Welcome Home 2/11!

Welcome Home 2/11 Fox!  Hope you have been having fun with your family, friends, and buds!

This homecoming has been the funniest one I have had!  It was so quick, I almost missed it!

A typical homecoming is usually a lot of waiting around and then some more waiting around, especially when it comes to the Marines - the motto of 'Hurry Up and Wait" exists for a reason!  And yes, I can comment and complain of this as I am also a Marine Wife.  I think the longest wait was 6 hours.  I arrived around the projected time, which I try to arrive at least 1 hour before the estimated arrival of the troops.  I think I got about 5 'waiting around' shots before her guy walked onto the parade deck.  Just him.

I even almost missed capturing the initial moments of reconnection, luckily I am use to chasing for that image.  Watching that reconnection was so special, a lot of fun, and infectious with smiles.

Thank you Sabrina and Taylor for allowing me to capture these moments for you!  I hope we get to reschedule the couples session for the near future.  Welcome Home Taylor!! 

K Lilian Chance Photography is a volunteer photographer with Operation Love Reunited and a Family Portrait Photographer located in San Clemente, CA.

150 Fan Giveaway Winner!!

Thank you to Jill and Stephanie for entering my 150 fan Giveaway!!

I truly appreciate it!

With a 50/50 shot, the winner is....

Stephanie Robnett!

CONGRATS!

Please email me with your 15 image choices.

K Lilian Chance is a freestyle family portrait photographer located in San Clemente, CA.

Welcome Home Alpha!

I am a little behind in getting the blog updated.  Life has been all over the place.

I had the honor to photograph the homecoming for two special ladies.  Ciara had contacted me last minute, and luckily I was available.  These girls flew in from Texas just to welcome their husbands home the moment they touched down.  Even though, they are actually stationed in Texas and just here in California for a short time.  That is dedication and love!

It may have been dark, with the worst lighting conditions, we still had a lot of fun.  These girls were a blast and it was an honor to meet them.

Little Skyler was just a bundle of cuteness!

Welcome Home Tyler!

Welcome Home Greg!

100 Fans Giveaway!!!

Welcome and Thank you for joining me on my facebook fan page!!! 

I am so excited to have hit 100 fans! 

Its Giveaway Time!

Up for Grabs:

A deck of cards!  

With a photo from your session OR one from my stock images in my Etsy Shop 

(this allows everyone to enter)

OR

A $25 Gift Certificate 

Good towards portrait sessions, prints/products, or for my Etsy Shop

To Enter:  Just leave a comment here on which item you would love to win.

Each comment will be given a number as I receive them and I will use a random number generator to pick the winner.

Contest starts now: Wednesday Sept. 14th 840am and will run till Friday Sept 16th 9am (CST)

Welcome Home RCT-1!

WELCOME HOME RCT-1

Here they come!!

Welcome Home USMC RCT-1 and Robert!  Unlike most military units attached to Pendleton, RCT-1 was handed a 12 month deployment (the usual is 7 months).  These guys were more then ready to be home with their families, probably more then their families were to have them home again.

The amazing Patriot Guard escorting the men home! These riders are true heroes

I had the pleasure to be there for a very sweet family.  Jessica was very excited to have this moment documented, as it was their first true homecoming in all their years in the military.  Though her husband is part of a Marine Corps unit, he is actually Navy.  It was a fun twist to the day.

Grandma and Trinity dancing it out during the long wait

In tow with Jessica was their daughter Trinity, Robert's mom - which he had no idea was there!, Robert's favorite stuffed cat from his childhood, and their newest baby that is still a'cookin.

Trinity having some fun, letting off some anxiousness

Jessica was a bundle of nervous energy, just wanting the wait to be over.  Though she knew it was way worse for the guys on the bus.  That bus drive must be the longest moments of their lives.  New dads that have never held their baby, young men itching for that first beer in a long time, seasoned dads that have missed an entire year of milestones with their kids, some seeing their pregnant wife's belly for the first time (gotta love those R&R babies)!

And finally after all those buses came in, the formation was completed, and those magical words "Fall Out" were said, that one moment of joy, relief, and the missing piece of the puzzle was found......

Getting in that welcome home touch, kiss, hug can not be matched

And for Robert, hugging the special women in his life and getting that "I'm really here and its over" moment... 

Welcome Home

Jessica & Russell - OpLove Pre-deployment

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to photograph Jessica & Russell.  A young, sweet, adorable couple that are preparing for a 7 month deployment.  This shoot was for Operation Love Reunited.  And I had so much fun that I was still hyped up at midnight and had to force myself to bed!

Our original plan was to meet at the Ranch House here on Camp Pendleton, but as I passed this other location earlier in the day, I had to call her and switch our meeting location.  These old tracks and train sit behind a museum here on Pendleton.  And since I knew they were bringing the guitar (Russell plays) and Jessica was wearing her boots, I had to get them on these tracks!  It SO paid off!!  I love the above shot, course the one I posted on my facebook fan page as their first sneak peek I am absolutely totally in love with - I admit it, I can not stop looking at it! 

I love the contrast of his uniform with her sun dress.  

I met with Jessica prior to the shoot to go over details and find out a little about them.  I had them bring certain items 'props' to incorporate into the shoot that was representational of who they are at the core.  True Texans are these two and what is a shoot without a little Texas star!

The cross was made by her grandmother.  And is the coolest cross  I have ever seen!  Are these two not adorable or what?!

Be Safe, Russell and come home soon!!  

Feel free to leave some well wishes on a safe and speedy deployment for Russell :)

Operation Love Reunited

I recently joined up with Operation Love Reunited as a volunteer photographer.   Operation Love Reunited (OpLove) is a non-profit organization made up of fully volunteer photographers that provide free professional photography for military families and members that are preparing to deploy, are already deployed, and returning home from war zones.

Each family is able to get 2 sessions per year per deployment.  The available sessions are Saying Goodbye (documentary style with a cd of images sent to the family here Stateside), Pre-Deployment, Already Gone, and Homecoming (documentary style).  The program is to boost the morale of the deployed service member, so for Pre-deployment and Already Gone sessions an album is sent directly to the deployed service member.  Each volunteer photographer has the option to offer an album or a cd of images for the Homecoming session for the family.

Being back in SoCal for just over a month now, I have done 1 Already Gone session and 1 Pre-deployment session.  I wish I could share the Already Gone session, but we are waiting for the service member to get the album first (though the image above is one from the session).  Here is an image from the Pre-Deployment session I just did.

I have to limit how many sessions I can take on each month.  I am already fully booked for September and October!  A lot of homecoming sessions coming up.

Please spread the word to all those you know of this great organization.  And if you are a photographer, please consider joining.  We are in great need of volunteer photographers.