Shannon Walton Photography » Uncategorized

Closed for VACATION!

Shannon — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:11:06 +0000

Just a little note to let everyone know that the studio and I will be closed for vacation Sat. July 23rd-August 1st. I am planning to disconnect from my phone and computer as much as humanly possible during this time. If you do leave a message or send me an e-mail I will return them as quickly as I can after August 1st. This summer has flown by faster than any summer I can remember. I’m sure it has to do a little with the fact that all three of my kids played baseball or softball. It will be nice to look them in the eyes and eat a meal together a few nights in a row. I’m very much looking forward to the break and hope to come back rejuvenated and full of great ideas for fall

We have had quite the baby boom at the studio the past couple weeks. Since I won’t be posting for a week or so I decided to put some of the newborn images I’ve taken for everyone to see. Congratulations to all the new parents and siblings!!

Isn’t she lovely!? ~ Illinois Baby Photographer

Shannon — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 20:58:55 +0000

Well, it sure has been awhile since I posted on my newly designed blog! Summer has been very busy for us here at the Walton household. We have 3 kids playing ball this year so I can count on 2 fingers how many free evenings we have this summer I have been trying very hard to manage my time this summer to allow for a little more family time. My son graduated 8th grade, my other son will be moving to the junior high, and our daughter will be a first grader. I suddenly realized how fast they’ve grown and that I may only have 4 more years with my oldest under my roof. I honestly don’t know where the past 14 years went. People say it all the time but I feel like time just keeps going faster and faster and to be honest it scared me just a little. Well, maybe a lot. So, with that being said, my blog was probably the least on my priority list.

Now, onto little miss “C”. She was absolutely perfect! Here she is with her two favorite people…

Where’s the baby?

There she is!!

At this point it started to rain. The beauty of my studio is that we have a great outdoor shooting area and if the weather is too hot, too cold or it starts to rain we can shoot some inside. So, that’s what we did…

So we took a bunch inside and notice it cleared off so back outside we went…

So I finally had to say to her mom, “If we keep shooting you are never going to be able to pick!” This is only a small portion of the images in her gallery. She is lovely, so are her parents. Happy half birthday “C”!!

Mother’s Day Special!!

Shannon — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:26:59 +0000

*********Update********** The Mother’s Day Special is FULL!! Thank you so much!

So I’m a little late to the game and I wasn’t really planning on doing a Mother’s day promotion but yesterday I was proofing this session and realized how much I loved photographing it and how much images like this would mean to me What do mom’s love more than diamonds and flowers…their kids of course!! So I put together a little Mother’s Day special! The great thing is that it won’t be specific to any certain date so you can plan ahead. The session will be one hour, I realize sometimes it takes kids a little bit to warm up and I don’t like to rush things. If weather permits we can go outside the studio too. For you dad’s out there this would be a FABULOUS gift to give your wife. Once you’ve booked and paid the session fee I will mail you a gift card specific to the mom and me sessions. You can choose either the high res files (3) or a set of accordion books(same design) once you view your images. You don’t have to choose now. I am only taking the first 10 who book so please don’t wait and this offer will expire on Monday!!

Two of my favorites!

Shannon — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:48:35 +0000

Not only are these two of my favorites, they are also at two of my favorite ages! Little “B” is 9 months and big brother “T” will be 3 very soon!! I had a terrible time choosing photos to share. I like having that problem This family is always up for anything. I had maybe 3 images of “B” where she wasn’t smiling from ear to ear and big brother is always FULL of expression! It was nice enough to go outside the studio that day and I LOVE shooting outside. I’m fortunate to be located in a place where we can take advantage of the green grass and foliage right out my front door. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Where I started…

Shannon — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:32:15 +0000

Those of you who have been following me and my work for awhile now will most likely recognize one of the beauties in this post. I have been photographing her since I started. This family changed the way I thought my business would go. They changed the way I thought of photographing kids and families. I’m thankful they were one of the very first clients because it’s a session that I think about often and am continually reminded why I do what I do. During that very first session I drove to their home. Mom had planned a tea party for her daughter and I sat back and watched (and snapped) the connection unfold. I FELT the love shared by this family. It was an amazing experience to witness and capture with my camera. I left there thinking, that is what I want from every session. I want to “Capture the Spirit of Childhood.” Those tea party images are still hanging on their wall and while I’ve grown as a photographer in both business and skills I’m reminded how important what I do is. I’m reminded that I am responsible for preserving these memories for a lifetime. So for those of you who choose me as your photographer, I’m grateful. Fast forward to 2011, the “G” family now has a new daughter and little Miss “M” has a sister. I recently photographed them together and had so much fun seeing this new connection in their family. I have so many clients who have become dear friends. I have so many kids I have watched grow and each time one of them walk in the door I’m grateful to be a small part of their lives. Now that I’ve gotten all sappy let’s proceed with some photos, shall we?

18 months!

Shannon — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:27:04 +0000

Little “A” is 18 months and I’ve been photographing her since she was days old. They really do grow like weeds! A typical session for 18 months – 3 years involves me being a little creative and doing quite a bit of chasing Normally they are really great at walking and most likely RUNNING. It cracks me up when parents apologize for them not sitting still for their sessions but who wants to sit still when you have mastered these things called legs. Exploring and taking advantage of their new found independence is what they do best. I always love showing parents images from these sessions because they are usually surprised by the number of great shots we got even though it wasn’t as easy as it was when they were nine months or 1 year. Here are a few of my favorites…

I’m still here!

Shannon — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:13:17 +0000

Good morning everyone!

I’ve been extremely busy this past couple weeks. Lots of newborns and little ones in the studio. This little guy was so incredibly sweet. His grandma works at our vet and helped us teach our new pup some manners with her puppy/obedience classes. His mom was such a pleasure to hang out with and I secretly wanted to sneak him into my camera bag and take him home with me

I also want to mention that I’ve had to turn away a couple new baby’s this week because I was booked. If you are expecting or know someone who is expecting it’s important that you book your newborn sessions early. I tend to book 6-8 weeks out and only take a limited number of newborns each month. I allow 3 hours for my newborn sessions and I only photograph them in the morning so if I schedule a newborn session it’s the only session I will shoot that day which is why spaces are so limited. I prefer to photograph them when they are 2wks or newer.

“D” is for Doll Baby!

Shannon — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:00:37 +0000

What a cutie! Little “D” is 6 months! I wish I could say I was responsible for these grins but have to give credit to her daddy and Elmo She has animal prints in her room and while I was out prop shopping saw these giraffe boxes and couldn’t resist. Happy 1/2 birthday “D”!

I love 9 months!

Shannon — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:41:52 +0000

9 months is without a doubt one of my favorite ages to photograph. I have been photographing this little man since before he was born and he always makes me work for it…must be that red hair If you get a chance to view the newborn gallery under the “my work” tab above he is the little guy in the red football helmet. One of my fave newborn images! It makes me sad to think he’ll be one soon, but it really is awesome to watch these babies grow!

Upcoming Mini Session!!

Shannon — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:16:33 +0000

Thought I’d give you a sneak peek into our upcoming mini session….don’t book yet, wrapping up the details today