As a birthday gift for their mother, these handsome guys got to share how they feel about mom…well, the little guy needed some help but we know how he really feels .  These three shots were made into wonderful framed prints, and given to mom–she was so happy to get them!

If anyone else ever has any special requests, feel free to ask…if you have any ideas for a special occasion, I’d love to hear them and see how I can help.

And a series like this is never complete without some outtakes…taking pictures with kids is great fun, and always has some wonderful “extras”.   After we were done with the “serious” stuff, they got to get out the pirate swords and super hero gear .

World War I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918, so it only seems fitting to remember it on this Veterans Day, 11-11-11.   2011 also saw the passing of the last surviving WWI combat veteran, Australian Claude Choules at the age of 110.   Frank Buckles, the last remaining American veteran of WWI also passed away, leaving the living memory of the Western Front quiet forever.

It was one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history, and it wiped out an entire generation of young men in Europe.  It redrew a big chunk of the world map, and ended several empires.  It left much old Europe in economic ruins, but saw the United States rise on the world stage.  There were an estimated 6.8 million combat deaths in the war, a number that today is hard to comprehend.  Modern 20th century weaponry and 19th century tactics collided, with catastrophic results.  In one day of fighting at the Battle of the Somme, the British army lost 19,240 men with another 35,493 wounded…more than four times the number of men we’ve lost in a decade of fighting in the Middle East. In a single day.

The reasons for the war breaking out are hard to understand even today, buried in the politics of 19th century Europe.  The war ended with the Armistice, and the Treaty of Versailles–which planted the seeds of WWII.  We still remember the armistice that ended the war every November 11th–today we know it as Veterans Day.

We have a monument here in Hamilton dedicated to the men from the area that served in WWI.  This unnamed Doughboy has been standing at attention since 1921, when the monument was put in front of the Ravalli County Courthouse by the Service Star League.

The Honor Roll plaque has the inscription

“That the memory of the boys who gave their lives and their services in defense of their country and to perpetuate its ideals, shall live as an inspiration to courage and patriotism.”

It goes on to list the local boys who served overseas…

Today he still stands as one of the few reminders we have of “The Great War”.

This Veterans Day, give thanks to all of our men and women who have served for our country, and remember the boys who served “over there”, and breathed a collective sigh of relieve as the guns fell silent at 11-11-11.

I had the pleasure of shooting the MHSRA Rodeo here in Hamilton…what a great event!  There were several thousand pictures, so there should definitely be something for everybody.

To see the gallery, just go to the top of this page, and go to  websites, and then client login. The access code is MHSRA2011.  Click on Saturday or Sunday and you’re there!

It was great to be there, and everyone who competed should be given a big congratulations–everyone did a great job, and it was easy to see how hard everyone worked!  I’d also like to give a big thanks to Alyssa Johnson and Teresa Stephens–without you guys, I wouldn’t have been there.  Thanks!

Below is a slideshow of some of my favorite images from the rodeo (it’s pretty big, so it may take a minute to load).  Hover your mouse over the right side to click to the next one.

Pictures from Friday are now available .  It’s the same process as below to order prints (or just to see all the pictures)–just go to the top of this page to “websites”, and “client login”.  Enter the access code FAIR2011FRIDAY to enter the gallery.  Again I want to give a big congratulations to everyone that participated–you all did great!

Here’s a slideshow of some of my favorites from Fridays Rodeo…

I had such a great time at the Rodeo, and I could tell the crowd did too!  The level of professionalism and skill these kids displayed was really amazing, and it was easy to see how hard they all work to prepare for an event like this.  They all did great, and every one of them should be proud!  Below is a slideshow of some of my favorite images from the day, just click the arrow to see them.

If you were participant or spectator and you want to order prints, just go to the top of this page and click on “WEBSITES”, and go to “CLIENT LOGIN”.  The access code is “FAIR2011″.  You can choose the event you want to see from there.

The photos from Fridays event are still being edited and should be online shortly.