Atlanta is in the top 3 cities in the United States for human trafficking, and spends most of its time at #1. Just a few facts:
- There are 495 girls exploited in Metro Atlanta every month.
- Of those 495, it’s known that 100 of them on a nightly basis are sold for sex.
- The Georgia Demand Study estimates that 7,200 men pay for sex with adolescent females in Georgia each month.
- Forty-two percent of men who pay for sex with adolescent females come from the north Metro Atlanta region located outside of I-285.
And that’s where I live.

Shocked? Surprised? Whether you choose to believe it or not, it’s true. As for me, I can’t hear this and then choose to do nothing.

I have had the privilege of shooting for organizations in India and Cambodia that are working to fight against sex trafficking, but knowing what was going on in my own city made me want to dream on how I could leverage my gifts, abilities, and platform to raise awareness and make an impact here at home. I am providing Metro Atlanta brides and grooms an opportunity to partner with me and choose that their Love Gives Way to the recovery and restoration of these girls.

The wedding day is set apart for the couple to celebrate their loving relationship and solidify their commitment towards each other. OneNine Images came up with the idea to use this day as a platform to shed light and impact the everyday lives of these girls who are trapped in a world so different from that picture: sex trafficking. The hope is that one day these girls may be restored and someday experience what true love looks like.

So here is the goal: I plan to shoot 30 weddings offering a special Love Gives Way package, and part of this package price includes a donation of $500 that will go directly to Wellspring Living for a combined impact of $15,000. All other package details can be found in the PDF at the bottom of this post.
For this campaign, I am partnering with Wellspring Living, a non-profit organization aiding in the rehabilitation and restoration of women and girls who have been sexually abused or exploited. Their vision states: Wellspring Living desires to be the worldwide leaders in sustainable life transformation of women and girls by offering personalized care that transcends the individual and impacts the community. There is no better organization to partner with in the fight against human trafficking in our city. The $15,000 that we raise together will be able to provide for the recovery process for 1 girl through their Wellspring For Girls Victory Program.

Also, Blake Canterbury with BeRemedy has chosen to partner with this campaign. The goal at BeRemedy is to connect those in need with those who can help using social media as a tool. With that in mind, we want your guests to come on board with you and make a difference as well, so we will provide you with a registry filled with items the girls who are currently in the Victory Program need.
And finally, as a thank you, each bride and groom will receive Love Gives Way t-shirts as well as a custom piece of jewelry specially designed and created for the Love Gives Way campaign by my incredibly gifted friends at Mickey Lynn Jewelry.

To learn more about what else is included and to inquire about how you can become a Love Gives Way couple, contact me through email: andy@onenineimages.com

Please help us spread the word as well through facebook, twitter, your blog/website, and of course sharing with your friends you know will be getting married! Download the Loves Gives Way PDF here.

I’m excited to see the impact this will have over the next year and half in the fight against human trafficking in our city. Thanks for your partnership!

Love Gives Way from Stuart Atkins on Vimeo.

Headed over to Marietta the other night to meet up with Austin. I always love capturing something that is specific to the senior so it was cool when we got out all the lights and had Austin diving off the block. Also enjoyed meeting a lot of his buddies who are all known as “the posse.” Tried to capture just a few shots of all the guys hanging together for their families.

Thanks Austin and good luck at Bama!

Thankfully the storms held up for us this night and we had some great light towards the end of the day. Thanks Peyton for your patience as I rolled around on my knee scooter since I still couldn’t walk very well – ha.

Dylan has been a buddy for a few years now and it was great catching up during his shoot – plus, a couple of these frames are some of my new favorite senior portraits.

I have some awesome memories shared with Dylan from playing with sling shots and machetes in Panama on a mission trip to wake boarding and chilling with a bunch of other friends up at his lake house.
Good luck with everything next year at Auburn Dylan!

Bailey is hands down one of the funniest people I know. I’ve known her for about 5 years now through the church I used to work at and she makes every trip, hang out, retreat better.

Bailey – good luck with everything next year and hopefully our family will continue to see you around!

I met Kelli back in January when I shot her sister’s wedding down near Griffin, GA – I loved hanging with her family and was excited when they wanted me to come back down to take her senior pictures.

Thanks Kelli for a fun shoot – here are a few of my favorite frames.