Bellies
Brand New
Babies
Posted on December 26, 2010
Posted on December 20, 2010
Today, I’d like to share with you two homecomings from this past weekend….and I’d like to take this opportunity to talk with my fellow photographer friends who might be reading this blog about why I am involved in Operation: Love ReUnited and why I urge them to get involved, too.
If you are a photographer (or an aspiring photographer!) and you live in the Hampton Roads area, we need you! We are overwhelmed with requests for homecoming sessions when the aircraft carrier groups arrive back from their long deployments. Unfortunately, there are less than 15 participating photographers listed in the finder for this area and thousands of families awaiting their loved one.
I have heard a few photographers explain why they don’t participate. Some have had bad experiences – families who have not thanked them, families who have expected too much or taken advantage of the program, or specific circumstances which were less than ideal. But I would challenge those who have had not-so-great experiences to give it another try in the New Year. Personally, I have had wonderful experiences this year with OpLove. Nearly all of my families have shown me great appreciation – and I try not to let those not-so-great experiences I’ve had take away from my overall perception of OpLove. Yes, it’s inconvenient at times (I really could have used these past few days to finish up Christmas shopping or get my house ready for the 15 relatives coming over for Christmas Eve dinner {what AM I planing to cook for that many people??}. Yes, schedules change at the last minute with homecoming sessions. Yes, it can be cold (my feet were FROZEN this morning!) or hot (in VaBch in July it’s sweltering out on the pier!). But it is also incredibly rewarding to see those happy tears in the eyes of a mom or wife…the daddies hold their child for the first time…the proud parents coming to welcome back their child from serving overseas. To capture those memories for a family is truly priceless.
If you have participated in the past and have given up, PLEASE consider giving it a try again. Take one family, one homecoming, one more time in 2011 and just see what happens. You may be surprised!
Our sailors give up so much for us and for our freedom. They live on big, gray, floating cities…they sleep in teeny, tiny racks….they eat less than gourmet meals…and have little in the way of entertainment choices for their long deployments overseas. As an American, I support our troops and as a citizen, I thank them. But as a woman, I feel especially for the wives of these sailors. The mothers who are left behind to play the part of Mommy AND Daddy for 6 months.
6 months
Anyone who has endured a deployment knows how long 6 months really is.
For a mother, 6 months is:
-180 bedtime/bathtime routines
-540 meals to prepare and clean up after
-900 diaper changes
-entire seasons of soccer practices and early morning games, school plays, dance performances, gymnastics practice, etc.
-fixing cars, appliances, (or your children’s broken bones)
-celebrating birthdays, holidays, and family occasions as a partial family
-18,392 (or so!) answers to “When is Daddy coming home?”
-4,320 hours of being a single parent
-259,200 minutes missing the love of your life
So I donate my time and talents as much for the mothers, fathers, and children left behind as I do for the sailors and soldiers who serve our country. It is the least I can do – and the hugs, the kisses, the joy, plain and simple, on their faces at their homecomings give back to me just as much. I hope you enjoy these two Homecoming Stories. If so, please leave me some love at the bottom of this post in the comment section! Thank you and Merry Christmas to all!
http://kimberlingray.myshowit.com/homecomingd
Posted on December 13, 2010
I recently purchased a macro lens to take up close photos of those teeny tiny baby parts (lips, fingernails, toes, etc.). I have been meaning to “play” a bit with it since I’ve seen some fabulous work by photographers who rock their macro lens, but haven’t had time during this busy holiday season. So, today when it SNOWED in Virginia Beach, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to capture some of those gorgeous individual snowflakes. I’ve seen so many amazing macro images of flakes…but this was definitely one of those examples of “just having a good camera/lens doesn’t guarantee our photos will turn out fantastically”! 
I found that it was WAY harder to focus on those individual flakes and get proper exposure – and avoid camera shake, and compensate for the wind….etc. etc. etc. Guess I’ll be sticking to babies and not changing my career to nature photography. HA!
Here are a few that were *almost* in focus. Enjoy!
Posted on December 11, 2010
And the photo with the most votes is…..#4!
Definitely one of my favorites from the year. When this little guy’s mommy showed me this elephant, my initial reaction was, “What in the world am I going to do with that? It’s HUGE!” 
But he was such an amazing sleeper and he let me pose him so easily that I by the end of the session, I knew that we could do something.
For those interested, here’s how I did it. The elephant was a bit floppy, so I knew that I would need mom’s help with this set-up. I put the elephant down first and then sat the baby with my left hand under his head/chin/chest. My right hand began to arrange the elephant so that his legs, arms, and trunk were all snuggling around the baby. I made sure one of baby’s feet was showing and then arranged his little fingers on the elephant’s paw. (is that the right word? paw?) What you don’t see is his mom’s hand under the blue blanket to the left of the photo, holding up the elephant and baby’s head. She was pushing gently so that they stayed upright and didn’t slump over. The rest is just great lighting, a bit of post-processing in Lightroom/Photoshop and a tight crop to fill the frame. And the result is magical!
Thanks for all your votes – and congratulations to our winner!
Here is how the top 5 rounded out:
Posted on December 8, 2010
Here they are! Some of YOUR favorite photos of 2010 – and yes, many of these are on my personal list of favorites from this past year. 
The poll is found at the bottom of this post (with a thumbnail image for reference!)
The Rules:
*1 vote per person (Each IP Address will be counted once) – that means you need to link your friends and family to this post and have them vote for you, too!
*The photo with the most votes at the end of 48 hours (ish) will win a FREE $150 session fee for a 2011 Winter Session. (Session must take place by March 31st, 2011)
*Poll will automatically close at 11:59pm on Friday, December 10th.
Have fun! And thanks to all my clients of 2010! I love you all!
