In Memory KimberlyElaine365 D6

On a day like Memorial Day it is so important to just stop and remember why we actually have this day. Our soldiers have given their lives for us for years, they and their families made sacrifices to protect ours. Even today our men and women travel for months and years at a time, away from their family and risking dangerous conditions and possibly life itself. These men and women are amazing and deserve to be recognized for all they give.

Today our family traveled to Dayton Memorial Park Cemetery where many of my family members are laid to rest. More specifically we went to visit my grandfather who passed in August of 2003. My grandfather was an amazing man who had a huge impact on me in my childhood. My father recently got his ashes a special place at the beautiful cemetery where his parents also rest. When we arrived and began driving through we passed a beautiful line of American Flags that were put out for the holiday. It is somewhat enchanting to see all those flags lined up in a row, so many of them and this is just one little cemetery in north Dayton. It makes you think about all of those people who care so much for freedom that they will line up to protect it. Those people make this country great.



Although my husband and I are not military ourselves, we certainly have been touched by it. Both of my grandfathers were in WWII. My husbands grandfather also fought in WWII and his parents were in the air force for years. We understand how important that commitment is and we appreciate every one of them for giving us the freedoms that so many of us often forget we are lucky to have.



Today was the first time I have been to see where my grandfather now remains. He was such a special person to me, it was actually kind of hard and definitely emotional. Luckily my husband and daughter were with me who are both amazingly good at giving loving and supportive hugs at just the right moment. Since my grandfather was one of the most generous men or even people that I have ever known I felt it would be perfect to leave him one of the beautiful daisies from yesterdays generosity post. After-all on this Memorial Day, he was one of those generous soldiers who gave of themselves for the benefit of others and graced us with his generosity throughout his entire life.

Generosity KimberlyElaine365D5

Today we saw a perfect demonstration of generosity. Ironically I was just explaining to my daughter yesterday why we can't pick all flowers that we see. Particularly the ones she wanted to pick which belonged to the city of Centerville. I told her it was fine to pick flowers from her mamaw's house because they were mamaw's flowers and she wouldn't mind. I also explained that you couldn't pick any other flowers unless you were specifically invited too. Then today my husband saw this sign that said "PLEASE PICK THE DAISIES." Wow! Incredible how life helps us demonstrate lessons... like generosity. A nice lady names Pamela has a beautiful garden with amazing daisies which she opens up to all to pick a wonderful bouquet.

For a sporty yet very girlie 2 year old, this is also known as heaven. Daddy pulled over at Pamela's garden and let us pick a bouquet of daisies. Of course I also photographed as I plan on sending images of the beautiful garden to Pamela as a thank you for her kind and generous way she shared her amazing garden with the world, and with my daughter. In such a fast paced and hectic world that we live in today it is so nice to see such a simple act of generosity.

Conquering Fears KimberlyElaine365D4

About a month ago our family headed from Mississippi towards Florida and the beach where my husband and I were married. We were afraid that our beach will be devastated by this horrible oil spill in the gulf. So we went to the beaches and let our daughter play in the sand. She loved it, but when it came to the water and the 10' high waves she was not quite so enthusiastic. In fact, she was terrified. We have been taking her to lakes around our hometown the last few weeks to warm her back up to being comfortable with the water. Today when we arrived at Caesar's Creek she wanted nothing to do with the water.

But, pretty soon she was interested. Slowly she tested it out, took a few steps and was off. She had a blast and really conquered her fears today. To see her face light up because she is actually made it into the water after being so petrified of it was fantastic. I think sometimes we can learn a lot from our children.

Anticipation KimberlyElaine365D3

A little girl anticipating her future and beaming at the sight of herself is a very enjoyable experience to witness. I had the opportunity today to photograph Madison, who I always love shooting. She is so photogenic. It is impossible to believe this little darling is only 9 years old. Needless to say she is going to be a little heart-breaker.

Madison had fun playing dress up in a real wedding dress today at her BeBe's (grandma) bridal store in Centerville, Athena's Bridal. How cool would it be for your grandma to own a bridal store? I think that would be a little girls dream. So many girls anticipate that day from the time they are wee ones. Maddy literally glowed with excitement as she gazed at her beautiful reflection in the mirror. All little girls need a chance to just daydream and be a kid.

I think it was a little hard for all of us to see her dressing up in a wedding dress anticipating that day WAY in the future, especially her papa! Being a mother of a two year old- my husband and I figure our daughter will be allowed to date around age 25. So it will inevitably be after she turns 25 until she's married- but that's ok, we are good with that. ;) There is something that makes it really hard to see your little girl grow up, or your granddaughter. So while we had so much fun watching Maddy play dress up and day dream about her future for a little while today, we feel good knowing she is with Papa and BeBe this evening watching the new Shrek movie. A perfect place for a little girl to be.

Faces KE365D2 (Day 2 tasra365)

I found it interesting that just this morning when I was looking through the tasra365 blog that I saw her post from her 2nd day which she photographed the full moon. When I was out this evening with my husband and little girl I hear "look mama, the moon!." I looked and sure enough, not just the moon... but a full moon. Of course I couldn't pass this up as this is also my second day in my personal 365 challenge and the moon has served a big importance in the journey of my photography. My first love was nature photography- the woods, flowers, clouds, birds and animals... and the moon. In all of the photography classes I took, I rarely photographed people. I was almost afraid of it. I did image studies and series on raptors, the environment, low light landscapes but when it came to shooting people I just shied away.

Something happened to me along the way though and my focus and drive shifted. Probably around the time my niece was born and I was co-managing two MotoPhoto's with my now husband. I started to love photographing people and almost as much if not more than my love for nature images. Don't get me wrong, I would never pass up a photo of a beautiful blooming lily of the valley, a bald eagle soaring through the air or a gorgeous sunrise or sunset. I do think that original love for nature has made me a much better photographer but it's made me a better photographer of people! I can combine the love for both now and see similarities in both.





Which brings me to faces, the largest common factor in all my different loves for photography. There is always a face to everything. You can see faces everywhere, even in the moon. Faces are most simply the area which is presented outwardly. If looking at the broader picture, as photographers we photograph the face of everything in each image that we shoot.

Joy KE365D1 (Day 1 tasra365)

Today will my first day in the tasra365 challenge (http://tasramar.com/join-the-challenge/tasra365-rules/) in which I will take my camera with me, research at least one photographer, and read one page in my camera manual every day for one year.

I was going to start the year long challenge on my birthday May first... but as life would have it, just didn't work out. My family traveled down to Mississippi where my husbands parents were, where my father-in-.law was trying to recover from a serious reaction to,heart medication. Life has thrown many obstacles in our path lately, in fact this whole year. Somehow we always make the best of it, the most, and always make it through. My daughter Kailyn brings our family strength, love and pure joy. Children have this way of distracting you from the negative by bringing you so many positives, by bringing you joy. They don't even have to try, it's just natural and it's who they are.

My first images for the challenge are of this pure joy that I describe above. You can see the clear look of it in her eyes, the bright shining stars that they are. Even on the hardest days in life, children have the power to show you the light at the end of the tunnel.

Although these images were not taken today, I know they are important to me to use as my first images in the challenge. The reason I want to do this challenge to strive to be a better photographer and designer is not just for myself, but to show my daughter that you can be happy in life with what you choose to do. You can always better yourself and seek to be the best you can possibly be.

Riley & Bella

A long time ago I was a dancer at Eileen's dance studio in Beavercreek, which is where I met Katie. We danced together for years and even went to school together. It has been ten years since I have seen Katie but a few weeks ago we were able to get together for a photo shoot of her two little ones and wonderful family. Her children are adorable and were so much fun to photograph, Riley just turned 3 years old and baby Bella is 5 months.

Riley has a sweet, loving personality and looks like a fabulous older brother to Bella who is also a little sweetie with a bright sparkle in her eye.














I love how life brings people together at such different points. Earlier in life our hobbies brought us together but now kids and family brought us back together, which gave me an opportunity to document important memories and stages in their lives. It is always such a good feeling when someone loves the work you do, but as Katie pointed out to me during our photo shoot, I really do love what I do too.

Madison

Little baby Madison is already 12 weeks old! A few weeks back she had some more portraits done. She really is a doll, such a sweet baby with these giant, kind eyes. Here are some of my favorites from my day visiting with Leslie and Madison.

Melinda & Bo

I photographed some engagement pictures for Melinda & Bo and Athena's Bridal back in April. They are having an autumn wedding and were looking for some outdoor, natural images. We walked all over the park, they were up for anything. So easy to work with, they were comfortable... which makes my job a piece of cake. The hardest part was choosing which image to use of them in the Athena's Ad! Thanks for all your help and best of luck Melinda & Bo!