michaelhphotography

Tired and weary…going on 24 hours without sleep…I mustered up the energy to make this photo happen as I made my way to the next gate to continue my travels to Florida.

Detroit was a very cool airport and I was glad I was able to take it all in despite no sleep! I will have more pictures to follow from my layover in Detroit.

A Mom and her son

A Dad and his son

9 kids total and each of them have an awesome and upbeat personality. None were camera shy and had no problem getting up close and personal with the camera (as you’ll see below). Overall it was a great photo shoot and we all had tons of fun!

Someone in the middle isn’t very happy with the whole group hug idea…

But once freed from the clenches of the group hug, he is better!

Last Thursday I was given the honor to take part in escorting Sgt. Schuyler Patch back into Kewanee, IL from the Quad Cities Airport. I had other duties that came first to photography so the camera only came out when possible.

Sgt. Patch gave his life while over in Afghanistan protecting us here at home. A roadside I.E.D. detonated while he and other service members were on a joint patrol with Afgan National Security Forces.

A lot of people came to the airport and showed overwhelming amounts of support. One of them being the Patriot Guard Riders.

Here is the Mission Statement of the Patriot Guard Riders:

“Patriot Guard Riders Mission Statement

The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

We don’t care what you ride or if you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a hawk or a dove. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your income is; you don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives:

1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.
2. Shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protester or group of protesters.

We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.

To those of you who are currently serving and fighting for the freedoms of others, at home and abroad, please know that we are backing you. We honor and support you with every mission we carry out, and we are praying for a safe return home for all.”

This group will show up no matter what. Rain or shine. They ooze dignity, morals and respect. I have much respect for them and what they do.

Also showing support was the Kewanee Police Department, Galva Police Department, Henry County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police. Each agency sent a squad car and representatives to the airport to take part in the duty of escorting Sgt. Patch back to Kewanee.

As we traveled the designated route back to Kewanee from Moline, I attempted to photograph things as I went. One thing I tried to get photos of was the amount of support that was lining the roadways. As we entered these small rural towns along the way, flags lined the roadway and citizens saluted and crossed their hearts.

Rural fire departments used every piece of equipment they had to block crossroads so that the escort could continue along its way with no interruptions. Much thanks to those firefighters in their help.

Also, cars traveling along the escort route pulled over and the drivers and passengers would exit their vehicle to show their respect.

It was amazing to see everyone come together to pay respects to Sgt. Patch, his family and his friends.

Here are some of the photos I was able to take when I had a chance:

- As we entered the Quad Cities, a group of the Patriot Guard Riders escorted us and the Hearse to the airport.

-As we entered the airport parking lot, there was mass amounts of support already there.

-As the escort followed the path of a bend in the roadway, I looked into the mirror and saw no end to the escort. There were that many people in the escort.

-This is one of the vehicles that pulled over on the side of the road to allow the escort to continue on its way.

-As we entered Kewanee, streets were lined with American Flags. As we traveled along W. 6th St., we could see this rising from the horizon.

-Lastly, the mass amount of support that lined Veteran’s Park to pay respect and show support.

Here are a few more from Gunner tearing into his first birthday cake!

He knows how to take enjoying a sweet treat to the next level.

I shot pictures last night of Gunner for his first birthday. His mom got him is own little cake and let him tear into it with no worries about mess. Let me tell you….as soon as that cake was set on the floor for him, he went hog wild and tore it apart! Cake was everywhere and he was loving it!

Here are two sneak peak pictures of last night’s cake eating event:

E-mail me if you would like to set up a session for senior pictures: michael@michaelhphotography.com

With news of some very cold weather, as in -7 at night with up to -30 with wind chills, coming at the end of this week I am really reallllly starting to miss summer and warm weather. I decided that I should post up some pictures from summer to make us remember what warmer weather is like.

I shot the photos for JR and Angela. We met out at Johnson’s State Park which is just a few miles north of Kewanee, IL. It is a great park and I have camped there a few times. We met up around 530PM and got the family group pictures out of the way. Then the kids were let loose and I snapped away. These were a couple of my favorites.

With all the moving going on, I am constantly going from room to room. This is not good for Diesel because he will not leave my side when I am at home. Because of this, there is no chance for him to get any rest. Luckily for him, I was in the living room for a while and he got a chance to grab a mid afternoon nap. I snuck up close with the camera and he woke up before I could grab a shot of him sleeping so well.

Diesel gets photographed alot when I’m around.

He was rescued from the city pound and has been awesome ever since. He is a two year old purebred yellow lab. Sometimes he can be goofy and run into walls when he gets excited, but with some discipline he is doing very well.

Here he is curled in his favorite chair that allows him to look out the front window all day long.