Bells and Whistles and Water :: Fort Hood Children's Photographer

My daughter enjoyed the company of her "Best Man" at his birthday celebration this past Sunday. We were invited to the firehouse on Fort Hood, where the very generous and friendly firefighters allowed the toddlers to crawl on and over the firetruck, play with the hose to water trees and dance about in a huge stream of water sprouting from the top of the truck. It will be nearly impossible to top this party idea when my girl turns 3! After an hour of fun with the firemen, we retired to the birthday boy's house where his EXTREMELY creative mother made a fabulous firetruck cake. By herself. Alone. No Wal-Mart bakery involved, like at the parties I throw. I was impressed, as you can tell! And, judging by the little guy's face when he saw the cake, he was too!

3d ACR in Panorama :: Fort Hood Military Photographer

fxmixer has a great panorama tutorial over at his f/11 blog. My Photoshop program does magical things about which I had no idea! Thank goodness for people who do and who are willing to share.

3d ACR celebrated its Flag Uncasing last week, signifying their successful return from war in Iraq. I love military traditions and formations, so naturally, my wee one and I were there to see the pomp and circumstance. (And, of course, we were there to support Daddy, who was enduring really hot sun while standing at attention for a long time.) 

I could not fit the whole formation in one shot, so I simply took three pictures, panning left to right, holding the camera level. I did not have all of fxmixer's helpful hints, but I lucked out and did exactly what he explained on his blog. And, ta-da, the whole formation in one sweeping panorama:

I ♥ Faces Contest, Week 7 :: Harker Heights Children's Photographer

This week's category at iHeartFaces is Black and White, the point where my love affair with photography began. During my senior year of high school (in Hawaii!), I took my one and only photography class where we learned to develop our own film. It was all black and white and I loved learning the value of light and techniques in the darkroom to enhance shadows and highlights. My darkroom has changed in the digital age, but it is still fun to create B&W images.

Click on the button below to add your own entry to the B&W Contest at iHeartFaces. As a Friday Fix-It Contributor, I cannot be considered for the contest, but I love to join the fun!

::Kids Entry::

You might be surprised by the gorgeous light available in your backyard shed...oh, I mean, the Clubhouse...

::Adult Entry::

He went to war, he returned from war, he bought a motorcycle. This was moments before he fired the new toy up for the first time (after taking a Beginner's Course one day previously). He loves it...I can see the smile through the helmet!

Sneak Peek: Love is Patient, part 2 :: Salado Couples Photographer

You might recognize this attractive couple from my Welcome Home post a few days ago, when the husband returned home from his deployment to Iraq. As part two of their session, we did a couples shoot in the nearby town of Salado. If you have not been, it has so many scenic nooks and crannies all over the historic downtown area. A photographer's dream, really. I hustled this very amenable pair from one location to another. "Hey, look! An old ice machine. Let's go over there." "Oh, a marble topped table and chairs. If I just scoot it a bit this way...here, have a seat and kiss." And it was all worth it!

I ♥ Faces Contest, Week 6 :: Killeen Children's Photographer

Wonder. I so want to develop and encourage this in my child and I would love to think it resides within me. An ability to be awed by life, by my surroundings, to see the fascination in the smallest things, to still have anticipation for what is around the next corner. Often, wonder can be seen in the quiet moments, the pauses between the everyday rush of life.

My kid entry is one such quiet moment. A pause to inspect what might be crawling about at our feet:

My adult entry is a grandmother with her brand new granddaughter. I can only imagine the jumble of thoughts as she holds this tiny baby that was brought into the word by her own daughter:

As a Friday Fix-It Contributor, I cannot enter the contest, but I still enjoy the challenge of following the weekly themes and seeing what so many other wonderful photographers can produce. Come on over to iHeartFaces and join the fun!

Horseshoe Bay Resort :: Marble Falls, Texas

My husband and I were lucky enough to spend a couple of days at the Horseshoe Bay Resort near Marble Falls, Texas. And these couple of days were child free...CHILD F R E E !! I had both hands available to handle my camera and I settled in to capture the beautiful resort as I saw it. I don't see scenes in large panoramas. I see details. I see closely cropped points of interest. You will not necessarily know how beautiful the hotel and its properties are by my pictures. But I loved the opportunity to enjoy photography for photography's sake. For myself. For my pleasure. I hope you enjoy it, too!

There is grain. There is blurriness. I love it. This was taken through the front windshield as we headed to the resort. Obviously, I was not driving.

Yep, I even take pictures of the tiny toiletries. I love hotel toiletries!

Hey, it's me, hanging out in the bathroom...taking pictures, of course!

The elevator is even fair game for pictures.

Sneak Peek: Love is Patient :: Fort Hood Homecoming Ceremony

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love can endure 14 months of separation. Love can be rekindled in a split second when eyes again meet. Love is a life saver, a source of strength, a sweet memory on a sour day. Love is why military couples can survive whatever comes their way.

Even though I didn't know this couple before Wednesday, I could sense the love in the wife's anticipation of seeing her husband return safely from war. She was nervous, calm, happy, impatient, eager. She was so ready to get her arms around her man and tell him "I love you!"

Karyn's Story :: Fort Hood Homecoming Ceremony

This is Karyn's Story, told through my lens. Karyn and I would not have survived the deployments of our husbands if it had not been for one another. Our men left about the same time. We started our photography businesses at the same time. We enrolled our toddlers in preschool at the same...which happened to coincide with our waning sanity from single parenting. We shared dinners, playdates, breakfasts at Papa's Cafe, traded babysitting favors and just supported one another as military wives are wont to do. We leaned upon one another when the day seemed to last forever. I know we will still be able to do that for one another, but I am so happy she has her main source of comfort and support home with her again.

To say the day of a deployed husband's homecoming is stressful is an understatement. One way to curb the jitters is to stay busy. Karyn, never far from her camera, filled the anxious minutes by snapping away at all the other waiting families. I focused on her and her excitement and anticipation. (This post has far more pictures than I typically show, but I knew how anxious Karyn's family was to see them! Oh, and go to http://photosbykaryn.blogspot.com to see all her fabulous homecoming chronicles. I think she has attended every one for 4ID.)

(Karyn showed amazing discipline by not running up to her husband to plant a juicy one on him, but you can see that big smile she is sportin'!)

The Long Kiss Hello :: Fort Hood Military Photographer

Fire trucks shot an arching spray of water over the four buses filled with the much anticipated soldiers from the Fourth Infantry Division who arrived home today from a 14 month deployment to Iraq. I had the honor of being there to chronicle my good friend's reunion with her husband, but it is impossible not to get distracted by all the other waiting families. Little girls decked out in their Sunday dresses. Rambunctious boys holding aloft the American Flag. Veterans who have fought before and know all too well what it is to come home after such a long time. Mothers on the verge of tears and laughter, not knowing which emotion to embrace when...

And then the buses pulled away and there were the soldiers, marching on to the field. I think there was screaming but I was so focused on taking in the scene visually, I could only use one sense at a time. The families and soldiers were also oblivious to everything but scanning the sea of faces in an effort to locate their loved one first.

To all those who welcomed a soldier home today, it is over. The wait is over. The long days and lonely nights are over. You will always be an Army family but you will no longer be an Army family in waiting. I celebrate with you!