Somewhere out there, is a monkey who needs to find his way home. If you happen to live or work in the South Jersey area and came upon this little guy, please contact me right away. He belongs to a very special little boy. These photos were taken at his father’s military homecoming (seen here.)
And we all know good friends are hard to find.
One of my favorite jobs to do is covering a soldier’s homecoming.
I’ve known this family for about a year now through the Operation Love Reunited organization; A volunteer organization of professional photographers giving their time to families of deployed soldiers. When I got the call that he was coming home, I knew that an end to a very long year for this family was finally coming to an end. The days turn to weeks and then into months and the oldest of the two boys seemed to be carrying the weight of that time away. Like his mom, he worried and as the day wore on, the happy facade began to wane to anxiety. He paced, needing his space and watching carefully in the direction he heard the soldiers might be coming. The time seemed endless to everyone, but to him, each time he heard “it’ll be soon” or “Daddy’s on his way” was becoming more and more worrying. The hours stretched out as the crowds were trying to be patient. The youngest felt the tension too.
As I looked about the crowd I realized that many of these very young children will be meeting their father for the first time. I saw mothers and fathers and brothers, uncles, sisters, and cousins. Every single one of those people have sacrificed a little bit of themselves when their soldier left. They stayed behind. They held up the fort. They carried on with the life these soldiers could come home to. In those hours they were all brought together for one reason; To set their eyes on their soldier. To know she was home safe.
This homecoming was the end of many soldier’s commitment to the Military. Some will go back. No one thought about that that day. No one complained about waiting in the heat. None of that mattered, as long as they could hold their soldier in their arms once again.
The wait was hard but we were reminded that war is harder and that some did not come home that day. “We find a way to be grateful that it was not one of our own,” I heard one woman say to another.
To all the families and soldiers who served with dignity, I salute you. To this beautiful family, thank you for letting me be a part of your story this past year. I am deeply touched by you all and feel blessed for knowing you.
Welcome home, Soldier!
Shari DeAngelo Photography | Philadelphia Wedding Photographer & Lifestyles Photography | Fine Art, Fashion, Lifestyles and Wedding Photographer located in Haddonfield, NJ and Philadelphia PA. Local and Destination services available.
Every once in awhile I do something (even when it’s for someone else) that I have such good and wonderful feelings about, that I just have to share. Such is the case here. Mike McNett told me about a wedding that he was shooting at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, PA. I hadn’t been up there since I was a kid…and then it was called Doe Mountain. It’s changed quite a bit since then. Anyway, I jumped at the chance to tag along and second shoot with him. Some of you may already know we’ve teamed up on quite a few together now and I always enjoy working with him. Thanks for having me along, Mike!
I’d be remiss if I didn’t share something with you besides a few images from the day. The staff at Bear Creek Mountain Resort were outstanding… I mean above and beyond great. The Wedding Coordinator for this event was Lisa Geiger. She never missed a beat and was more than on-top of things. I’ve seen quite a few coordinators and she stands out as one of the better. The food and service were amazing too, thanks to the capable hands of Jonathan and Jenny. I was very pleasantly surprised by how organized and pleasant the entire staff was. Right down to the porter who made sure I never ran out of cranberry juice. It may seem like a little thing, but if they did that for one of the other vendors, imagine how they took care of the guests. Indeed it seemed to be the way things are just done there. I look forward to the next event I get invited to shoot there!
The wedding. It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony, complete with sun spilling in beyond the soon-to-be snow covered slopes and my own favorite wedding temperature: 65 degrees!! There was enough positive energy in the crowd to warm anyone who may have preferred warmer temperatures, I’m sure. It was really really perfect. Lauren was so beautiful and elegant and Jason looked so calm and collected. My favorite moment actually occurred as the processional was starting. Both the the flower girl and the ring bearer were not feeling well and just as they got to the back line of chairs the ring bearer decided he didn’t want to go. He was held up by one arm and bounced down the aisle off one foot for the remainder of the walk. We were all laughing and enjoying the good-natured fun. It was too cute!!
Lauren and Jason. Just beautiful. Inside and out. Thank you for having me along. May the rest of your lives be as blessed as your wedding day was.
Shari DeAngelo Photography | Philadelphia Wedding Photographer & Lifestyles Photography | Fine Art, Fashion, Lifestyles and Wedding Photographer located in Haddonfield, NJ and Philadelphia PA. Local and Destination services available.
No dresses were injured in the making of these images. Well not much.
This couple contacted me awhile back about some Post Bridal work I’d done at Eastern State Penitentiary. When Amber told me their story about how they’d gotten married in Niagara Falls and that their wedding photographer didn’t show, it broke my heart. I was more than happy to oblige their whimsical nature and rock that frock at ESP with them!
And that we did.
She met with my hair and makeup artist prior to our shoot and she looked stunning. I mean really stunning. Sam is one of those guys you instantly like when you meet. That was they case with me. He had me laughing the entire time we traipsed through Philadelphia. Our afternoon together started inside the prison then we meandered to some of my favorite corners to photograph subjects.
Eastern State Penitentiary always delights me with the way the light plays off the subjects and how it offers such dramatic views of this historical land mark. Closed in 1972 it remains as notorious today as it was when it was still a working prison. Famous prisoners included Al Capone and today you can see his cell, and just how the prison gave certain privileges to this oft idolized mobster.
Although ESP is not the first place some folks think of for romantic backdrops it always ends up being just that. Everyone leaves with the same feeling. There’s just something extraordinarily beautiful about a bride and groom celebrating their love amongst ruins.
I am tickled pink to share this most recent session with you. Please meet Amber and Sam. Congratulations you two crazy wonderful people! May your life always be blessed together and may you always find your love, even amongst the ruins!
Shari DeAngelo Photography | Philadelphia Wedding Photographer & Lifestyles Photography | Fine Art, Fashion, Lifestyles and Wedding Photographer located in Haddonfield, NJ and Philadelphia PA. Local and Destination services available.
Personal Note: As some of you may know, I have been working on some new changes here. The website is just part of those changes but that said, I really wanted to introduce you to the new look here, with something special to me. I love some of these images and it was important to me to kick this off right. So, to Dear Tiffany and Cody, thank you for being patient. I hope you enjoy these as your web gallery is being uploaded for you.
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Every so often we hear a story about high school loves that withstand time and the tribulations that life sometimes throws at us. When you meet Tiffany and Cody you’re instantly aware of how deep their love is for one another and for how real and genuine they are to each other and even though the years of their youth are behind them, they still have that special something. It makes me believe there really is that one true love for each of us… and to believe some people are really lucky and find it early in life. I really and truly believe that is the case with this two.
I had SO much fun with this couple. We started at the place they met and actually got to go inside the high school building (who knew we’d be able to do that on a Sunday?) We found her locker… we sneaked into the stair well, we went to a park, splashed around in some water and then headed to the beach… but not without out stopping once or twice for my whimsical moments (soybeans anyone?)
I absolutely cannot wait until their wedding. They are as beautiful on the inside as they are outside!
Shari DeAngelo Photography | Philadelphia Wedding Photographer & Lifestyles Photography | Fine Art, Fashion, Lifestyles and Wedding Photographer located in Haddonfield, NJ and Philadelphia PA. Local and Destination services available.
There’s so much I want to do with this new site but if you’re seeing this you’re getting a sneak preview and I’d love to hear what you think about the new look and functionality so far.
In the next day all the client files will be over (seriously… 26,000 + images take awhile) so if you’re seeing your cart empty, no worries… They’re all on their way!
I’ll also be squeezing in the new gallery uploads between current backlogs and updates, so please come back and visit every now and then. There’s some beautiful images I’m dying to share with you… soon, I promise!
I’ll resume to normal business hours and blogging (YAY!) tomorrow (YAY!!!!)
I need to take a moment to thank two very special people for their time, dedication and well, just for making this process such a wonderful collaboration. Zida Borcich of Studio Z in Mendocino CA came up with the very cool tree logo (“Is it a tree or is it something else entirely?”) Whatever it is to any of us, it seems to be just the right mix of contemporary art, elegance, and irreverence. Perfect! She and her team are also creating letter pressed cards and stationary that I cannot wait to get my hands on now. William Bay of Warm Lounge Studios in San Diego CA is the man behind the curtain on this site. He designed it, did all the conversion from the existing blog to this one and well, he just put up with me. Like every day. I simply adore them both.
So, now I’m very curious to see what you guys think about the new diggs. Feel free to poke around and look under things. Send me comments or email me if you find something we should know about or have suggestions to make your experience here better for you.
See you all tomorrow… with a brand new blog post of a beautiful engagement session that I’ve been dying to share with you!
Much love,
Shari
I’ve known Kate since she was a little girl. She and my son have been friends for all these years. I wasn’t sure about taking her on as a client because in many ways she’s still Little Katie to me. At one point during the session I looked at the back of my camera, showed her the picture, and with a little more than an exclamation said, “Oh my God, Kate, you’re not a little girl anymore!”
In fact she’s not. She’s stunningly open and beautiful. At 22 she’s grown into an amazing human being. She’s currently in Peru, doing a work study program and her burning desire to see more of the world, and not just be a passer-by, makes me proud to know her. I feel blessed to have had the time to get to know her a little better and am happy to know my son keeps such amazing friends. The world is better for people like her in it.
She chose the Mercer Museum to take her portrait and since I’d never been, I was more than game. It was a lot of fun in a unique environment that bounces crazy light around everywhere. It was pretty hot that day so we were relieved to have found a fan…
Katie, wherever this finds you today, I hope you are loving every minute of your journey. No matter where the path takes you, I hope you always find your way home safely.
My new site is still work in progress so I’m going to have to make up for lost time after it’s published. If you’re seeing your own images appear here, check your email for Access Codes for your full gallery.
So, you see… apparently I really can’t wait for the new site. 
Now, I’d like to introduce you to Justin. About 10 hours after this session was completed, Justin, a lifelong resident of my home town of Haddonfield, moved to New York. The Big Apple. He’s now working for a non-profit that provides services to teenage girls who are hoping for a better life than the one they’ve come to know. He’s always known he was destined for public service of some kind, but when the offer for this position became available to him, he knew it was the right choice for him. We had an hour to run about town, in the rain, and make meaningful images of a guy who impressed me to no end. I can say, with all honesty, that my work here will not show you what a great young man he’s now become and how lucky the world is to have people like him in it.
In an hour I felt lucky for having gotten to know him. Thank you Justin… I’m sure you’re doing your family and your home town proud about now…
Shari DeAngelo Photography | Philadelphia Wedding Photographer & Lifestyles Photography | Fine Art, Fashion, Lifestyles and Wedding Photographer located in Haddonfield, NJ and Philadelphia PA. Local and Destination services available.