Modern Joy

Leslie, Matt, Julia & Owen in Stillwater, MN

Joy — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:46:18 +0000

After shooting around Stillwater for a while, I asked 7 year old, Owen, what he did for fun. He said, “play sports and play on the ipad.” I appreciated his honesty and found it humorous that I’m only 27 and yet things are so different than in my childhood. He was quite the ham and never lacked a smile. His sister Julia, was shy at first but had no problems dancing in the sunshine for me 20 minutes later. It was a pleasure to visit Stillwater again. I have fond memories of spending Saturdays as a child with my mom and sister, eating ice cream on Mainstreet and watching the boats float down the river. It was the perfect day…75 degrees and sunny.

Leslie and Matt, thanks for sharing your beautiful family and spending the day with me in Stillwater. Enjoy the album!

Leslie, Matt, Owen and Julia in Stillwater…A few sneak peeks!

Joy — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:00:46 +0000

Drove out to Stillwater today for a delightful session with the Kuckler family. It was perfect! 75 degrees, sunny with a little breeze and a gorgeous family made for a great session on the river. Here are a few sneak peeks. Album coming soon.

A lot of joy in a small package…

Joy — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:45:38 +0000

There are moments in life that are so sweet you wish you could record them in your mind and hit the replay button. We want to experience it again and taste the sweetness of the moment just once more. But, there is no time machine. Every minute fills the hour and every day leads to the next. We can’t stop life from moving on, our kids from growing up, or ourselves from growing old…but we can preserve the memories.

I just received a shipment of 4″ Fine Art Lifebooks for several of my clients. It’s such a thrill to flip through the pages and see the love in their eyes. Sammy lights up when he tells his knock knock jokes. Barb giggles on her 45th wedding anniversary as Wayne puts his arms around her. Jessica holds Michael’s hand as the sun sets and they think about their precious baby on the way. Drea’s sweet delight glows on her face as her little Myla smiles at her touch. It’s not the photographs. Ink on the page means nothing. It’s these moments and relationships captured that live on these pages. It’s so small but so grand.

A local hero gets a hometown welcome

Joy — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:06:24 +0000

Lt Commander Kilmartin’s return home from her 1 year deployment in Germany was a celebration for the whole town. She is founder and co-owner of the local culinary and social masterpiece, the Blackwater Bistro. If you live in the Pensacola, Pace or Milton area and haven’t been there, you need to stop what you’re doing, and run there as fast as you can. Its delectable food, entertaining staff, welcoming hometown vibe, and live music will make it a favorite place to relax and enjoy the company of friends. Yesterday, Pam Kilmartin made her grand entrance back to her hometown of Milton with a patriotic and grateful crowd to welcome her home.

Here are a few pics from the day.

Sometimes you never know how long…

Joy — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 18:25:44 +0000

Just because they’re not deployed does not mean they are home. Harry is a Warrant Officer in the Army. As a UAS Platoon Leader, he basically flies UAS (unmanned aircraft system) and instructs other army soldiers how to fly them. Harry has been serving for years and loves what he does but it doesn’t come without a price. In addition to his past deployments, his current position requires him to frequently be away from his family for weeks to months at a time. Jenn is his lovely bride of almost 6 years and the mother of their two daughters and a newborn son. Along with the regular challenges of having 3 children under the age of 3, Jenn manages to mow the lawn, fix the house, grocery shop and even make cupcakes with the girls, all while Harry is gone. I respect Jenn for her ever cheerful attitude despite the daily challenges she faces. Loving someone in the service changes the way you live. You just never know when they’ll be home or for how long. You learn to drop everything and enjoy the moments that they’re home.

Recently, Jenn shared with me one of the challenges of Harry being gone. Myla, their 3 yr old, doesn’t understand why her daddy doesn’t come home…

“just had to tell you that Myla has been quite upset this afternoon missing her daddy! we laughed looking at pictures of the 2 of them together that you took! she picked the one out for my profile pic! we are so thankful for the memories you captured ”

“sitting here thinking about how it will be 20 1/2 more days till we see Harry but it sure warms my heart looking at our family photos together and remembering that fun day! Thank you!”

I am so happy that I can help close the gap with photography. I don’t know what life is like in Jenn’s shoes but I will someday. I can only hope that throughout my photography career, I continue to bring to life precious family memories while their loved ones are away. Thanks Harry, Jenn, Myla, Rayna, and Weston for the sacrifices you make.

Here’s a few images from their family session. View their full album here.