My heart was a lump in my throat for these families before I even set foot in Barnes Field House. When I had planned to photograph these soldiers arriving home from Afghanistan they were supposed to get in right around dinner time. Text message after text message alerted me to their later arrival times. Finally I set my alarm for 2:30am and headed to bed figuring they would arrive later than sooner. I've been in the shoes of these husbands and wives, waiting on eggshells for the plane to land, waiting and fidgeting as we received word that they were finally boarding the buses at the airfield. It is nearly impossible to wrangle the babies and toddlers, half asleep in their footie jammies, barely understanding the enormity of "daddy coming home"!
And so it was, around 3:15 in the morning that they finally filed into the field house, exhausted from their travels, excited to kiss their spouse, hug their parents or children, meet their newborn for the first time. It was a privilege to wander the floor and capture a few of these moments. I wish I could have gotten an image for every single, totally deserving, family there. I've posted some of my favorites here in this blog, to see the rest and save them for your own scrapbook, please click on the link HERE to access a Shutterfly album of your redeployment. May God bless you and keep you safe during this time of readjustment and reintegration, and heartfelt thanks for your service to this awesome country!

(If the images in this post look blurry on your screen, click individually on the image you want to look at. It will open in another window and appear much clearer.)

I've had the privilege of working with this young lady several times as she graciously volunteers to model for all of the Photo Walks I lead for Fort Huachuca. Recently we took a group of seven photography students to Bisbee, AZ, to roam the streets and practice portrait lighting techniques. The morning was really beautiful, if not a little chilly. We were shooting on Brewery Gulch, a street that at 9am boasts sunshine on one side of the street and shade on the other. It was the perfect situation in which to learn about bouncing and reflecting light and then diffusing the light for that perfect glow. All of these shots were taken with natural light, no flash, and come straight out of the camera except for resizing and watermarking. Flawless skin, gorgeous girl, glorious morning = perfection! Thank you "T" for always volunteering and honoring our every request!
A couple of these shots feature my students in action, just thought I would throw in a little perspective. If this kind of event sounds like fun, we have another walk scheduled for Saturday, February 26, at 9am. Please contact me for details! We also have additional walks coming up in March!

Wish you knew a little more about how to capture the essence of your town? Wish you knew how to use your camera's settings? Wish you knew more about light and how to make it look awesome? You should consider joining me for a photo walk!

What is a photo walk? A three hour walk through an amazing local nook, complete with models in period dress! I will show you what to photograph, how to do your subject justice, how to find the best light, and how to walk away with the best images your camera can create!

On February 26th, from 9am-12pm, I will be leading a photo walk through the town of Tombstone, Arizona. I am working on behalf of the MWR Arts & Crafts facility on Fort Huachuca. Call their office at 520-533-5550 to register for this class and get all the details about meeting our group!

(For a larger and clearer image, click on the pictures individually.)

Wednesday was a crisp, sunny, winter morning. It was a morning that has been scheduled and cancelled several times, a fact that has been the root of many jokes and speeches in past months. On this very special morning, Fort Huachuca finally bid farewell to a Command Team like no other, Major General John Custer and his wonderful wife Audrey.
I first met Audrey Custer at a spouses coffee hosted at her home just a few short weeks after I arrived at Fort Huachuca, 2009. Knowing I was one of the most junior spouses on the block I made certain to be on time. Knowing I was one of the most junior spouses, I was nervous. I was the first one to arrive... But as Audrey gracefully fluttered around the house with final preparations, her easy nature instantly set me at ease. She was relaxed. She was kind. She was and always has been, in one word- LOVELY. How a woman with a lifetime of experiences under her belt makes everyone in her presence feel an equal, I can only hope to learn and portray myself some day. Words cannot express the impact this woman, this couple, has made on our post. It has been an honor to watch them command, to applaud their success, and to enjoy their company as neighbors and friends.

I set out on Wednesday with camera in hand, not to capture the cliche Change Of Command images that twenty other photographers on the field would certainly cover, but to record the essence of the day: Colors waving beautifully in the wind that whips down Huachuca Canyon, the 36th Army Band drumming out a toe tapping march, the smell of fresh red roses honoring a spouse's hard work and sacrifice, yellow roses as bright and cheerful as the sunshine welcoming Brigadier General Potter's wife into her new role. While most of the cameras were focused around the podium I had the delight of wandering the parade field, my favorite place to be, seeing the sequence of events from the vantage point most are not permitted. It is there that General Custer and General Potter begin "trooping the line" together; why exactly was that final contingent situated 15 feet behind the rest of the formation? Nearly skewering the command party walking by? It will certainly remain a distinct memory from the ceremony, but that is no longer the concern of General Custer as he relinquishes command, retires from the Army, and embarks on a new path, a civilian path, with bride Audrey still steadfast by his side, and a major retirement home renovation on the horizon. The formation on Brown Parade Field, situated in front of historic Quarters 1, the Pershing House, which the Custer's had the privilege to call home during their command at Fort Huachuca, was an amazing send off, and it was a honor to witness every smile and salute!

College sweethearts. It is impossible to keep a secret from her, same goes for surprises; and yet the ring was tucked inside his laptop bag just inches from her sweetly dreaming head until the perfect morning. She knew. The moment he produced the red satin bag, she knew. It was a bag she has coveted her whole life, for inside lays an heirloom set of rings and a story she excitedly paints for everyone who will listen. I listen. My heart is thumping in my chest and my eyes tearing over the details; from Grandmother, to mother, and now to daughter, three generations of beautiful southern style love.
Matt and Shannon were perfection last night as we roamed the property of one of the oldest ranch houses in Cochise County. Easy going, quick to laugh, "engaged" is the perfect title for this pair as they compliment one another whole heartedly. I have no doubt that Shannon will embrace her new role as an Army Wife with pride and grace; she's a planner, a doer, one I'm elated to have joining the Army family. And to Matt, there couldn't be another woman more charming or lovely with whom to face the challenges ahead. My most sincere wishes for a soulful and laughter filled marriage. Thank you for granting my every photographic wish!

We've finally made it to 36 weeks pregnant! Now I can breathe a huge sigh of relief as labor will no longer require me to transfer to Tucson (where the level 3 NIC Unit is located) AND my husband is home from his business trip. So with all of these stressful factors now behind us I am busy trying to wrap up loose ends. The restoration of these 7 portraits was my last official job before beginning my much anticipated maternity leave. They come to me from one of the Fort's headquarters buildings as they prepare for Hall Of Fame week coming up this spring. There was extensive damage, goodness knows how long these images have hung in their hallways. Scratches, dust, fading, you name it, it was present. Here are the before and afters, which of course are too small to reveal the hundreds of imperfections, and appear quite a bit more contrasting than they do in print. However, the obvious improvement is evident:

The Boy has just celebrated the most anticipated Star Wars themed birthday of his little life! He says "Please" and "Thank you" with frequency, laughs and smiles easily, can empty the silverware tray from the dishwasher, and baffles me with his never-ending stream of questions. He drives his preschool teacher crazy by refusing to write his numbers and letters properly, but surprises us at dinner when he chooses to discuss the "interface" on Daddy's computer. He has mastered the ipod. Happy Birthday to my Big Boy, I am so proud of all that you do, but especially fond of your loving heart. We MUST be doing something right...
I have been working so hard lately, to finalize every business oriented task prior to the new baby's arrival, that I had no intention of posting these. Alas, when I awoke this morning at 5:05am, eager to assault the restoration images I have waiting for me, I discovered that they were not on my computer ready for me, but rather locked up on my sleeping husband's computer. I didn't have the heart to wake him, and that is how the birthday blog came about. You might also notice that these pictures look a little wacky. Well, have you ever seen an Army facility? Usually concrete, usually old, always painted white or cream, sparsely decorated, nasty fluorescent lighting and no windows, in one word: UGLY. We held The Boy's party at the Army Arts and Crafts Center. My husband and I agree that it was the most relaxed, easiest, and most enjoyable party we've hosted yet. We didn't have to clean our house for guests, a simple ziti dinner, a kid friendly craft (they glazed ceramic "fighter jet" piggy banks, and a space to run around where the kids couldn't hurt anything. Too easy! Back to the UGLY part though, I decided that I would tinker with some filters that would modify the backgrounds. I can't say that I love the effects, but I certainly learned a little in the process, and that's always good!

I LOVE dancing. It's how I met my husband, at a lindy-hop workshop in Tucson. Hard to imagine right now with 34 weeks of pregnant belly starring back at me, but we used to fly to other states to swing dance for three days straight; think big band music, flowers tucked behind the ear, vintage hair and clothes, the works. Ahhh, life before kiddos...

The theme for this week's I ♥ Faces photo contest is "Dancing". Unfortunately, when we attend these awesome, very picturesque venues, I seldom take anything of value as it is ditched in the corner for the night, so very few pictures have come home with us. But as I have posted previously, some of our very good swing dancing friends recently got hitched and somehow, even at 1250 ISO, F2.8, and no flash, I still managed several fantastic action shots, this dancing sequence remains my favorite from the past year.




Come back later this week for a look at Southern Arizona's award winning "18th Annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering". For my last shooting engagement prior to maternity leave (which is feeling very overdue at this point!) I teamed up with local photographer Pauline Fredericks to cover the three day event. I've got over 700 amazing images to sort through, of the most sincere, wholesome, entertaining, country folk, you could ever hope to meet and hang out with! I LOVE me some "unlimited access"!!

This week finds me launching into a rather extensive restoration project here at Fort Huachuca. I'm restoring some portraits of former commanders for one of the headquarters buildings. After studying the images I was struck with the creative energy to take some wedding portraits from last Labor Day weekend and give them a vintage vibe. The bride and groom are swing dancing friends of ours, so I thought a little unusual editing might strike their fancy. Here is my attempt at creating a WWII feel, without the wear and tear that an actual old photograph would have suffered. These were taken in San Diego, my favorite is the second image down, the bride getting into her dress, and all I can think of when I see this picture is "Vogue"...