When your loved one walks out the front door, there really is no guarantee in life that they will return home safely - even more so, if they are leaving home to serve our country. When Amie's brother Brian was deployed to Afghanistan last Christmas, she didn't know when he would return home.
Brian is a Second Class Petty Officer and works closely with the Navy's Explosive Ordnance (EOD) team. This team performs some of the most harrowing, dangerous work in order to keep others from harm's way.
I photographed Amie's wedding this past July at the Warwick Country Club. Although Amie knew her brother (pictured left) was currently in Syria, there were rumblings that he may make a surprise appearance at her wedding. The chances were very slim, but you could see it in Amie’s face
that she was hoping the rumblings were true. Unfortunately, Brian was not able to make it to his sister's wedding. Although he wasn't able to attend, she still had an amazing day.
About a week ago, I received an email from Amie asking me to do a family picture of her and her two brothers. Brian is currently home from his stays in Syria and Japan, but is leaving again for Afghanistan in January. Without hesitation, I replied, "Absolutely!" I was honored to photograph this amazing family.
(Side note: If you want to make me cry instantly, show me videos of fathers coming home from war to surprise their wife and kids.)
We met at a local conservatory yesterday in Coventry. I’m not going to lie - it was freaking cold. I led them over to this area where an abandoned house sits, surrounded by tall weeds mixed with grass. I knew if I photographed it just right, it would look like they were in a grassfield.
We fought the cold and we won; we left with this amazing family photo. Thank you so much Amie, Brian and Kevin for allowing me to capture a special moment. Thank you, Brian for fighting for our country. Without men and women like you, our country would be so different. Thank you for putting your life on the line for us.