A Tribute to Elijah
Seventeen year old Elijah Carpenter had what every teen wanted: charm, good looks, and he was a real athlete. He was also an up and coming model/actor. I had the pleasure of knowing Elijah for a very brief time while on a trip to Florida, where we not only discovered Disneyworld together with my business partner and client, but did a short photo shoot. The reason I speak of him in the past tense is that Elijah was killed in a horrible car accident in Florida.

It was a freak accident that took his life and the life of the driver of the vehicle who hit him as he stumbled onto a highway after a late night of partying.

Even though I didn’t know Elijah that well, I do know that his heart told him to follow his dream. And his dream was slowly starting to come true.

In fact, at the time of his death, he was featured as a finalist on two major websites: The Most Beautiful Man, and ModelLaunch. We was also excited about an upcoming trip to California to meet agents, see Hollywood, and do a another photo shoot with me. And he was excited to be considered for a band that my business partner and I were starting up.

In his bio, he said “I need to thank God for His Love and the talent He has given me. I am also blessed to have a very supportive family.”

His career was just getting started. He had only a year left of high school.

Here was a young man who had it all: active in sports such as football, wrestling, and weightlifting. In fact, he qualified for the 5A Florida State Weightlifting Championship.

When I photographed him in Florida, I knew he had that certain “something.” Not only was he beautiful outside, but he had a heart of gold. I was excited to show him the photos when he came to California. Obviously that would never happen.

As a tribute I'm posting unpublished and unseen photos of Elijah. He would have wanted that.

Please say a prayer tonight for Elijah and his family. We all miss him so dearly.

P. Michael Perez
Photographer

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