Stars and Stripes

I made a special trip to Santa Barbara to shoot these 2 wonderful families as they await the (at the time) "39 day" countdown to daddys return from being stationed overseas. Both families were such a pleasure to work with and kept me smiling, laughing and on my feet for our entire session. We really had a great time! Heres a sneek peek for you both!

Red, white and blue

Talk about cuties!!!! These kiddos were so darn cute I could have taken pictures of them all day! Although I think that the littlest cutie of the bunch had other ideas that involved playing in the ocean :) Here is a sneak peek for you Patricia! I cant wait to join you for your husbands emotional return and I will continue to keep my fingers crossed that the newest addition to your family holds out to wait for daddys return to make his or her appearance as well!

Sweet as can "bee"

I know I always say how great the families are that I get to work with, but I cant help it...its so true! I was able to work with another wonderful military family that was so much fun! Mom is as sweet as can be and let me tell you she and Cory have done an amazing job raising their children they get along great, they all have wonderful fun loving personalities, and nevermind they are gorgeous! I had a spectacular time shooting this family and cant wait until Cory returns from Iraq to do their homecoming session. Im sure that he is equally as wonderful as the rest of his family.

ohhhhhh Stacy.....

Another little teaser for you...LOL! Be watching your email for your full gallery link tomorrow! :)

An emotional day...

Today was quite an emotional day, not only for me but for some very strong military families. I had the honor of being apart of Ryan's return from Iraq today. His sweet little daughter just couldnt wait to jump into his arms as she ran towards him as fast as she could. As she and daddy caught up about the recent events in her life she couldnt help but tell him over and over "I love you daddy". It really was so sweet and heartwarming to be part of such an emotional and happy time for this family. Here are a few shots from todays homecoming. And dont forget to pick up the Ventura Star this week where you will get to see an article on Photography By Charise and Operation:Love Reunited, featuring this amazing family as well as the Miller Family.

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And another sweet couple that I was able to sneek a special moment on camera of as well. ;)

Not done yet!

Yet another amazing wife and an amazing little by awaiting the safe return of their military hero! What can I say about these two other than....what a pleasure to work with and so much fun. This little man was full of spunk and laughs...he really is as adorable as he looks! Here is a sneak peek from our session.

Anxiously awaiting daddys return from Iraq

I have been so blessed to be able to shoot so many wonderful military families these past few weeks. It amazes me more and more each time I meet a new family how strong and wonderful these families really are. Here is a sneek peek from a recent shoot for Operation:Love Reunited. Stay tuned for the "reunited" shoot of this family in just a few weeks!

Another brave wife...

Last week I had another Operation: Love Reunited Session with Jennifer. Her husband is currently overseas and she is here at home anxiously awaiting his return! Jennifer was so great and so easy going. We had a great time during our session! We shot the session at a park that holds special memories for her and her husband. Hopefully these pictures will bring back some great memories and warmth in his heart!

"Overall Fit"

After shooting Rachels sweet little girl "I" a few weeks ago I also had the pleasure of taking some shots of Rachel for her new website! Rachel is a personal trainer offering some great fitness solutions. She offers one on one personal training at her in home gym as well as a Workout with Wheels program that allows you to work out while still spending time with your little one in their strollers. Be sure to take a peek at Rachels website and watch for some new images from our recent and upcoming photo sessions for her website.

http://www.overallfit.com/

Another Family on the beach!

I was lucky enough to shoot another amazing family at the beach on yet another beautiful So Cal day. A little windy but still a beatiful day. Perfectly fitting for this great family. These boys were so fun and so cute! We really had a great time playing on the beach while I snapped away. Poor baby "H" was so tired that he fell asleep in mommys arms just as we were shooting a few last family shots. Heres a quick sneek peek Aimee! I hope that you guys are at home enjoying daddys return from Iraq!!

Couldnt resist!

Justin and Stacy, I had a blast with you guys on your engagement shoot. I cant wait to get to all the serious editing of your session. But, like I said, I didnt think I would be able to resist taking an early peek. I did get one worked on last night (and a few tonight too...LOL) so I had to share the sneek peak with you :) I will keep you posted and be sure to check back for more sneak peeks very soon!

Class of 2008 has begun!

Introducing a Photography By Charise Senior Rep! What a great way to get the senior class of 2008 started! I had the opportunity for a senior rep session with this young beauty "C". A great girl, with so much to look towards in her future. Heres a quick sneek peak of our session and "C" I hope you had a great time in Hawaii!!

Beachy Keen!

I had the pleasure of shooting a wonderful family of 4 on the the beautiful beach of Malibu last weekend. What a pleasure they were to work with. We captured some great images on the grounds of a local museum and then moved down to the beach for some more casual candid pictures of this sweet family. Little "P" wasnt too sure about the sand in his cute little toes but we were still able to capture the love that this family shares. Here is a quick sneek peek at a few of the images from our session.