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Saturday, September 19, 2009
top secret info about the photo above........ i totally thought it was an accident when i took it. i had my lens hood on wrong, and it got in the way. and in looking through the photos it moved me, and ended up being my favorite. it gets me down to my core. i love it. it was also the last photo we took in fresh and easy before getting kicked out. the man wished them well though.... telling them he'd been married for 16 years. too cute.
so lets back up a bit.... ben and laura are awesome. they called me one day, so excited to tell me their rad idea to go to fresh and easy for their engagement session, and when they told me there would also be a picnic and poems, i got more than excited and told them i was SO in, even though we'd probably get kicked out of fresh and easy after about 5 minutes. i am stealthy though... so we managed to stay for around 20. rock on.
so lets back up a bit.... ben and laura are awesome. they called me one day, so excited to tell me their rad idea to go to fresh and easy for their engagement session, and when they told me there would also be a picnic and poems, i got more than excited and told them i was SO in, even though we'd probably get kicked out of fresh and easy after about 5 minutes. i am stealthy though... so we managed to stay for around 20. rock on.
i get pretty obsessed with still lives, ask ben and laura how long i spent shooting their picnic bag.
ahh!!! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! biola friendys... thats one for ya.
what? how did this get so perfect?
i've photographed about 3 or 4 of ben and laura's friends.... so they pretty much knew what to expect at this shoot.... and they also know that i get really really jazzed about fun engagement shoot ideas, so they wanted to know what grade i'd give them on their idea. um, can we say A+???????????????? especially because they shared their chocolate with me.
eeeee! its fall!
love it #2,
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
sharing a sweet picnic and loving a crisp (for california) fall day,
reading poems and eating chocolate,
running around fresh and easy,
playing frisbee,
.... i like you guys.
success, A+, 100%. :)
!
--- shannon
reading poems and eating chocolate,
running around fresh and easy,
playing frisbee,
.... i like you guys.
success, A+, 100%. :)
!
--- shannon
9 comments so far
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engagement photos at a grocery store ::: meet laura and ben.
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this is under the engagement photo section, but should be under the yay we've been married a year! section because lauren and brandon are celebrating a year of marriage. lauren and i were at biola together, in many many photo classes throughout our years there.... and i honestly was so nervous going to this session--------- ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHER! what the heck!! i confessed my anxiety while we sipped drinks at the border grill before the session and she calmed me down...... thankfully, because the free spirited nature of these two was so rad. so many unique little moments. brandon cracked me up, lauren is absolutely lovely, and we had an evening of fun in santa monica, loving life and exploring the world.
so fun! i screamed with happiness when i saw this one.
going through the photos i was honestly confused when i came across this sweet moment in the next two. i have no memory of shooting them. sometimes (okay, more often than not) i am so in the moment that i forget what happened 2 seconds ago. can anyone relate?
and here's another beach photo revitalization that we created:::::::::
brandon likes closeups he said, so we DID some closeups.
this series lights me up-----------
okay and maybe seagulls aren't so bad.
4 comments so far
MaeMae says:
loooooooove the mood in the 6th photo: the one with the coast and everyone is mini. you're a PRO.
(09.15.09 @ 11:20 PM)
Mary Kate Reynolds says:
I think there are very few things better than realizing there is a new shannon blog post while having insomnia. It's awfully exciting!
(09.15.09 @ 11:35 PM)
Cafe Pasadena says:
They look like a fun, interesting couple to know. How did she meet & know he was the one??
(09.16.09 @ 07:35 AM)
chelsea says:
that's my roommate from my first year at biola!
great pictures shannon, the lighting is incredible and the colors, uuuuuuh, don't get me started! love it :)
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lauren and brandon in santa monica
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i say at the BEACH! with such emphasis because i normally dont shoot at the beach. i think this was my 2nd time. i love taking an unorthodox approach to engagement sessions, and usually when people suggest the beach its because they don't have many other ideas. we usually come up with something different together: i love going somewhere that the couple will genuinely love exploring. but! kristin had a good reason------- she was decorating matt's bathroom with a beach, white theme, and wanted the photos specifically to match! so we went down to laguna to explore and have fun. enjoy :)
1 comments so far
Ro says:
Wow Shan I'm so delighted to see you went to the beach. Way to get out there & tan.
(08.28.09 @ 11:18 AM)
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Kristin & Matt, at the BEACH!
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HK & Judy are so perfect for each other------their lives intersected at the exact right time, they are beyond excited to be getting married in only a few months, and we ran around the OC Fair for a few hours and took fun fun FUN photos! Judy's brother and sister-in-law (who is her bestie!) came with us which rocked my world. i love these!! you'll see its a little gallery that you can click through----- enjoy! :)
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at the fair!! HK+Judy-----
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i called bethany and asked her if she would be open to something a little bit different for her engagement photos. she said yes, i said YAY! and told her that i've been wanting to do an engagement session at my pink house in south pasadena ever since i moved in. i'm most inspired by my immediate surroundings, and i love when people are up for coming into my space. i could do a thousand sessions here and not get bored.
i went to africa with bethany last summer and heard all about her man while we traveled through malawi together. their relationship began about 7 years ago, and to finally be at the point where they are engaged (!!) is so exciting for them. it was an honor to meet colin after hearing so much about him, and we all had a fun day exploring the light in my apartment and wandering around south pasadena.
here are my top five with a bonus,
i went to africa with bethany last summer and heard all about her man while we traveled through malawi together. their relationship began about 7 years ago, and to finally be at the point where they are engaged (!!) is so exciting for them. it was an honor to meet colin after hearing so much about him, and we all had a fun day exploring the light in my apartment and wandering around south pasadena.
here are my top five with a bonus,
!
my favorite, by far, i love it, so dreamy.
1 comments so far
Cafe Pasadena says:
Yeah, I feel you gals have a special little pink house - but I've been too lazy & busy to come say, "welcome." I think this new website is a reflection of it!
I just wunder what your neighbors think about using the bldg as your "studio?"
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bethany and colin, at my house
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This engagement session rocked my world. Peter is obsessed with dinosaurs and fish, so they chose to go to the Cerritos Library since it has a t-rex replica and an aquarium! IN THE LIBRARY!! This was the most exploratory, experiential library I've ever been to. Who knew that a library could have auras of an aquarium, art gallery, space museum, dinosaur museum, and zen garden all in one?
We started out at the zen sculpture garden, and I found this leaf just sitting on a bench.
We started out at the zen sculpture garden, and I found this leaf just sitting on a bench.
i told Kat to be a Lands End model, the most random directive i've ever given,
and she did this brilliant move:
i think the first polaroid encompasses Peter's version of heaven.
and i think this picture encompasses my version of LOVE IT! (Peter pointed out that I say love it after just about every picture, which #1- made me self conscious and #2- is true.)
Kat is an actress, Peter's teaches debate, and the spectrum of their expressions caused me to do my first 3 hour engagement session. i couldn't stop shooting. we even had to have a coffee break. (oh, DARN.)
pretty pretty pretty. LOVE IT.....................................................................!!
and we ended with the fish!
I think that those through the dinosaur images have forever changed me.
Kat and Peter----- love it, love it, andddd love it.
:)
- shannon
Kat and Peter----- love it, love it, andddd love it.
:)
- shannon
9 comments so far
Brady says:
FIRST COMMENT ON YOUR NEW BLOG!!!
I love the last one Shan, pretty amazing :)
(07.17.09 @ 10:59 PM)
Heidi Jo says:
I know I'm not supposed to be here yet, but here I am. I am dying over the photo through the dinosaur hole. I LOVE dinosaurs. AMAZING.
(07.21.09 @ 09:51 PM)
Cafe Pasadena says:
That leaf is a hijacker from your old site!
Your work is looking even better, Shannon!
Mom says:
The Land's End shot is a stunner. Kat is absolutely gorgeous. Those eyes! Those striking colors! Wow.
(07.22.09 @ 08:39 PM)
Mary Kate Reynolds says:
love, love, love. :) So wonderful!
(07.23.09 @ 03:04 PM)
Gretchen Schock-Skovron says:
Love the dino pics...amazing work. Looking forward to seeing more. Be well.
(07.30.09 @ 09:50 AM)
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Peter & Kat at the Cerritos Library
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LOVE it, Shan!! Great job and I love that you get so excited about these things :)
(09.19.09 @ 04:56 PM)Unbelievable. The shot that you said "How did this get so perfect?" is too beautiful for words. All you can do is look more and more!
(09.19.09 @ 09:06 PM)carson your comment was on 09.19.09 at 9 PM....caaaarazy!
shan these pictures are lovely, simply lovely. the color is so autumn-ish. it's wonderful.
(09.19.09 @ 11:16 PM)SHAN!
This is some of your best work, in my amateurish (or bushleague -- I learned that word from my crossword puzzle this morning) opinion!
AND I love Ben and Laura! They go to Redeemer and Laura plays the cello -- my dream.
love you.
(09.20.09 @ 12:20 AM)ps: the album is here, I haven't told you that yet. AND WE LOVE IT TO DEATH! AND we've hung up your art prominently in our living room. So beautiful and it matches our room perfectly.
ahhhh.....! LOVE these!!
(09.20.09 @ 12:26 PM)Good people to know.
(09.20.09 @ 04:27 PM)They seem like an old couple already.
the first one, and the one with the leaves. gaspp.
(09.20.09 @ 04:48 PM)I love the shot with the leaves on the ground!
(09.21.09 @ 11:08 AM)perfection.
(10.04.09 @ 10:50 PM)