer the family my condolences on their loss or impending loss, and then I get to work, knowing that the images I capture will be their only connection to that child once they have said goodbye. Some of these babies pass away at or near birth due to genetic defects, pregnancy trauma or stillbirth. In other cases, doctors have tried everything they can to help find a cure for whatever ailment the child suffers from, but the hospital then calls me when the family has realized all efforts have been exhausted and they will soon be disconnecting life support. In some cases, I am able to capture the last images of this child’s time here on Earth; In other cases, the parents are more interested in seeing their child memorialized eternally at peace, meaning once the child has passed and no cords or IV’s are connected.

Mission Statement –

Our mission is to provide bereavement photography free of charge to parents experiencing the death of an infant or small child through illness, trauma or stillbirth and to help them begin their healing journey.

A Brief History of the Foundation –

When co-founder Cheryl Haggard lost her son in February of 2005, she knew that her family’s healing was going to come by remembering details about Maddux, not by forgetting that he existed. Her husband contacted local photographer and eventual co-founder Sandy Puc’ and requested her services in helping to memorialize young Maddux. Over time, memories fade, but these cherished photographs will last for generations and help show the love that was shared between this young boy and his family, no matter how brief his stay on Earth was. From these beginnings, the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation was born. Today, the organization encompasses 5,000+ photographers worldwide who volunteer their services by creating sensitive images that will last a lifetime. We have also grown from an all-volunteer status to a small staff whose full responsibility it is We believe the images of these precious children serve as an important step in the healing process and that this opportunity should be available to all in need regardless of socio-economic status. To this end, our entire network of professional photographers graciously donates their time and talents to this noble service. If you were to assess a dollar value to each session, including the cost of travel to and from the location, execution of the onsite photo shoot, retouching of images, a DVD with a musical slide show and a CD with high-resolution images, it would equal approximately $2,000.

Our main web site, www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org has 1,800 to 2,000 unique users per day who visit an average of 16 pages per session. That equals approximately 30,000 page hits per day, or approximately 11 million hits per year.

Current Programs and Accomplishments – Our most prolific program is our photo session for infants from 25 weeks until after birth who have been or will be lost to critical illness or stillbirth. At the family’s request, one of our volunteer photographers comes to the healthcare facility and performs an onsite photo shoot. The photos are then professionally retouched and presented to the family in a DVD slideshow format with music as well as a CD of high-resolution images. We provide this service directly to families, thus NILMDTS is not a HIPAA covered entity. While the nurses and social workers are the ones who call us 90% of the time to let us know a family is in this situation and to see if we have a volunteer available, they are simply the “go-between” to inform us there is a need, meaning we are not “vendors” of the hospital, instead we serve as guests of the patient just like Chaplains and Pastors. To offer a supportive place for parents to grieve, we administer a Family Forum on our website, www.nowisleep.com. We have received tremendous approval from parents on the forum for creating a place for families to gather and work through their grief together with others who have experienced similar situations. At this same web site we offer a second forum for photographers to counsel each other through their sessions and provide coaching to new members.

Please direct any additional inquiries to our Executive Director, Jessica Roe, at (w) 720-283-3339, (c) 303-588-9899, or jessica@nilmdts.org. The headquarters is based in the Co-Founder’s home state of Colorado.


Added: 2/4/08

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Another GREAT year of Upward Basketball is underway and Gallery Portraits is PROUD to be the photographer for several churches in the Knoxville, Lenoir City and Maryville areas! Seeing these young children compete in an environment that promotes good sportsmanship and TEACHES young people about JESUS!

Added: 9/10/07

Notes From Gallery Portraits

Check our Blog for Specials and other promotions. Also, we will be posting times will be photographing in Missouri and other areas, so keep a close watch on here!

You also will be able to see from time to time images from current sessions. This way you see what Gallery Portraits is up to! Click here to visit our Blog: Notes From Gallery Portraits

Added: 3/13/06

/local/images/whatsnew/Wade45.jpg J. Wade Tipton, M. Photog., Cr., CPP, TCD, F-PPMo, F-PPO has been busy since this past June of 2005! First, was a stop off at Baptist Hospital West where the fine staff put a stint in one of Wade's arteries to open up two blockages! AND this is where he works out 3 times a week to this day! All is going well and Wade is back to work, however.....Wade no longer photographs weddings.

Wade traveled to Ridgecrest, North Carolina where he was the key note speaker for the International Christian Photographer's Annual Convention. Wade talked about making the transition from film to digital imaging. Wade was proud to give his personal testimony of his slavation experience and how the Lord is working in his life.

After North Carloina, Wade was asked to go to West Virginia to speak at West Virginia Professional Photographer's Annual Fall Seminar. September in Ripley West Virginia is absolutely beautiful! Here Wade spoke on Post Film Stress Disorder and shared some tips on how to enhance photographs in Adobe Photoshop CS2. While in West Virgina, Wade judged the membership's anual Folio competition.

Staying busy during the Fall with homecomings, senior portraits, fall festivals, Joy & Wade going to UT Football games to watch Philip march with the Pride of the Southland Band, Thanksgiving and Christmas......Gallery Portraits was glad to see the Holiday break!

2006 came in with the usual bang of UPWARD Basketball portraits at several churches around the immediate area. Then February took Wade to Memphis to judge the Memphis Profesioinal Photographic Guild's annual print competition, then to Chattanooga to judge Chattanooga Profesional Photographer's Association's annual print competition and then finally back home in Knoxville to judge Smoky Mountain Professional Photographer's annual print competition.

Currently, Gallery Portraits is preparing for a wonderful Spring season with Easter Portraits next on the agenda!

Added: 9/7/05

/local/images/whatsnew/UTvsUAB41e.jpg Philip and Joy enjoy the victory!

Added: 8/23/05

/local/images/whatsnew/pride16est.jpg Philip Tipton recently survived the annual Band Camp of UT's famed Pride of the Southland Band. Philip is a Freshman at UT this fall and is a music major. Congratulations Philip!

Added: 5/19/05

/local/images/whatsnew/Philipgrad.jpg Philip Tipton Graduates from LCHS with Top Honors!

Philip graduated from Lenoir City High School on May 14, 2005 and was in the top five of his class. A member of The National Honor Society, Philip will be attending the University of Tennessee in the Fall of 2005 where he will be studying in the School of Music. He has received both Academic and Music Scholarhips from the University of Tennessee.

In addition, Philip received the Lisa McReynolds Memorial Scholarship from the University of Tennessee and the Lenoir City High School Band Boosters Scholarship.

Added: 5/19/05

/local/images/whatsnew/PAward2005.jpg Philip Tipton receives the JOHN PHILIP SOUSA award from LCHS Band Director Adam Huff.



This is just one of numerous honors Philip received at the recent LCHS Concert Band's annual spring awards presentations and concert. Philip also was presented with the Outstanding Senior Award and the Leadership Award. Philip has been honored with Music and Academic Scholarships from the University of Tennessee where he will be enrolled in the school of music starting in the Fall of 2005.


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