Happy Memorial Day

This is my Brother Brandon and my then eight month old daughter Gennavieve.

I am a person who is highly affected by a photograph. Whether it is a joyful emotion or a sad one, I believe it is one of the reasons why photography means so much to me. In celebration of the holiday this weekend I thought that I would include a few photographs that will pull at your heart strings as we celebrate the men and women who fight every day for our country and who have died so that we can remain free.

On a personal side of things, my older brother Brandon fought in Desert Storm, and my grandfather on my fathers side fought in World War 2. So, the lives of the soldiers have hit home for me. One of my husbands best friends from high school also fought in Desert Storm and Panama. He recently lost his life not due to war circumstances but will always remain a hero in my husbands heart. His name was Matthew Morelli.

There is a memorial page set up for Matt at this web site- http://matthew-morelli.last-memories.com/

Whether you see a solider on the street, are married to one, or just know one as a friend, give them a hug and tell them you are proud of them and the work that they do on this memorial day weekend. For the ones who are no longer with us, say a quick prayer of thanks to them as well.

Sincerely,

Shannon

Cinco De Mayo Celebration

I had the pleasure of photographing the dances of the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico troupe that performed this past Saturday at the Cinco De Mayo celebration. My friend and her daughter are part of the troupe and I was there to provide her with some personal photographs of the dances since she was going to be busy dancing. I was amazed and very impressed by how beautiful each dance was and how the swirling dresses and all the colors were outstanding! Even the first couple of dances where they were wearing white were fascinating!

So much pride on the dancers faces as they performed dances that are decades old and the crowd loved each one.

I was so impressed how they moved to the beat of the music and kept in time with all the dance steps.

Such beauty and grace honoring Mexico and its traditions. I did a little research on the dances and these are some of the best websites if you are interested in finding out more about the dance and its history.

http://www.balletamalia.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballet_Folklorico_de_Mexico

Thank you Selestina for this fascinating experience!