I was so excited when I was asked to come photograph a family reunion for a client of mine!  We broke off into a few mini-sessions and then got everyone together for the ‘grande’ photos.  I had many favorites, it was hard to pick just a few to share.  Everyone was so much fun and ready for anything and time simply flew by! 

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there. "
          ~Barbara Bush

~lisa

"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants." ~ Gichin Funakoshi

Our first grappling tournament at Upstate Karate and what an amazing experience it was for both the kids AND the parents.  Upstate Karate is a SUPERB karate school located in Simpsonville, SC.  I was both impressed and surprised by the effort given by these kids and just how TOUGH the girls were!  Wow.  Learning to accept both victory and defeat gracefully is something that everyone should learn..but it is still tough to see the tears of one of your own when they are struggling with a loss.  Bravo to all the kids!

As a photographer I fight between going for the shots I WANT vs. being respectful by not using flash during a tournament. Using flash would have made these POP, but I chose to be respectful and just deal with the not-so-perfect shots and just go for capturing the moments.  Thanks for letting me share…I have so many more to share but I should stop. haha.

~lisa