You know how you meet someone and you just click? (meet being used in the facebook/email/twitter/cyberland kinda way) Vanessa emailed me a month ago and it was like finding a friend that you didn’t realize you needed so much :) She is an amazing stylist but more thank that… the sweetest, kindest, most helpful, awesome person I could have prayed to come into my life. She helped me style my mentoring shoots in Dallas this last go around and I felt like I had somehow scored a genie in a lantern that just granted every wish! (I mean come on… raspberry colored airplane wings??!! seriously.)
Then Jenny brings me these two adorable models… to say I was excited for this session would be a grand understatement ;) Jenny- thank you so much for bringing me out. I had the best day with you! Vanessa- you my dear will not be able to escape my grasp anytime soon ;)
And a little aeroplane fun for you all…
styling | butterfly spArks creative
dallas | TX
First off… Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!! I cannot wait for an amazing LONG weekend with family at the cabin (we have snow :) YAY!!!)
Secondly… I have so much goodness crammed into this post I don’t even know where to begin! I guess with pictures? (since that’s what this is all about ‘n all) ;)
I finished my 2010 Christmas card. Let’s just say there were chainsaws & projectors involved… a definite first for me. I’m pretty happy that it came rather close to the original vision. I’m going for an 8 page booklet this year…
Next… I just opened registration for my workshop on January 19th in Jacksonville FL… you can find more info on the menoring & workshop page. I am SO excited for this one… never been to that part of the country and I can’t wait to shoot there!
Okay… (drumroll please)…
Millie and I have been working our rear-ends off on this one. It has become SO much bigger and better than I could have ever imagined. We have amazing sponsors giving us ridiculously cute clothes, there is going to be drool worthy give-aways… and most importantly- the sets! Let’s just say that I am so pumped about the 7 sets we are putting together for you guys and even a bit jealous that I have to stand back and let everyone else shoot them- haha ;) Each design is an all original, never seen from Millie and I. This is more of a portfolio building experience than a workshop with plenty of time to have your questions answered by Millie and myself and loads of adorable sets and kids to shoot. You can’t even create the sets we’ll be shooting in for less than $700! Here are the details you’ll want to be sure to get now so you can be ready to sign up when registration opens! Did I say SO excited? ;)
Aaaand… here are all the details…
TRIPLE 7 KIDS SHOOTOUT!
7 sets! 7 hours! $700 :)
REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN AT 11(AM, EST) on Tuesday, November 30th! That means it launches at 8(AM, PST).
The registration link will be added to our facebook page at that time – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Triple-7-Kids-Shootout/175985699080536
WHO: Shannon Sewell & Millie Holloman
http://www.bludomain11.com/holloman/index2a.php
WHAT:
- customized for the kid photographer!!
- we are keeping our numbers low (6 people or below per set)
- 7 completely hand made, one of a kind set designs with the trendiest kids you’ve ever seen (sets will range all the way from circus themes to little aviator play dreams to tea parties set in magical ‘forests’) you’ll rotate through them all!
- custom made clothing & styling from popular designers
- plenty of one on one time with shannon and millie to have ALL your questions answered
- yummy breakfast and lunch to provide lots of energy for shooting
- rad giveways from over 25 of our fabulous sponsors throughout the day!!
- educational editing station to go over shannon & millie’s post processing
WHEN: Sunday, February 20th 8:30am-3:30pm
WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada (exact location TBA after registered, the studio we’ll be shooting in is just a short cab ride from the strip)
COST: $700 (Limited to November/December registrations- starting January 1st registration will be $799)
REGISTER: We’ll post the registration link on our FACEBOOK PAGE on Tuesday, November 30th at 11AM(EST) / 8AM(PST).
*Registration is limited. All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable under any circumstance.
and just a first glimp at some of the amazing people involved…
… we will see ya there!!!
xoxo ~S
Kelli Taylor: Ok, first your Christmas card blows me away! AWAY! WOW! Second, what an AMAZING opportunity the 777 shootout sounds like! (11.25.2010 03:09am)
vanessa warren: i can't get pass the CHRISTMAS card ... are you kidding me?! you seriously out do yourself EVERY time. incredible, girl. LOVE the 777 logo ... adorable ... so excited for you ladies! xx (11.25.2010 03:17am)
zalaine: This is so spectacular - what a Christmas card. Those who receive it will feel the Love! Vegas in February - what is not to LOVE! (11.25.2010 03:35am)
Melissa Weicker: Incredible Christmas card/booklet. Seriously, I would like to roam around in that creative brain of yours for a while. I'm hoping that you & Millie will have another Shootout as I won't be able to register for this one. I'm adding it to my photography bucket list though....so, please, say you'll have another? Happy Thanksgiving! :) (11.25.2010 04:06am)
Vickey Weiss: Gorgeous card! Amazing set!!!! You styling is fantastic!!! I soooooo want to come see you in Vegas... It's going to be a hard sell since I just got back from MTH Maui - but I'm certainly going to try! Wish me luck on convincing my hubby that I need to go! (11.25.2010 04:11am)
Courtney: oh man. i would love to attend a workshop. i have always hoped you'd do a fun one... especially since you live in Portland! why, oh why can't you do one in portland?? maybe next time i'll be able to fly somewhere... or it'll be here?!?! (11.25.2010 04:16am)
Maj maj: LOVELY LOVELY LOVELY!!!I WANT YOUR BRAIN!!!! (11.25.2010 06:30am)
Kathy Carlisle: I have one word for you "youinspiringsob"! The card is breathtaking...it makes me stare. The workshop makes me feel proud because I can feel how proud you are. What an amazing year this has been for you and all because you believe in yourself, and you are letting your inner light shine. Keep up the hard work and the dreaming...and knocking our socks off with your HUGE talent:) K (11.25.2010 07:22am)
Jenni Wise: OH!!! That Triple 7 Shootout sounds like SO much fun!!!!! (11.25.2010 07:55am)
Rose: It's gorgeous!! So beautiful and fun and festive! Can't get over it. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your dear ones. :) (11.25.2010 09:38am)
Marci Yochum: Shannon....wow. Love love love this set! You are so so talented. Not feeling so good about my card this year..ha. Would love to see you in Vegas! (11.25.2010 12:18pm)
Nataly Harris: Incredible card! The workshop sounds fantastic! I wonder if I could align the stars so that I can make it! :) (11.25.2010 04:54pm)
lesley: Beautiful card! If we were going to be in N.A. in 2011 I was hoping to attend something like this, but alas, maybe in the future. Super cool! (11.25.2010 06:36pm)
Kara Layfield: What else can I say...you're simply amazing!! Your C-MAS card is just perfection! Wish I could attend the workshop. It sounds like a photographers dream. (11.26.2010 04:47am)
Sandra A.: What an amazing card, girl your inspiration is endless! O and I would loooooooove to attend the 777 shootout! Is only I could afford the flight from Holland to Las Vegas (I can't....) (11.26.2010 02:02pm)
Sunny: You are the style master. The outfits down the the very last accessory are amazing. The shaddows, the bg's, the set ups, the overlays....you nailed them all. Loving your style and your constant ability to do what hasn't been done before. (11.28.2010 02:55am)
oneshotbeyond: what an awesome xmas card and cool info about your workshop! :-) (11.28.2010 06:48am)
cindy: Christmas card: Wasn't sure how you'd top last years...but of course, you always do! Perfection. The kids are looking adorable/beautiful as ever. 777: Congratulations! The agenda, set-up, sponsors and hosts add up to a brilliant collaboration! All attendees are lucky ducks. (11.29.2010 10:21am)
KELLI TRONTEL: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? amazing. in every way. XOXO (11.29.2010 09:59pm)
Hannie: Oooo, I so wish that I was a family member of yours. Then I would get one of your gorgeous Xmas cards. These pictures are really stunning. (11.29.2010 10:49pm)
Kirsty: Wow, this card is just amazing as is everything you get your hands on! Your kids are stunning and your creative style is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! (11.30.2010 02:13pm)
Julie Parker: Shannon, this is truly the cutest card I have ever seen! I love your design style just as much as your shooting style! Merry Christmas! (12.23.2010 03:24am)
I was having tea with a friend and she asked me what I had taken away most from my mentoring/workshops… beside the HUGE bonus of meeting amazing people (some I hold very dear- have to mention Ms. Steph specifically this time around ;) ) I have to say I am amazed at myself. It has been a true test of my fears, a push to be confident in who I am… I was the girl in high school that would turn five shades of red, shaky hands, quivering voice… all because I was called to answer a question. To see myself now… talking in front of groups as big as 25 people- no sidekick, no book to hide behind, all eyes on me… I’m doing it (& barely breaking a pink!) I know some of it has come with the confidence I’ve earned with age, but so much is because I am sharing something that I feel so passionately that we shouldn’t be judged on. As photographers & artists we are sharing our hearts, our vision. There is no right or wrong, there is no line that we cross where we are suddenly ‘successul’… we are on a journey to learn a craft that allows us to get everything that is in our head- every idea, vision, concept- mastered so we can make some semblance show up on a piece of photo paper or computer screen. There are no secrets or resources we can buy that will get us there… those that are passionate enough & work hard enough will find their own path to share all the beautiful things that reside inside of them. I just hope that when I walk away at the end of our day that I’ve given my friends a cheerleader and a supporter that helps them KNOW that if it’s in there, it CAN and WILL get out. I guess at the end of the day it isn’t that I am so confident being up there going on about me and my ideas, I’m confident in YOU and I want you to know it :)
All that said, when you see the group of photographers that I got to hang out with in SLC you’ll probably wonder why in the world they had me come out (amazing photographers & business women- my teenage self would have died right in my chair) but I hope they know now that they have a new cheerleader & friend that can’t wait to see all the projects that come out of their brilliant minds ;)
Jess, Skye & Katie… thank you so much for our day. I had a blast and can’t wait to come hang out again (SOON)!
Leave it to photographers to get the CUTEST models… and it wouldn’t be a ‘Shannon shoot’ if I didn’t find a way to categorize things by colors, eh? ;)
The adorable head pieces are Gracylu Originals (blue & pink) & Honeybee Hair Confections (red and green) (thank you to Julie @ZozoBugBaby for being so awesome as to make a night time drive just to get them to me!)
salt lake city | UT
Rose: I would love to take part in one of your workshops! :) I think you are amazing and your work inspire people so much. Love these photos. The flower-eyes is my favorite, so so cute! :) (11.18.2010 12:47pm)
Whitley Pollet: Oh these are so fun Shannon!!! Love your creativity :) (11.18.2010 02:11pm)
Nataly: Such beautiful and fun captures! I contacted you about one of your SLC workshops... and then I was so disappointed that I couldn't make it happen :( Next time, for sure...I am determined to make it happen! :) (11.18.2010 04:36pm)
Kara Layfield: My 4 year old dd is standing here looking thru these. I asked her what she wanted to tell Miss Shannon abot these and she said, "Ohh La La". These are seriously cute!! I so love the styling!! (11.18.2010 05:25pm)
lesley: Oh gosh these are adorable. Best thing, their nail polish!! :) (11.18.2010 06:46pm)
oneshotbeyond: adorable little girls! You get all the best cuties to photograph!!! :-) (11.18.2010 07:29pm)
zalaine: Those tights, the flowers, the denim, all scream girly like nothing else can. The glow of the white reminds me of winter days ahead but the spring in the color tell me that spring will come again. Superb, Miss S...Perfect. (11.18.2010 08:06pm)
katie moss: It was so nice meeting you! I had so much fun! (11.18.2010 08:22pm)
Tj Aneca: I am beyond jealous of these ladies that were able to meet you and learn from you. I hope one day that I can learn from the great Shannon Sewell!! (11.19.2010 01:18am)
stephanie mcbride: Shannon... oh my word... you mentioned my name... i am so blushing!!! we just can't tell you enough that we just think the WORLD of you!!! you just don't meet people like you every day. so kind. so true. so willing to help and teach. we are truly blessed to know you!!! please come back and i will clear my entire schedule!! still feeling bad I wasn't able to make the dinner date!! (11.19.2010 08:26am)
elizabeth pellette: so awesome as usual.. love the boots on those girls the little Doc type ones (11.19.2010 10:59pm)
katrina weingart: "There is no right or wrong, there is no line that we cross where we are suddenly ‘successul’… we are on a journey to learn a craft that allows us to get everything that is in our head- every idea, vision, concept- mastered so we can make some semblance show up on a piece of photo paper or computer screen." You don't even realize how much this post meant to me, but this little section here.... just about did me in! It's what I need to hear on a daily basis, and I find myself coming into this world of amazing professionals and talented artists. Sounded by women and men that I admire and look up, I keep striving to learn more and improve my techniques so that I can become my OWN artist, figuring out a way to put my visions and dreams onto that photopaper and computer for the rest of the world to enjoy. Thank you Shannon! You're an inspiration and an encourager! (11.19.2010 11:31pm)
gina: you did it again and again and again! love all their little faces;) (11.20.2010 01:27am)
Sunny: These turned out so great!!!! (11.20.2010 03:24am)
Erin Perkins: L O V E! Attention to detail .. pretty lil faces .. nail pollish. You are divine! (11.20.2010 04:15am)
Kathy Carlisle: LOVE this! The pictures. The words. Your vulnerability. Your bravery. I shall put it all in a tiny jar, throw it in my pocket and carry it with me all month:) (11.20.2010 04:38am)
Jennifer Sparaco: oh my Lordy...what a bunch of cute little models! how lucky you are Shannon! And Whitley ALWAYS beats me to the punch! (11.21.2010 07:18pm)
Tami: Sweet, my most inspiring photographer photographed with my other most inspiring photographers! Shannon, you are amazing, and I am not surprised that other amazing photogs would want to learn from you. I am so glad that I had a chance for a mini mentoring day with you this year, I learned so much just from watching you work. I don't think there is ever a point when there is not something we can learn from each other as photographers. It is nice to see even really good photographers stretching themselves and trying new things :) (11.22.2010 10:56pm)
Julie Brazeau: Fabulous...just soooo freaking fabulous! (11.23.2010 03:50am)
jean smith: i always get excited when you have posted something new. shannon, i am a huge fan. HUGE. awesome that you hung out with those slc girls. i don't know them personally, but love their work!! (11.25.2010 03:05pm)
Hillary: I LOVE the pictures of all four of them together! (11.28.2010 11:12pm)
All these interests, knacks, places in time… I really could have ended up being anything. I’ve worked in a mortage office, in a pre-school, as an armed security guard in a Federal building (yeah… I packed heat. haha- I know!) yet somehow all these things led me to here. There are days I doubt my choice… (basically any time I have to deal with the business end of things) but when I am sitting in my digital darkroom watching my ideas come to fruition… I know I am in the right place.
I had the absolute pleasure of going on a playdate with a musician last week (artists of any sort ignite a giddyness of possibility). Stephan (aka City Squirrel) will be releasing his latest album this month. Check him out & enjoy a sneak peek of our little shoot together…
lots ‘n lots of thank youuuuu’s to Darcie for coming out with me for the day!
portland | OR
zalaine: This are all uber cool but the flare...There is just Something about lens flare that makes my heart skip a beat. You, my friend, remind me that we all have the music inside but only a select few, know ho to get it out. FABulous... (11.02.2010 11:04pm)
Kelly: Love the depth of these shots - they're cool, sharp but you can get kind of lost in them at the same time. (11.04.2010 12:42am)
Jennifer Sparaco: love Shannon....you and the images too! So glad whatever life decisions you have made brought you to this point in your life. What a darker world it would be without your creative eye! (11.05.2010 06:26pm)
Becky: LOVE your B&W conversions! Drrroooool. (11.08.2010 05:11pm)
Susan Dodd: Cool. Nicely, smoothly cool. Love these! (11.09.2010 06:18pm)
stacy t: you rock the casbah sister!!! (11.10.2010 10:33pm)
Kara Layfield: Love!! I can always just sit and look over and over your work...they always get me thinking. :) (11.15.2010 09:27pm)
Kate Craft: These are so cool. I love your black and whites! (11.17.2010 09:36pm)
“you’re so put together… I’m another planet” -amy seeley
I was never really one of the ‘cool’ kids. I may have sat at their lunch table or ended up in a group of them at the game… but it wasn’t me. I stayed to the outskirts… kept quiet… sneak in a side door, quietly watch from the shadows. You can probably count the amount of yearbook pictures or snapshots you could find me in on one hand (I cringed at the thought of a picture being taken of me). Come to think of it… rather similar to the role I play as an adult ;)
So when these Senior girls come for their sessions, I am always so taken aback- these girls are poised… put together… confident. I wonder where was that when I was 17? Right in that moment of pause though, I am proud. Proud that we have a generation of girls that can hold a room’s attention on their own. Proud of the confidence they exude in front of a camera. Proud that I see these tendencies in my own daughter. And proud that as a photographer (all of us), we are solidifying this by capturing their personalities & beauty for them to hold.
Yes. Point proven… beauty in & out…
portland | OR
Kathy Carlisle: She is absolutely radiant. And the shoot is down right awesome. And you know...it is said that everyone that comes into your life is a reflection of you some how. These beautifully, confident, put together girls are an amazing reflection of all that shines in you as well. ps...I got to see another beautiful reflection of you today...your sister:) K (10.31.2010 01:39am)
connie r.: oh, yeah. we are definitely going to need to do a senior shoot. These are so expressive and real. (10.31.2010 03:10am)
Chrissi Richards: Oh Shannon, these are beautiful. So beautiful. She should be so happy with these sweet, happy, images of herself. These would make a father proud, a mother cry. She looks her age. simply lovely. (10.31.2010 08:12am)
AmyC: Stunning!! (10.31.2010 08:24pm)
zalaine: Gorgeous... this generation does have confidence rarely seen in generations before. You see it in their faces. Every senior I have shot has had this same stance. Had a woman running for political office come by during our yard sale and she wanted to talke about issues that mattered to me. She asked me about woman issues, and I told her I had no concerns, We women seem to have our stuff together. Thank you Miss 2010 Senior Girl, you have taught us well... AS always, gorgeous Miss S! (10.31.2010 10:54pm)
Lesley: Wow, these girls are just amazing! Their confidence and their style is awesome, how do they get this way?! ;) Lovely lovely photographs, and luve the studio as well, awesome set up! (11.01.2010 01:50am)
stephanie mcbride: can I just say "amen" to everything Chrissi said :) and just add that the black and whites are my favorite! something about them, i just keep going back :) (11.01.2010 02:57am)
Rose: True, todays teens are something else. They are so free, so deep, one can be mesmerized just by having a small talk with them! It is impressive! These photos you took just give my words more credit! Today teens are amazing! :) (11.01.2010 11:17am)
Sandra A.: O gosh, how I love these pictures! Your creativity has no limits! Beautiful girl and you styling is just perfect! (11.01.2010 03:26pm)
Corey Sewell: These are all gorgeous but I especially love the ones in the grey dress! (11.01.2010 03:58pm)
stacy t: ummmm....seriously - those are breathtaking. i was so not that cool in high school. i want a redo!!!! (11.01.2010 07:50pm)
Tj Aneca: These are gorgeous! You are just an amazing artist. (11.02.2010 04:02pm)
Kara Layfield: Beautiful work Shannon. You just captured her perfectly! She's stunning and has the prettiest eyes ever! She's an amazing model...she must be thrilled! (11.02.2010 05:58pm)
Vickey Weiss: soooo pretty! (11.02.2010 06:44pm)
Darla: I am in love with this shoot. I love everything about it. You are such an inspiration. None of your shoots look like the last and that is not an easy thing to accomplish. (11.03.2010 04:22pm)
jayme franklin: your work is jaw dropping! I hope that I can aspire to capture the souls of people like you do. Also hoping that I can get in on a workshop with you in 2011! (11.05.2010 03:45pm)
Erin Tole: She really is radiant...Love that there's so much variety...Where the heck was this kind of photography when I was 17??? I do believe I'm sitting on a ladder, LOL. Aaaand I still adore your work. But that goes w/o saying ;) (11.09.2010 04:33am)
Janee: I really love all your shoots,you amaze me. And your so right about the girls these days..they seem to have so much more confidence then I ever did,and yet are dealing with more. Keep keepin on girls! (11.12.2010 03:16pm)
Kate Craft: These are amazing! (11.17.2010 09:37pm)
Renee Hindman: Speechless.... This shoot is insane! (11.29.2010 10:01pm)
zalaine: spread your wings and fly.. wowzers Miss S! (11.29.2010 10:32pm)
Kathy Carlisle: Wings are so fitting because you have just inspired me right up into the sky and I am going to need wings (pink ones at that) to come on back down. This is so amazing and I love the different looks. I just think about the boost and influence you have over these girls (models) and bless them with this big "confidence treasure". They will feel so special looking back at these photos! k (11.29.2010 10:57pm)
Kara Layfield: You and your full fun shooting is just killing me. Love the styling...I'd definately hold onto that chick!! She's mad talented! Love these Shannon...just so darn cute! (11.30.2010 01:35am)
VANESSA WARREN: Shannon, I absolutely LOVED our time together & collaborating with you was such a joy. Along with being ridiculously talented, you have such a sweet spirit about you ... it's obvious why people love you. I do! Thank you for allowing me to be apart of these sessions ... I look forward to more, girl! xox (11.30.2010 03:22am)
Jenny Watts: So great Shannon! Loved working with you and had a blast at this session. Thanks for everything - hope to see you in Big D again soon! Vanessa - great job here! Can't wait to go through my images!! :) (11.30.2010 03:57am)
Connie: looks like you guys had even more fun in big D! love the goggles! You don't miss a beat, Vanessa! perfect! (11.30.2010 04:35am)
Jenni Wise: I want to be you when I grow up! ;-) (11.30.2010 04:50am)
lesley: Oh, the vision behind this is just mind blowing!! The last 3 are my fav. :) (11.30.2010 06:59pm)
MAj Maj: FUN shoot , a litle wild , a litle rock and reminisence of chilhood.. great mix.. LUV it!! (12.01.2010 07:09am)
Rose: Ah, the fun in these! The first one is so representative for girl fun, for freedom and laughter, it's quite impressive. Yes, some photos do make more then 10000000 words! :) You're an amazing photographer! (12.01.2010 09:36am)
Spread your wings… -{dallas child photographer} » Jenny Watts Photography: [...] on to the images… OH and to see Shannon’s amazing eye at work – here is her post on it (along with a zillion other stunning [...] (12.08.2010 06:10am)
jules: what a cool session ... I'm ready to sign up, too! I'm ready to be inspired by your creativity and vision. what an awesome experience for jenny! this session is stunning ... love every thing about it! (12.08.2010 03:26pm)
Megan Muse Schutt: WOW. Who are you? Where have you been hiding? I LOVE your style. Drooling. (12.30.2010 07:55am)