Sarah and Pete’s Couple’s Session – Fredericksburg, Virginia
Continuing the theme from yesterday honoring the Marine Corps and our Veterans, this blog post includes some photos from a special session from a couple that were stationed in Quantico, VA outside of Washington D.C. I had the opportunity to fly up to Virginia and photograph this amazing USMC couple on Valentine’s Day this year, just days after a record snowstorm!
Sarah and Pete, both Marines, met through friends and had been dating for a couple of years. Knowing that Sarah’s next duty station was going to be in Okinawa, Japan, they wanted to have some photos together before she left. Desiring a little more private, rustic, and relaxed setting than the urban hustle and bustle of Washington D.C., we headed down south from Quantico to the historic town of Fredericksburg for their session.
Side note: If I hadn’t acknowledged it before, I realized how captivated I am with snow. I love everything about it. I giggled when the big plow truck thingie came by, found silly excuses to stand knee-deep in snow banks, and even made a point to go skiing in Pennsylvania while I was there. This was my first time ever shooting a session in the snow, and boy, am I ready for the next! (Especially if you live within a reasonable proximity to a downhill ski mountain … call me. We need to talk.) ;)
I have so many photos that I’m enamored with from this session, but Sarah’s reaction below may very well be my favorite!
These were some icy streets, but Sarah braved them in her sexy heels!
Following my usual form, I found an old, unused door way and made them climb into it… and then squeeze each other while I was knee deep in snow. 
When we turned down Main Street, we just happened to find this Marine Corps flag in front of a nearby shop!
A nice little breeze made for a picture perfect shot!
In a snow-less alley, the shot below just might be my favorite!
These following few photos are underneath a train station, train trestle type thing… (I don’t work for the railroad and don’t know what things are called, I just know a cool place to shoot when I see it!)
Hot kisses melting the icicles… (yes, cheesy, but it could happen!)
I love how Sarah and Pete were so bold! (The conversation when something like this… I’m using the quotes very loosely.)
Me: “Y’all want to break some rules?”
Sarah and Pete: “Heck, yeah!”
This shot should be proof that it was totally worth it.
Just a little reminder, I do offer a military discount for those proudly serving our country. Oh, and it doesn’t matter where you are, I love to travel too!
Remembering Our Veterans…
Every once in a while I find the time to take some personal photos, and even more rarely, I find the time to retouch and share my personal work.
While down in Florida for a shoot this summer, I visited an old friend who is a Marine currently stationed at Eglin Air Force Base for EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) School. He took me to see the Memorial lit up after sunset to capture a few photos.
In honor of the 235th Marine Corps Birthday yesterday and Armistice Day today (better known as Veteran’s Day in the States, but hey, I’m a dork…), I’m posing a few photos of the EOD Memorial honoring the legacy of our fallen EOD warriors.
There is a separate plaque for each of the four DoD branches of service.
Among the plaques are the names of every US EOD tech that has fallen in the line of duty since the inception of EOD in WWII. A special ceremony is held annually to commemorate and add those who passed during the previous year.
Finally, I want to thank all of our veterans and those men currently serving in the US Military. We appreciate the sacrifices that you and your families make to keep our country great!
Lattica and Dan’s Wedding – The Woodlands Resort
It’s been a busy, busy fall for me with bunches of totally awesome weddings, family sessions, engagement sessions, and bridals and I haven’t had much time for blogging! Now that Christmas card season is over, I’m starting to get caught up, and hopefully I’ll have more time for blogging!
I wanted to start back with a very special wedding from this summer. Lattica and Dan were married on a beautiful Friday this past June. Dan is currently in flight school training to be a pilot with the Air Force, and since he’s had a busy schedule with the military, they hadn’t been able to spend much time together in the months before the wedding. All that has changed now, since their wedding, Tish has followed Dan across Texas, and is now living in Montana (brrrr!) to be beside her man. Love knows no distances and they’re both making great sacrifices for Dan to serve our country.
They were married at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center in The Woodlands, Texas.
Lattica pinned these inside her dress for her “something old” and “something blue”.
She had such beautiful beading on her wedding dress!
Lattica and Dan opted to do a “first look”, an opportunity for the bride and groom to see each other prior to the ceremony. I’ll let the following photos tell the story:
Just like each couple is unique, each first look is special and different. More and more couple are choosing to break the antiquited tradition of not seeing each other before the ceremony (a tradition that comes from the days of arranged marriages), for this opportunity to make the walk down the aisle a little less stressful. It affords the couple TWO special moments instead of just one, allows us more time for photos together (and the images that you’ll treasure most for years to come), and allows the couple to enjoy their wedding reception and mingle with their guests much sooner after the ceremony instead of making them wait for your arrival.
The wedding party goofs off and stays cool in the shade.
The two photos below are of the “Silver Dollar Salute.” By surprise, one of Dan’s friends who was formerly in the military, gave Dan his first salute as an officer.
Lattica and her bridesmaids watch guests arrive.
Definitely a favorite!
Tish and Dan share their first dance together as husband and wife…
I always love a little lens flare. 
Ring shots!
Thank you, Tish and Dan!
USS Nashville – Naval Station Norfolk – Norfolk, VA
In June, I traveled to Virginia to visit some friends living up there with the military. One of my best friends, Lauren, has been living in Virginia Beach for almost 4 years. Through some of her friends, we had the opportunity to tour the Norfolk – based amphibious transport dock ship, the USS Nashville.
The 570-foot Nashville was built in 1966 at Lockheed Shipbuilding in Seattle. The ship was launched on Oct. 7, 1967, and commissioned on February 14, 1970. She was decommissioned today. The ship will be towed to a maintenance facility and remain in the Navy’s inactive fleet in Philadelphia, where she’ll join the Ready Reserve, in case she’s ever needed again.
Photographs are not allowed from the dock, but with permission, I was able to take photos on board the ship.
This is a wide angle shot of a berthing. Within this small space, 18 men would sleep here during deployment.
Right outside the berthing, this cold, hard operating table is the aft BDS (Battle Dressing Station). You can see the berthing to the left.
Here’s the Line Room. This massive rope is used to tie the ship to the pier.
The Well Deck is used for keeping an LCU or LCAC (Landing Craft Unit, Landing Craft Air Cushion) which transports Marines serving on the ship from sea to the shore. The back gate is lowered and this low area is flooded with up to 8 feet of sea water.
The ship’s massive flight deck holds up to 8 aircraft at once. (Some of which include the Cobra, Super Hewie, 43, 52, 68, Ospry and Herrier.)
VERY hard at work…
The Focstle. Each link in the chain weighs 67 lbs, each anchor weighs 25,500 lbs. The Wildcat pulls the chains and anchors up for sailing
The Bridge. Some navigatin’ happens here.
The Captain’s Bridge Wing. Its like I’m the captain or something… (I don’t think I was allowed to sit here.)
One of the sailors painted this on the Shore Power Cable Box for the “final cruise.”
I also got a special tour of the engine room. This is Main Machinery Room #2. When the ship is sailing, on a normal day, this room gets up to 145 degrees. During the last deployment in Africa, this room was reaching a consistent 165 degrees and must me manned at all times.
The Throttle Board in the Machinery Room. (You can see the back of it in the photo above.)
Here’s another view of the empty Well Deck.
A well worn hat…
After the tour, we chatted about a sailor’s life on the mess decks. I captured a few photos of the reluctant sailors.
BMSN (SW) William Eric Whale, Undesignated Seaman Daniel Jay Martin, and BMSN James Dale Shirley.
At the end of the day, when we were hot, stinky, and tired, the cameras were turned on Lauren and I…
Spending the day on the ship allowed me to catch a glimpse of the sacrifices that our US Navy Sailors, Marines, and other military personnel make daily so that we can enjoy our personal freedoms.
Thanks, guys for the awesome tour, and your service to our country.