Category Archives: Military

Happy Memorial Day!

This portrait session is from a year ago, when Q. & Alli asked if we could do pictures during their visit to Dayton. Alli, of Hooray blog, is a such a sweet creative talent that I’ve been fortunate to meet online & photograph her styling for a few assignments. If you’ve read my blog over the years, you will remember some of our projects. I’ve linked a few of them at the bottom if you are a new reader. We’ve had a lot of fun and will need to collaborate again sometime soon!

I was more than happy to show my friends around our Oregon District before they spent the rest of the afternoon at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum. Q was set to deploy a few days after, so this was a really special time for them before he left. I’m so thankful for people who endure separation to keep our life at home stable. When I photograph military families, I try to weave “subtle hints of their families’ military legacy without making it the dominant theme.”

We started on Wayne Avenue at Press Coffee Bar, where they sell tasty cool drinks too.

Press Coffee Bar in Dayton with photography by Andrea Doziér

Press Coffee Bar in Dayton with photography by Andrea Doziér
Peonies were in bloom so I brought a few from my yard.
They are starting to bloom now, so I will be flower bombing my friends with them soon.
Press Coffee Bar in Dayton with photography by Andrea Doziér Doziér Photography_0006
Press Coffee Bar in Dayton with photography by Andrea Doziér Doziér Photography_0004
Press Coffee Bar in Dayton with photography by Andrea Doziér
Press Coffee Bar in Dayton with photography by Andrea Doziér
Dayton
Dayton
Dayton
Dayton
I tell everyone this is my favorite building in the Oregon District. This happens to be one of my favorite candid portraits.
Dayton
Dayton
Dayton
Dayton

Dayton

Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Patriotic Engagement Session by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
daytons_oregon_district_Andrea Doziér Photography_0049
Air Force Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Air Force Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Press Coffee Bar in Dayton with photography by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Air Force Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum Portraits by Andrea Doziér
Air Force Portraits by Andrea Doziér

Thanks so much for coming to visit Q & Alli! I loved having you in my town!

As I mentioned earlier, here are a few past projects Alli has styled for me:

Styled. The Art of Merrymaking | Fig Spread with Hooray Design

Halloween Party White Table Inspiration

Easter Dessert Table Inspiration

Design Sponge feature of Alli’s House as seen on Design Sponge

The Air Force Museum is a great place to visit in Dayton & has free admission.
It is located at 1100 Spaatz Street in Dayton, Ohio 45433.

Thanks for stopping by, if you would like portraits with me, contact me at hello@andreadozier.com to set up an appointment,
I might have peonies in my camera bag for you. ♥

Andrea Doziér Photography

 

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  • alli - May 27, 2014 - 12:09 pm

    Your work is so beautiful! These are so special to have. I’m used to having fun working with you behind camera (so it felt completely awkward going into this!) but I just love how thoughtful you are about the whole process and at capturing moments.

Last summer we began to prepare for another deployment.
This time Kevin completely understood the terms, and it was not easy for him to let Daddy go.
Damian, thankfully, still had a cloak of naivety that shielded him from the pain his brother was going through.

We tackled each day, one at a time. Until it felt less like tackling and more like living.
After eight months, we began pacing the floor knowing that the hum of airplanes would soon belong to one of our own.

It could not have been possible to thrive without the love and support of my family & my very dear friends,
thank you all for the encouragement you have been to me.

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

I have a very similar picture of Kevin doing this {around Damian’s age} after Rocky’s 1st deployment.

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com
A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

This was a moment my dreams had been made of. I captured this one with my phone.

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com
A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

A Homecoming >>> AndreaDozier.com

The boys & I are so proud of the sacrifices Rocky has made over the last eight years in the Air Force & are so happy to have him home.

The merry songs of freedom & boisterous patriotic speeches of my youth are replaced by a quiet reverence for our country’s freedom.
As we celebrate Father’s Day, and soon, Independence Day, I hope we are inspired to remember
the children & families of those who are currently serving & sacrificing for us all.

Thank you. ♥

My good friend, Caitlin of Simply Photography, captured the airport homecoming photographs for us.
I really can’t thank her enough for being there & taking pictures for us! 

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  • alli - June 17, 2013 - 10:59 am

    I’m so glad your family is reunited again, these photos capture it so well!

Always such a wonder to get acquainted with a new baby.
Meeting this little one and taking photographs for his sweet family was a joy.
He slept through the entire session and let us “ohh and ahh” to our heart’s content.

Daddy serves in the Air Force & Mama made this beautiful blanket.

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

I couldn’t help but treasure even the sweet little cry of this perfect babe.

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

Baby Boy in Blue » AndreaDozier.com

You can see why it was a pure joy to photograph them. ♥

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  • Wedding Photographers - May 2, 2013 - 4:03 pm

    Hi there, I was doing some wedding photography research and came across your website. Lovely images!!! And a very nice website too 🙂

Early Autumn and I’m afraid to admit that I worry about how we will do this.
The three of us have something of a history together & we’ve become a petite little unit of our own.
The task of being one in a more permanent sense makes the girl inside of me whimper.
Thankfully, there isn’t a lot of time for that.

Hungry boys.

Tired me.

Miles of monotonous driving each day.

Homework.

Emotions to soothe.

Energy to release.

Focus.

Neverending chatter.

They demand my complete attention.

I don’t know if there is enough of me to divide myself & give them slices that will satisfy.

As I’m preparing a delicious epicurean dinner,
{boiling a box of noodles & heating a jar of spaghetti sauce},
all of the pressure I’m under is making it hard to focus.
Steam kisses my face. Boiling water lifts my spirit.
I know the power of a timely meal.
These exhausted pots & pans, we are old friends.
They know my secrets & keep them in confidence.
When I stand at my stove, I am in good company.
Stirring noodles into golden halos…

<<< LIGHTS GO OUT >>>

I stop breathing for a moment.

Not now.

Not tonight.

It’s not a good time to deal with a power outage!

I don’t have the energy for this nuisance.

Just as I am melting into submission to accept the fate of a dark night-

<<< Laughter >>>

The mischievous cackle of a familiar two year old breaks the silence.
Damian Achilles.
My little, wonderful, monster was the culprit.

The light comes back on.

I breathe again.
I don’t know if I’ve ever been so euphoric to see those darn fluorescent lamps illuminate with their muddy yellow haze.
Little hands little feet little mind working in sync while Mama is preoccupied.
He was proudly standing on a chair flipping the forgotten switch from the other side of the kitchen.
The three of us laugh endlessly as he flickers the lights on & off in a reprisal of his newfound trick.
Deep giggles that send us spinning in a dance and wet my eyes from the sheer ecstasy of relief.

That laughter, that night, in that old kitchen,
has been sound of courage.
We composed something I was afraid couldn’t exist.
The echoes of our revelry nudge me through a drowsy winter that makes me ache to see over the grey.
We thrive and there is a psalm of laughter we have penned to prove it.

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“Nobody whom this war has touched will ever be happy again in quite the same way. But it will be a better happiness, I think, little sister–a happiness we’ve earned. We were very happy before the war, weren’t we? With a home like Ingleside, and a father and mother like ours we couldn’t help being happy. But that happiness was a gift from life and love; it wasn’t really ours–life could take it back at any time. It can never take away the happiness we win for ourselves in the way of duty. I’ve realised that since I went into khaki. In spite of my occasional funks, when I fall to living over things beforehand, I’ve been happy since that night in May. Rilla, be awfully good to mother while I’m away. It must be a horrible thing to be a mother in this war–the mothers and sisters and wives and sweethearts have the hardest times.”

Walter Blythe to Rilla Blythe in L.M. Montgomery’s Rilla of Ingleside

I have always loved Anne of Green Gables, so this summer I read the whole series. Although I enjoyed all the books, I’m obsessed with Rilla of Ingleside. I have read it twice and started it again. I do really hope someone makes this movie & does it beautiful justice {in the art direction of Downton Abbey}. I think L.M. Montgomery was a brilliant observer & the characters she molded are amusing.
I think she & I would be friends. Maybe in another life. ♥

 

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 Self Portraits iPhone 4 New Year’s Day | All Others Nikon D800

 

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  • Jaclyn - February 10, 2013 - 1:13 pm

    🙂 In response to your comment from our other post…

    You’re very welcome!!! Although our world is CONSTANTLY full of distractions, I admire you taking time to have a “normal” dinner in the midst of life and all it throws at us daily. Your sweet boys will always remember those moments (and you will too)…

    And I will have to find this “Rilla of Ingelside” that you speak of…;) Thank you for jogging my memory – I now remember finding that there were additional books after the 4-6 series back in the fall and was going to buy the 7-9 and they didn’t have all three, so I didn’t buy any. I will not have to venture to my favorite place soon and find that…:) Not too much longer and we’ll be back to warmer temps and SUN!!! I wish it would hurry!!!!!

  • Kara - February 10, 2013 - 5:06 pm

    “Is it Rilla my Rilla? “Yeth”….
    I would haft to say this book in the series is one of the best.
    Walter…sweet Walter…
    Thinking of you as Hold your fort down day after day…
    (Your kitchen looks lovely in your photos & your cooking…)
    Thanks for sharing your words & snippets of your life…
    Xo
    Kara

  • Andrea - February 13, 2013 - 1:22 pm

    Kara, I love that sentence! Thanks for your words about my kitchen! It’s grown on me, but I still dream of a fresh coat of paint & a new floor! 🙂

  • Andrea - February 13, 2013 - 1:24 pm

    Jaclyn, I read them on my phone/iPad and most of them are free! I love finding classic books to read! And I agree, the sun can come and stay as soon as possible! Some warmer weather would be a treat!

I’ve finally given up on the notion that I need more hours in day.
My history is brimming with accounts of the rise and fall of working late into night.
Always hoping to maximize my time by somehow extinguishing every bit of energy.
Always ending in a heap of frustration & fatigue.

Managing time is obscure when you work from home & dreams begin as indistinguishable blocks of mud.
And {military} life & children create additional components to the conundrum of getting one chance to create a life.
They don’t make ambitions futile, just the going about them & timing different.
Realizing that they are part of my dream,
is part of unraveling the riddle of how this will all take shape.

They say it’s in the silence that you shape the clay.

For me, stepping away from the hum of social media has been liberating.
Had to admit a need to focus on my weaknesses & redefine my attitude.
I’m shy to even voice my attempts to acknowledge this work in progress,
careful not to speak too soon.
Lest my current enlightenment give way to another dose of “teaching.”
On my blog I’m opening the veil to uncover this living memoir,
the process of etching a dream.

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You might notice a fresh look here.
For a year I’ve been going round and round about my “brand” and what to add.
Instead, stripping down & using my handwriting feels like home. ♥

Images iPhone 4 & edited in Afterglow App

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