Wow. What a week I’ve had in Nashville! I returned last night with an extra boost of excitement, and an overwhelming amount of information and education. I’m so truly grateful for all the amazing and wonderful photographers that are willing to share their knowledge and experience to help their fellow peers.
I’m still working on lots of new and exciting announcements to come soon. Many of which will be shared this Spring. New fun and beautiful products will be added to my line of offerings and in the mean time I am preparing to go full time with photography. I can’t tell you how excited I am to put 100% of my heart and time into creating beautiful one of a kind pieces of artwork for my clients. This Spring is going to be Amazing!
I’m so fortunate and blessed to be able to share in some of the most special moments people experience in their lifetimes. I not only am privileged to share these moments, but I’m also able to capture them so that they can relive them anytime and anywhere. :) It always puts a big smile on my face and warms my heart when I receive emails from the families and mothers about how beautiful the pictures of their families are, how they watch the slideshow and their children won’t let them turn it off, and how grateful they are for this moment in their lives being preserved forever. One such family that has truly made a huge impact in my life is the Campbell family. Aaron spent 8 months at war while his wife and little boy held things together at home. I was fortunate enough to be there the day they were reunited. Jennifer is such a sweet and amazing woman and it brought tears to my eyes again as I read her email this past week. I absolutely love taking pictures, I love meeting new families and clients, and I love becoming friends with those clients I meet, but the true reason I absolutely LOVE my job is exactly this:
Words seem terribly inadequate to thank you for the priceless gift you have given our family through your service with Operation Love ReUnited! I was instantly drawn to your photographs when I was searching photographers through the OpLove Website – yours were far and away the most beautiful of all, capturing the most wonderful expressions in such creative ways. I was thrilled when I called you and could immediately tell that the beauty of your heart is every bit as beautiful as your gift for photography.
The day that Aaron returned from Afghanistan brought such rainy, cold weather, but you were waiting for us when we arrived at the airport with such a positive attitude and excitement for our family. I enjoyed spending time getting to know you at Atlanta Bread as we waited through delay after delay in Aaron’s flight. I appreciated the way you took great care to choose the perfect spot for our long-awaited reunion. And you continued to wait with us… :)
The moment that Brett and I got to hold Aaron in our arms again after eight months will always be remembered as one of the most special of our lives. Thanks to you and Operation Love ReUnited we have breathtaking photographs that capture every moment and every expression. Our family who could not be there that day have taken such joy in being able to share in that moment with us because of your gift. I still look through our pictures on a daily basis and am finally able to get through them without tearing up! :) My favorite part about it is being able to see the range of emotions that we were all feeling that day so beautifully and uniquely captured by you. In those photos I see joy, relief, thankfulness, pride and so much more! After that you went even one step further and waited with us while we got Aaron’s bags then spent almost an hour taking photos of our family upstairs near the Christmas tree – it was just more than we could have ever expected!
Even during the busy final days before Christmas, you went above and beyond to prepare the photos and post them on your blog so we could enjoy them over and over and share them with our family and friends in Texas during our Christmas visit. You worked so hard to prepare a beautiful slide show set to music, and it was such a treat to receive the CD/DVD in the mail the Monday after Christmas. My Dad was so proud to play the slideshow on his new big screen tv that he got for Christmas!! There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
Tessa, you are just truly phenomenal…both for your talents in photography and for your giving heart that so obviously guides your life. Your willingness to honor our nation’s troops by sharing your gift has blessed us beyond measure during this happy time in our lives. The photos you captured that day will be a family treasure that will be shared for years to come. I wish there was a bigger word in the English language that would convey my gratitude, but there is not; however, I think you can take one look at our faces in the photos that you took and know that you will always hold a special place with our family, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
With love and gratitude,
Jennifer, Aaron and Brett Campbell
If you read this and you know of a family that’s currently serving our great country please share Operation Love Reunited with them. It’s such an amazing program that a small but priceless gift that photographers can give to families for their dedication to us and our country.
by Tessa
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