Love was Reunited

Here are a few pics from my recent homecoming session with Larry. His beautiful wife, Rebecca, and there as well as their 3 kids, and his parents. They had a custom banner made for his arrival and decorated the vehicle. They were full of excitement for his arrival and gracious to wrap their arms around him again!

Interesting Session

This morning, I had quite an interesting session. I met a lady, who is a painter, at a local church. Her task...to paint a copy of one of the paintings hanging on the church wall. My task...to photograph the huge painting - in whole, in part, and up-close so she can use the photos to replicate it. Sounds kinda simple, huh?!? Oh heck no! They lowered the painting so I could properly access it. They turned the lights on, so it was illuminated accordingly. My and my trusty tripod, obviously sans flash, went to work. The catch is that the paining was very detailed, yet not so much. There were parts of it that you don't notice with the naked eye, but you can see in the photographs. There were parts you can see with the eye, but it didn't photograph properly. It was more challenging that what I was expecting, and I've photographed paintings before.

I wish I could post a pic of the painting for you all to see, but alas I cannot. It is going to be a surprise gift for a spouse of my client, so I don't want to be the one to ruin the surprise. :) However when we left today, the painter said that she would call me when she was done with her rendition so I could see and photograph it. Here is a section of the painting that is only a 1/9 piece of the whole.

Bobby, Candice, and the "Z" kids

I met Bobby, Candice, Zoey, & Zachary at the park for his pre-deployment session. It had been a long day, much less weekend, for me so I was a bit out-of-sorts by the time I arrived. They were great and very understanding! Candice was full of ideas for different poses and pics she wanted. That makes it so much easier for me because I hate posing people; it doesn't look real. Zoey had a beautiful and natural smile that just lit up her whole face and made me smile just seeing it. Zackary, was a typical 10-yr old boy: climbing on rocks, climbing trees, and full of energy. It was very apparent throughout the entire session how much Candice & Bobby adored each other. Bobby left yesterday morning, so I wish him all the best and I look forward to his homecoming! Here's a few pics from our session together.

Chris & Meg

 I met Chris & Meg at the park in Stroud for our pre-deployment session. They also brought little Zane for pics. Zane is 3-years old, so he was very shy at first. He didn't want to even look at me, much less me look at him to take a pic. But that didn't last too long. Once we started talking about his Spiderman hat, it was all good. They all played, tickled each other, and stuck their tongues out. Meg & Chris had t-shirts made with their names on the front and angel wings on the back. It was a cool idea and made for some great pics. When I was leaving, Zane shook my hand and said "thank you for taking our pictures". He was adorable! Here are a few pics from our session.

OpLove in Durant

Last weekend, Operation: Love Reunited was invited to attend the 1/180th weekend-long deployment event in Durant, OK. Saturday was Family Day at the armory. There was a BBQ buffet, a kid bouncy thing, a velcro wall, an inflatable slide, a dunk tank, and airbrush tattoos. It was a great day with beautiful 85+ degree weather. Everyone had a great time relaxing with their families and enjoying some awesome grub!!! A big thank you to the OpLove photographers that came on Saturday: Wayne & Jeannie Moore and Lisa Tate (as well as myself). Here are some pics from Saturday...

Sunday was the actual roll-call, saying goodbye to family & friends, and then loading on the buses. There were lots of smiles and laughter that were followed by the last minute tears. My heart goes out to both the soldiers and their families. As a photographer trying to capture the emotions, I get caught up in the goodbyes and cry too (which makes it really hard to take pics). And again, a big thank you to the OpLove photographers that participated on Sunday: Jeannie & Wayne Moore and Becky Croft (as well as myself again). Here are a few pics from Sunday:

I pray that God may bless and watch over the soldiers and families of the 1/180th, as well as all our men/women in uniform and their loved ones at home. You are ALL my own personal heroes...and I personally want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.
- Ang

OpLove @ Science Museum

On Sunday, I had an OpLove session with another wonderful family: Nick, Jenee, Maliyah (3 yrs), and Devin (5 wks). We went to the Science Museum Oklahoma (formally, the Omniplex). Maliyah was more eager to play than smile at the camera, but I really didn't expect anything different. :) Devin snoozed most of the time, yet I did sneak a few pics of his peepers. Jenee and Nick were open to any photo suggestions and were great to work with. They are a beautiful family! I am happy that I could meet and photograph them before Nick deployed 2 days after the session. Here are a few pics from our time together...

The above pic is my favorite photo. Maliyah had no interest in looking at the camera. She was more interested in the train. And yes, there is actually a Parlor Car from a train in the middle of the museum. :)

Proofs Are All New!

The transfer is complete! I have switched my proofing software, and all client proofs are loaded onto the new system. In doing so, your favorites are no longer saved from the old system, but I have a list of them on file. If you wish to retrieve them, please email me.

The new software is much more user-friendly and easy to understand! The product list now shows categories for packages, prints, memorabilia, albums, etc or you can View All. There is also a small pic of each product and a brief description. This way, you can see what you are purchasing. There is also the option to register/login to save you Favorites, save you Shopping Cart, and view your Order History. For all my OpLove families, you will also notice the included "freebies" in the Featured Products list on the right side of the screen.

See below pics for some screenshots. I hope everyone finds it a much more pleasant and convenient experience. As always, let me know if you have any problems or questions!
- Ang

New Proofing Software

After over a month of testing, trial-runs, and client surveys of different proofing software, I have finally decided on one. It is much easier to maneuver in, the products/packages are categorized better, and the design matches my website and blog. All these wonderful benefits without the cons of having to increase my prices to justify an expensive system. :)

So effective the late evening of March 31st, all my client's current proofs will switch to the new software. Just before I make it active, I will save a copy of all your "favorites" on the old system. Your proofs will immediately be active (with the same login information) on the new site. If you need your list of Favorites sent to you, no prob. Just shoot me an email, and I will get it over asap!

I apologize for the inconvenience of the switch, but I have no doubt you will appreciate the ease of the new system. As always, thanks for your patience as I attempt to make your experience better.
- Ang

Peyton & Vic

A couple weeks ago, I dragged my son Peyton and his girlfriend Victoria to the park. My mission - to take some nice pics of them together. My result - playfully, ornery high school sweethearts.

I love the above pic for one reason. She's giving him devil horns while the wind whips her hair into a halo. That's about as honest as it gets!

Yes, that's my Bubba is picking Will Rogers' nose.  :)

It's ALIVE!

Everything is 100% up and running. The blog link works: www.myblog.angela-wilkes.com. The support team at PortfolioSiteZ is awesome!! They are quick and friendly to work with, so they are my rockstars this week.

I'm also testing out a new proofing software for my clients. I'm going to be giving it a trial run for a couple weeks before deciding, but it should definitely make proofing and ordering a lot easier! Stay tuned...
- Ang