I recently asked our participating photographers to share their stories with me. This one is from Summer, of Summer Lee Photography, and I think you will see why she was so touched by Jessica and Andrew! This was her first OpLove session, and I think all of the photographers with OpLove can relate. Here is what Summer wrote…
I had the honor of working with a young family based out of Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City. Jessica called me on Christmas Eve, hoping that I would be able to fit her family in for a session before her husband Andrew’s January 2nd deployment. His orders had been given suddenly, and as this is his first deployment, she wanted very badly to have photos taken before his departure.
Luckily I had scheduled my annual vacation for the week after Christmas, and was able to get their session completed a few days before Andrew left. The hour I spent with them was simply amazing. Jessica and Andrew got engaged a mere three days after meeting one another. She had flown out to California for a job interview. Instead of embarking on a new career, she fell in love with a sweet man from Wyoming. Four years later, they are still so in love, and their family has grown with the addition of their adorable two-year-old son Christopher.
You learn so much about people when you look at them through a lens. The dynamic of a relationship is exposed as the shutter clicks open and shut. The images from Andrew and Jessica’s session highlight the supreme sacrifice that armed service members make when they pledge themselves to their country. Andrew and Jessica love one another fiercely. It is clear from their pictures that they are truly two halves of one whole. Each will have to live without a crucial part of themselves during Andrew’s deployment.
Yet neither complained about the sacrifice they were making, a separation that they didn’t really have time to prepare for since Andrew’s orders were so sudden. Throughout the session, they were upbeat, positive, and hopeful for the future. Andrew cherishes his boy, which was so hyper-clear through my lens – I was so moved that he was willingly missing out on a portion of Christopher’s life to serve his country. Even when my two kids are behaving terribly (as toddlers do about ten times a day 
, I can’t imagine not seeing their faces for months on end.
My first OpLove session definitely enriched my perspective on military men and women. I am so thankful that Jessica and Andrew chose me to capture their family.
Thank you for sharing, Summer! You can feel the love in this family through your images!
