Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Daddy's Girls | Military Homecoming | Fort Bragg, NC Photographer

 This lucky Soldier had four beautiful ladies waiting for him at Green Ramp for his return from overseas!!! How stinking cute are the littles?!?!



Daddy spotted them in the crowd while he was in formation. Mommy and Daddy shared smiles and the girls were consumed with the excitement of the huge crowd.


 Then the commander began to talk ... the girls were over the speaker after he said he first sentence! haha! But they patiently waited next to mommy until the soldiers were finally released to their families.


The twins ran straight up to daddy and gave big hugs. Months of separation didn't even put a damper on the bond they have with their daddy! They were extremely excited to tell daddy all about their day and show him their signs!



Little miss was a tad apprehensive, but by the time their 15 minutes were up before having to turn in equipment, she was all about Daddy. And what I loved most is that even though daddy had been away for a while, he still knew how to handle each girl in their own way. Each girl got special daddy time before they had to be separated again.

Each shared their own stories with him and each allowed the other their special time. I loved watching this family be reunited!

Some black and white creative shots. I always try to get a few that tell the story in a special way.


*** Please remember that all images are copyrighted to Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Please do not copy or alter any images without SWP, LLC consent. **

Monday, October 26, 2015

Non-Profit Organization Labor of Love | Headshot | Fayetteville, NC Photographer


 This lovely lady was not only my Army boss not too long ago, but also a great friend who is helping bring to light a great not-for-profit organization Veterans Without Orders.


Veterans Without Orders is a not-for-profit organization designed to afford veterans an opportunity to continue serving in a humanitarian capacity. When she asked me to do head shots for her as the Public Affairs Director ... I of course said YES! She's usually behind the camera, so I was excited to find out she's a natural in front of the camera too! Make sure you check out more at their website: www.veteranswithoutorders.org !!


*** Please remember that all images are copyrighted to Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Please do not copy or alter any images without SWP, LLC consent. ***


Friday, October 23, 2015

Bringing Warmth to Fall | Child | Fayetteville, NC Photographer

This session was technically in July ... but I haven't blogged it yet and now I'm preparing to photograph these awesome children again for Christmas! I cannot wait to see how much they've grown since July! I did little man's newborn session and couldn't believe he was walking in this session!


These guys had me running around sweating my butt off but I mean, look how cute their portraits came out?! Have I mentioned I can't wait to see them in a few weeks?!

The below pic was sister's idea. I love that she brings ideas to the session. She is a pistol and super creative! PS, she's also a GREAT big sister!


By the end of the session, little man was hungry and we were bribing him with crackers ... yep .. I HAD to take this picture. haha! My favorite of the session!

*** Please remember that all images are copyrighted to Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Please do not copy or alter any images without SWP, LLC consent. ***

Monday, October 19, 2015

Not So Hectic Homecoming | Military Homecoming | Fort Bragg, NC Photographer

This couple's homecoming was the smoothest homecoming I've ever shot. Nothing changed once she was given a date, the time got a tad later but not significantly. It was easy peasy. Minus how crowded it was!

Once she found him in the crowd (she had some of his buddies hunt him down), she ran straight into his arms. <3


The reunion was short lived as he wanted to make sure he was one of the first to be prepared to load up the troops on the buses to turn in equipment and set the example. But it was sweet. And thank you to both for their patience as I brought both my boys with me during the homecoming due to time and lack of babysitters! :)

After the couple saw their gallery and received their custom USB, she wrote these kinds words to me and I couldn't have been any more thankful to have clients like these two!
"I want to thank you for being there with me to capture photographs of that memorable day. It was comforting to me to know that you were familiar with how the whole ceremony would go from both a professional photographer and military spouse point of view. I know that the ceremony was really long and the reunion really short, but you made the whole process feel so easy and stress free. You were flexible with me and I definitely appreciated your knowledgeable voice of reason directing me in that very large and hectic crowd. Thank you for doing what you do to help other military families preserve these precious memories.
I also want to give a huge shout out to your kiddos. They were both so calm and understanding of the situation, and you wore (your littlest) like a champ! I mean, you were basically maneuvering through the crowd like a photography ninja WITH a baby strapped to you. But in all seriousness, I was really impressed with how they just rolled with it and I want to thank them too for doing their part in making the whole process a success."

Learn more about booking a military homecoming with me HERE!

Not to mention I'm super stoked about my new custom USBs for homecomings!!! Thank you  PhotoFlashCrive.com for excellent quality and service!

 ** Please remember that all images are copyrighted to Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Please do not copy or alter any images without SWP, LLC consent. *** 



Saturday, October 17, 2015

Pumpkin Head Love | Concept | Fayetteville, NC Photographer

To say I didn't have an absolute blast on this concept shoot would be a horrendous lie. LOL! I couldn't have pictured this session going any better! I had the idea, the models in mind, and they brought their A-GAME!



I knew I wanted a male and female model for this old timey feel ... people who would get into character and give that oddly creepy feel to this concept. Gage immediately popped into my head because A) look at him ... B) he always has the best costume/outfits and C) do I need to explain anymore?! 


Joy ... again ... she's so much fun to shoot with and she doesn't have to do much to make the shot happen. Again, her momma always goes beyond what I expect for costuming/outfit ideas. Plus, both of my models were troopers, especially when I said, "You'll be wearing pumpkin heads..."

Everything was going awesome. Just like a normal shoot. We were getting the shots and loving them, but then we put the pumpkin heads on Gage and Joy. All hell broke loose. We COULD NOT, for the life of us, stop laughing! Gage is such a character and Joy is so quiet. These two fit their characters perfectly. The Dapper, Debonair Gentleman and the Quiet, Fair Lady.



I could show you five billion images from this session. They're all so fabulous. But I'll end with this one. I little pumpkin humor! ;) First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes ....


Costuming: Gage, Joy, and Marsha
Hair and makeup for Joy: Marsha & Joy
Hair for Gage: Gage
Concept: Sharilyn Wells of Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC
Pumpkin/Bouquets: Sharilyn Wells
 ** Please remember that all images are copyrighted to Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Please do not copy or alter any images without SWP, LLC consent. *** 

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Miss Me, Miss Me, Now You Gotta Kiss Me | Military Homecoming | Fort Bragg, NC Photographer

Y'all know how much I love homecomings! I mean, I honestly don't care where they are or what time of the day they are. I love photographing these special moments for my clients to cherish forever! And, I'll repeat myself, each family's story is incredibly different and I love sharing with you.

Like all homecomings, it seems, five billion units were coming home around the same time. And of course, the families don't really get to be told a hard time until it's a day or so out. This family wasn't any different. Because his final homecoming was in the middle of the night, momma decided to leave their little one at home so she could sleep. But she did bring a sign with baby's picture on it and dang! It was super cute!

I love the emotion that comes along with homecomings. She looked and looked for her hubby in the crowd of maroon berets and to her right he snuck up on her. But not too sneaky as she jumped down from her platform and ran into his arms. <3


I'm telling ya, photographing and experiencing it myself, there is no better feeling than having him back in your arms. (Children cuddles aside that is) ;)

She showed him the sign she made for him of their little girl. He joked that she didn't look as happy in his picture than she did on the picture momma made for a friend who also came home who didn't have nearby family.

These two. <3 passionate!


You can see the love they have for each other in every picture. This is just too cute and reminds me of two teenaged kids. <3


Welcome home soldier!



** Please remember that all images are copyrighted to Sharilyn Wells Photography, LLC. Please do not copy or alter any images without SWP, LLC consent. ***