2015 Year in Review Wow. How is it possible 2015 is over next week? It feels like this year flew by, and what a wonderful year it has been! I’ve had the honor to photograph so many amazing women, all who have their own story, their own battles, their own desire to exist in photographs. Each woman different from the next, yet we can relate to them–moms, grandmothers, brides, single, married. All “Everyday Women,” just like you and me. Thank you to all of my clients, for making 2015 a wonderful year for me. And thank you to Nath Mao, Ashley Becker, Takari Cheatham, Natalie McKee, Kara Rowe, and Samantha Sisto, the hair/makeup artists I work with to help create an enjoyable experience for my clients! I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Until next time, Shannon
Miss Pennsylvania Jr High 2016, Wyntre Grove
Miss Pennsylvania Jr High 2016, Wyntre Grove Eleven-year-old Wyntre Grove was crowned Miss Pennsylvania Jr High 2016 in July 2015 at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and she takes that title seriously, working hard to get the message out that bullying is not OK with the help of the Miss Jr High School, High School and Collegiate America program’s Building Respect And Values for Everyone (B.R.A.V.E) national anti-bullying platform, which implements a sense of what to do if you are bullied or what to do if you see someone being bullied. She also enjoys educating others on her personal platform—advocating for preserving America’s wild horses. “The population of America’s wild horses is less than what is required to list an animal as an endangered species,” stated Wyntre for an interview featured in CrownTalk magazine, “yet they continue to be rounded up and removed from their habitats then placed in government holding…zeroing out herds. Most people are surprised to know that there are more wild horses being held in government holding facilities than roaming free. I am a voice for these animals and work to share information about our wild horses.” This amazing young woman has gone on to organize and host a documentary film on wild horses in her neighborhood’s movie theatre, she’s a member of the the Return to Freedom Youth Council to advocate on behalf of wild horses—even lobbing on Capitol Hill and meeting with Senator Mary Landrieu and Pennsylvania’s senators/representatives office staff to ask for their support in preserving these magnificent animals—as well as volunteers her time and raises funds for two wild horse sanctuaries. In addition to all that, she is often found reading to children in classrooms and libraries throughout the Central PA area, was recently selected as a “Central Penn Parent” magazine cover winner for a 2016 edition, and is busy
My Beautiful Niece
My Beautiful Niece I am a momma of boys, so it’s a lot of fun when my 11-year-old niece comes over and lets me dress her up and take photos of her. I know she loves coming over to play in all of the tulle skirts I’ve made, like the session we did last year where she wore the purple/gray skirt. She told me she felt like a princess. <3 And then this year she wore the hunter green/black tulle skirt. I hope she sees what a beautiful person she is, inside and out. I love you, Kylie. Aunt Shannon
A Goddess’ Interview
Momma D, as I call her, is Alisha-the-Assistant’s momma and one of my favorite people to be around—it seems like she’s always laughing—and her session was no exception! We laughed a lot! As usual, I asked her a few questions after she saw her images…below are her answers. How long have you been waiting to do a contemporary glamour session and what made you decide now was the time to do one? I have dreamt of being a being a model since I was a young teen. I even went to Barbizon School of Modeling, for one class! (Alisha the Assistant had other plans for me 🙂 ) I am now 53 years old and I honestly have never had professional portrait taken of myself. I chose this time in my life to do a contemporary glamor session with you because I wanted to capture the beautiful woman that I have become, a way of celebrating all of who I am. Since my Mother’s passing two years ago, I am stepping into the role of matriarch of the family—it is very important to me to have a legacy for my grandchildren to hang in their living room and share family stories with their grandchildren. What made you decide I was the photographer to work with to do your a contemporary glamour session? I am your biggest fan!!! You have the innate ability to capture a woman’s inner goddess. What was your favorite part out of the entire experience? The planning, the session, the reveal? My most favorite part of the whole experience was the day of the shoot. I have never been a person who wears makeup or dressy clothes—I can not say enough about [Makeup by] Takari and the wonderful transformation. I felt very beautiful and pampered. My most favorite part was working on the poses and being your muse! I was on cloud 9 all day. Truly a surreal experience. What
A Sunset “Glam the Dress” Session
A Sunset “Glam the Dress” Session Take a look at my beautiful client’s before photo below…. Does she look familiar? I shot Emily’s boudoir session back in May (“Miss E, Bride-to-Be“) as she was preparing for her August wedding and I mentioned to her my “Glam the Dress” session, where brides get to wear their wedding dress again, but in a “red carpet” fashion—Shannon Style. (And yes, that is the same “before” photo I used last time. I was going to take a new photo but my husband was replacing the back door and needed me to help hold the door in the frame while he secured it to the house and makeup had already begun by the time I got back to the room. So, you can add construction worker to my resumé!) So my goal with this session was to make as many looks as possible using Emily’s wedding dress without making her look like a bride. Emily’s hair is actually shoulder length, but a few clip-in hair extensions gave her the look I was going for. I must admit I was inspired by Queen Elsa from “Frozen” for the first look—tucking Emily’s veil into the back of her gown to give her a train. Just luckily there was no snow here on this beautiful fall evening. Then we really glammed things up by adding the ivory tulle skirt to her gown for an over-the-top mermaid look. Then I played with her veil, wrapping it around her shoulders… A huge thank you to makeup artist Samantha Sisto for doing a fantastic job on Emily’s makeup, and to hair stylist Kara Rowe for doing a wonderful job with Emily’s hair! Loved working with you girls! Recently married? Married for years and just want an excuse to wear your gown again?