Photo By Staff Sgt. Melissa Parrish | Kara Webb photographs her daughter Allie, 4, at the Sandhills Horticultural Gardens in...... read more read more
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Years ago, if someone would have asked Kara Webb what she would be today, the answer would not have been an award-winning photographer.
Webb was awarded the National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) International Image Award. After competing against thousands of image entries, her photo took top honors in the Siblings category, with her piece "Brothers."
The winning photo is of two military siblings holding on to one and other.
“I submitted this image because I love the connection between the brothers,” said Webb. “The protecting arm holding the trusting brother. It's symbolic because the older brother is asked to be the "man of the house" when his father is away training or deployed.”
Webb knows from experience what it is like having the man of the house away. She is a mother of three and has been an Army spouse for more than nine years.
Before Webb started taking pictures professionally she was a science teacher but said that God spoke to her and changed her path completely.
“It just came to me one day,” said Webb of opening her own photography business. “When my daughter was born I realized that life passes us all by so quickly and our kids only stay small for a short time. I wanted to photograph every part of her life.”
Managing her own business is time consuming but she loves that it allows her to also be a full time mom. Her husband is currently stationed at Fort Bragg and that takes him away from the family more often than Webb would like.
“Being a military spouse is definitely hard work,” said Webb. “When my husband is away I have to be everything for my kids as well as maintain my business. I take them with me to the workshops I have to attend in order to better my business and that means finding child care out of town or sometimes even out of state.”
Although she struggles with the steadiness of it all, she knows this is exactly where she is meant to be.
“Finding a balance has been my biggest struggle,” said Webb. “If I am being a great mom, my business is falling off. If I am busy with work my kids aren’t getting my all. It is my goal this year to really find that good balance between both.”
Webb is excited to see where this year takes her. If she wins the overall NAPCP competition she will be featured on an electronic billboard in New York City’s Times Square.
“It feels great to be recognized for doing something that I love,” said Webb. “I think the biggest thing I have learned from all of this is to never let anyone tell you that because you are a military spouse and because you move around a lot that you can’t do something. Don’t let your circumstances dictate your life. There will never be a perfect moment for you to do what you want to do. Just jump in and go for it. I did that and I haven’t looked back.
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2014 15:28 |
| Story ID: | 129977 |
| Location: | FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | KINGWOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 183 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fort Bragg Military Spouse Wins Image Award, by SSG Melissa Parrish, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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