Homecoming!

In the military community, there is no better event than a homecoming from a deployment! Typically, these homecomings occur in mass, with several hundred people welcoming home husbands, wives, daughters, or sons. They are inspiring and beautiful.

A week or so ago, I had the opportunity to photograph a homecoming for a friend. Her husband's homecoming was quite different though, he arrived on a scheduled flight in to Wilmington. I was lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa in town to watch the Weasel, so I headed south solo and met up with the wife and her children to drive to the airport. We arrived to this message:

Unsurprisingly, the flight we were waiting for was the one highlighted in purple:) No worries, I had a blast photographing the kiddos while they ran around the deserted airport.

This is my favorite shot because I think it truly captures this beautiful mother's patience and love at the same time.

This is another one of my favorites. She was taking a video of the kids banging on the glass shouting, "Dada Dada!"

As I'm quite new to the whole world of photography, I was messing with my settings in an attempt to get several photos with adequate light (I typically shoot outside as you've seen). Unfortunately, I wasn't thrilled with the results. I managed to get a few good images though:

I was so upset about failing to adequately capture this beautiful moment, that I've offered the family a complimentary session at the location of their choosing. Editing the photos to black and white seemed to help a bit, but this session taught me that I have a LONG way to go and a lot to learn before this becomes a "profession." Thanks for your understanding Bre, and a big WELCOME HOME to Brian!