Welcome home USS Mason!
Today I had the great pleasure of photographing another military homecoming. Nika and her two boys haven’t seen their sailor in just shy of a year. Needless to say it was a super exciting morning for this family. Nika arrived at 6:30 this morning to score a prime spot to watch the ship pull in. We then spent the morning dodging rain showers.
Just after 9:30am we heard the distant horn of the ship as it prepared to come around the corner. After a seven month deployment it was set to pull into it’s homeport of Naval Station Norfolk. The crowd was full of cheers and tears as the realness set in – deployment is over and they’re HOME! As we prepared to go line the pier we were a bit nervous leaving the safety of the heated tent.
A bit of good luck!
Just after 9:30am we heard the distant but unmistakable horn of the ship as it prepared to come around the corner and pull into it’s homeport of Naval Station Norfolk. The crowd was full of cheers, tears, and plenty of nail biting as the realness set in – deployment is over and they’re HOME! As we prepared to go line the pier we were a bit nervous leaving the safety of the heated tent. We totally lucked out with the rain stopping and even a bit of sunshine coming out as the crew began coming off.
Every time I photograph a homecoming I love pulling my families aside for some super quick shots. I love having the ship’s “good side” in the background for these shots and it gives us a little distance from the crowds for them to really embrace and soak it all in. Most military members are ready to get home and relax, so I’m always very sensitive to that fact. We do this extremely quickly, but are able to get a lot of great shots in those couple of minutes.
This is often when the sailor is able to finally breathe a sigh of relief and the tough guys can be a bit more emotional without all of those onlookers. These are often the shots that my families/couples end up using on their holiday cards or “they’re home!” announcements. It always makes me super happy to see those photos put to good use!
Welcome home LS2! And congratulations to this sweet family as well as the entire crew of the USS Mason!
If you or someone you know would love to have their homecoming memories documented, use that “contact” button at the top of the page to reach out to me! I’ve covered carriers, destroyers, army brigades, fly ins, and airport homecomings. I would love to photograph yours! I offer a special discount just for military members and their families during this super special time. Just send me message via the contact button to see if I’m available for your long awaited day.
