Special Family Photo Shoot

Sorry, no, it's not mine I'm talking about (although I do have a very special family!) .... but rememberr Michelle and my friend at work... and all the wonderful professional photos they had taken already of Abigail their newborn daughter.... well this is a story about their photographer, Masen and another special family he encountered... It's a little lengthy.. but sooo worth it... take some time to sit back for a minute and soak this in... oh and get the Kleenex box ready too... I did remove some of the many photos just so you could get the gist of the story...

A Very Special Family Shoot
February 2012  • A couple of days ago I headed over to Coronado Island to photograph a family I had the pleasure of working with a couple of years ago. At the conclusion of our session, the father told me a story about an incident that occurred shortly after our last session back in 2009. More on that story towards the end of the post…

To begin, here are a few of my favorite shots from our get together. This couple has two adorable little boys, and they wanted some updated family photos. Check’em out!

Alright… onto the story. After returning to their home following our shoot at the beach, the father shared this story with me, and I starting tearing up. Seriously.
I first photographed this family on November 1st, 2009, 2 weeks after the birth of their first son.  Here's that story:

A New Born Photo Shoot
November 2009 • This past Thursday I headed over the Coronado bridge to meet a special family, and their beautiful new baby boy. He is 2 weeks old, and such an amazingly cute little guy! Here are a couple of my favorite images from our afternoon:

The next 2 are my favorites from the day. Since Dane’s Dad is a military man, he asked to get a couple shots of his little boy in his helmet, and with the American flag. I was more than happy to accommodate.

Ok.. now back to the story... (February 2012)

The Dad is a US Navy Seal, and was sent out for deployment just 2 days after our session back in November.

Being a father myself, I CANNOT FATHOM having to leave home for an extended period just days after my first child was born. While on deployment, Dad would take that very same American flag, and wrap it around the armor that was inserted into his vest to remind him of his little boy, and why he was serving his country. I can’t get into any detail here, but shortly into his deployment, Dad was shot multiple times in the chest. He survived, thanks to the armor he was wearing around his chest. When we walked into his house, he told me this story, and then pointed to a wall in his living room, where the flag was hanging, with multiple bullet holes torn right through the flag:

Shivers. That’s about all I can say.

Dad is just fine, and is still serving our country. I received his permission to take the photos, and to share his story. For that, and for his service, I thank him. This session reminded me of why it is that I do what I do for a living. Because it allows me into the homes and the lives of some amazing people, and to somehow, however little, help document those lives and the amazing stories within.

***************

Tell me you aren't crying...

and thanking God.