A few days ago, we had the pleasure of photographing two of the handsomest little guys I’ve seen in a VERY long time! Their mom called us a few weeks ago, wanting to schedule a session for her and the boys, since her husband is currently deployed, and really could use a boost! We were so thrilled to be able to help her out with that! She got the boys all dolled up in some of their daddy’s gear, and we got down to shooting. They were fascinated by our cats, who apparently thought that the boys were just visiting to give them special attention. We had such a great time you guys, thanks for coming by and letting us photograph your awesome family! We’ll be sending an album overseas for dad soon!

Roz

I personally had an incredible time photographing 50 families in 2 days (although I was ready to come home and sleep by the end of it!) All of our photographers were absolutely blown away by how gracious, how patient, and how grateful each and every Soldier and family was. OpLove owes a major, major thank you to the 4-1AD for dinner on Saturday, and for the services of CPT Carpenter, without whose help this weekend would not have been possible. Overall, about 850 families (estimated) were photographed during the event; I believe that sets a new record for Operation: Love ReUnited, for most families photographed in one weekend.

We’re working hard on getting a gallery of all the images up. I know it’s taking a bit longer than I’d hoped, but thank all of you for being so patient! This is easily the largest event I’ve ever been involved with, and I underestimated the amount of work and time involved in getting this many images ready to go.

Here’s a *very* small sampling of the images Roz, Marie, and I captured; look for more (in the form of an online gallery) soon!

I can’t imagine the sacrifice these families make for us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for keeping our country and our citizens safe. You truly rock.

Roz

Erin and family, it was so nice to finally meet you guys, I’ll post these up on Facebook for you ASAP!

Roz

If you missed my television premier last week, I was on the KVIA noon news broadcast to talk about the upcoming OpLove event, which is taking place on Ft. Bliss on 4-5 April. We’re looking for local businesses and individuals who will sponsor the photos for a Soldier with the 4-1AD – a single family sponsorship is only $10! You can donate at the OpLove website; your donation will provide an album of family photos to one of the deploying members of the 4-1AD Highlander brigade, heading to Iraq this spring for a year-long tour of duty. We’re organizing this event to make sure each Soldier is able to keep his family close to his heart during the separation. All photography is being donated by local photographers and members of Operation: Love ReUnited, who are traveling from across the country just to be a part of this weekend. For more event information, or if you’d like to volunteer to come out and help, visit our OpLove page.

One of the pictures we did is of each kid in their dads army jacket. Each jacket is a little different, they represent the jacket their dad was wearing at the time they were born. Their dad is already deployed, and so these pictures will surely mean a lot to him when he receives them in Iraq! We’re looking forward to photographing their entire family when he’s home on R&R sometime this summer!

Thanks for letting us photograph your family Holly, we had a total blast!

Roz

We met Michael and Mary, and their four children there, and oh my goodness they couldn’t have been a cuter family! Jacquline, Charlotte, and Matthew are 2 year old triplets, and Mele who’s 4, is their big sister. We had a ton of fun running all over the park, and getting photos with their dad, who’s deploying soon. We’re so excited to be able to do this for this lovely family, they were truly a blast to be around! Ok, so it was a little bit like herding cats, but cute ones!

Mary and Michael, it was an honor to meet and photograph your beautiful family! Now, here’s a few of our favorites from the session!

Roz

Thank you guys for participating in this program, and allowing us to photograph your beautiful family!

We started out in the studio, with some pretty classic stuff, mostly as a warm up. Then we headed out to downtown Las Cruces for even more portraits. I finally got to try out a wall downtown I’ve had my eye on, which was awesome! We wandered around, stopping at the Rio Grande Theater, and then behind the theater as well. Then we headed out to our favorite spot in the desert for some more outdoorsy type pictures. The wind made for an awesome shot of the two of them in front of the Organ Mountains!

We had so much fun you guys, thanks for coming up here for your session, and thank you Sean for everything you do for our country!

This time, we’ve been cooking up a little something for OpLove (Operation: Love ReUnited), a charity organization which gives free photo sessions and images to deploying and returning members of the Armed Services.

In cooperation with the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Armored Division, and with the backing and support of the national OpLove organization, Screaming Light is proud to be organizing a 2-day family photo extravaganza for the deploying troops of 4.1AD – several thousand soldiers – on Ft Bliss.

While details are still being worked out, the sheer numbers involved in this undertaking are already coming into play. Photographers from all over the country are committing to travel down to Ft. Bliss, to donate their services to the men and women who are willing to give their lives for us.

If you’d like to be a part of this effort, please contact us at manager@screaminglight.com and let us know how you can help. We need photographers, assistant photographers, people who can help organize the paperwork, crowd control – you name it! We’re also looking for news coverage and corporate sponsorship, to help defray the costs of sending images to that many troops overseas, and to help spotlight our Soldiers and their families on a national level.