Hello and welcome to the Oh Penelope Photography Blog! I'm Caitlin Trantham, the lady behind the lens. Here you'll find pictures from recent sessions, fun contests and giveaways- as well as my own personal musings on life as a mother of two, military wife and photographer! I am currently located in Saint Louis, Mo- enjoying the midwestern lifestyle ;)

Monday, December 12, 2011

Heaven Was Needing a Hero

When I was trying to come up with words for this post I was trapped by so many cliched phrases.. and stumbled on to a roadblock or two. I just could not craft a paragraph that would portray the gravity of what I wanted to say. I didn't want to approach the topic too lightly, or at the same time, too aggressively. After hours of "Type, type, type...backspace, backspace, backspace.." I decided to do some research.

As I read story, after story... I finally realized why my writers block was so astounding. I couldn't come up with words to say, because I simply did not have them.

So, I will say this:

I am a Marine wife, and this project was close to my heart. My husband has been through the battles of war, and made it home to me each and every time. The truth is though, for some women the "What if's?" really do turn into "What now?". This is my tribute to them, all the ones left behind. You'll never really be alone. You are an inspiration to us all.

If these photos touch you in any way please consider donating to the American Widow Project.





































































29 comments:

Anonymous April 6, 2012 at 2:33 PM  

These pictures are so beautiful. I pray that each and every one of our soldiers come home!

Anonymous May 3, 2012 at 11:15 AM  

Wow!! Such beautiful pictures and so powerful!! I cried as I scrolled threw them.

Unknown May 6, 2012 at 9:51 AM  

This is the most gorgeous set of photos I have ever seen. The power behind them are.amazing.

Michelle May 23, 2012 at 10:23 AM  

These are absolutely beautiful and moving. Thank you SO much for sharing!

Michelle May 27, 2012 at 6:47 AM  

This Is very touching and it is obvious that this project is close to your heart. So beautifully put together. My son is a Marine and these made me cry; he will be deploying soon. Thank you for honoring our Heros and their spouses.

Anonymous May 29, 2012 at 3:47 PM  

Such a beautiful tribute. My heart breaks for those left behind. Thank you for this amazing gift!

Anonymous June 17, 2012 at 6:35 AM  

I dont have any relatives or close loved ones in the army, but seeing this just brought me to tears. Good photography should always pull on emotions...but this is just beautiful.

Anonymous August 12, 2012 at 5:21 PM  

Absolutely gorgeous and heartbreaking all at once. God Bless our fallen heroes! Lots of love to this wife and every other widow grieving over being asked to give the ultimate sacrifice, me and mine will forever be grateful! Also huge props to the photographer, breathtaking shots! *LMB*

Anonymous September 11, 2012 at 9:16 AM  

Thank you. This is breathtaking, heartwrenching... My husband is a deployed Marine...

Anonymous September 11, 2012 at 11:55 AM  

Wow I have no words just tears running down my face!!!

Anonymous September 20, 2012 at 4:58 AM  

Beautiful! Who sings this song??

Anonymous October 3, 2012 at 2:02 PM  

There is a photographer named Amanda Suddeth claiming these are photos. Amanda Suddeth Photography on facebook.

Anonymous October 28, 2012 at 10:14 AM  

this is amazing! As i scrolled through these photos and listened to this song nothing but tears rolled down my face. this women is strong for standing up and willing to do this photo shoot.

Anonymous January 7, 2013 at 2:31 PM  

Song sounds like Jo Dee Messina, not positive though.

Anonymous January 23, 2013 at 2:43 PM  

Oh WOW! Speechless... God Bless this strong woman and their family. Tears :(

amethystmarie02 May 10, 2013 at 6:49 PM  

This is one of the reasons I love photography ..it's the closest we can come to having tangible memories ♥

Linda Smith May 15, 2013 at 2:44 AM  

My mom was the widow, I was the little girl who was told her daddy went to heaven. Only at the age of 4 I couldn't understand why he wasn't there for my birthday. It's been 60 years and that little girl is still inside me missing her daddy. Thank you for caring and expressing the horrible reality of grief. I hope our soldiers all come home!

Anonymous November 11, 2013 at 10:11 AM  

these are beautiful! you did such an amazing job with these!

Anonymous November 12, 2013 at 9:24 AM  

So powerful but so very true. God bless all that fight for us.

Anonymous November 13, 2013 at 12:46 AM  

These pictures are extremely touching! Thank you for sharing them.

Anonymous May 7, 2014 at 6:55 AM  

As an Army Wife I am so moved by these, I have no words. I cannot imagine the pain of a widow, and these pictures capture a feeling of love and honor. I am fighting tears.

HPERGOLSKI May 26, 2014 at 5:28 PM  

With a lump in my throat and tears wanting to fall, all I can say is WOW! These pictures are amazing. Absolutely beautiful!

Anonymous September 30, 2015 at 1:06 AM  
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous February 20, 2016 at 5:33 PM  

as a widow AF pilots myself, I completely feel the depth of these pictures. The heartache, tears, loneliness of missing him deeply doesn't go away...

Strahlen March 4, 2016 at 2:32 AM  

Beautiful photos. You're so right. There are no words...as a single mom of 5 boys who has only some vague idea of what life would be like had we been born in another country without those willing to sacrifice so much, all I can offer are prayers & gratitude for those who serve and for their families.

God Bless...

Anonymous April 17, 2016 at 2:10 AM  

First I want to say that I wish I could hug you and say this directly to you. Thank you. Thank you for every tear that has dropped, every memory that has caused a giggle. Thank you for kissing him before he left, and thank you for being strong enough to watch him walk away. Thank you, my sister of war, for each and every day that you gave him over to us so that he could defend the weak and fight for eventual peace. Know this, your sacrifice will never be forgotten, just like his.
May you find comforthe and joy. With Love
An Army Wife

Unknown February 8, 2019 at 8:03 PM  

How can i do this ?

Anonymous July 1, 2022 at 5:30 AM  

I resent every and anything that glorifies war

Anonymous March 25, 2023 at 11:49 AM  

It’s not glorifying war. It’s about sacrifice, love, and loss.

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