This is the month of exceptions. Of stepping outside of my norm. Of getting to shoot mature, put together, amazingly beautiful (inside & out) ‘kids’. And this time is was x2 ;)
camas | WA
If you have followed me for a while you’ve probably noticed that I have given up newborns (just sold all of my ‘props’ last week- yay!), Seniors & families for the most part. I can count on my fingers how many of these I do in a year. So when you see me shoot one of these genres you know that they are a pretty irresistible :) I flew out to Dallas last week to photograph this Senior. This girl was such a doll… she is going off to college in LA next year to pursue her acting career. If her ability to nail the fake laugh is any indication of how well she’ll do, you’ll be seeing this girl on the big screen in no time ;) A little added bonus was that she also hired my amazing friend & stylist Vanessa (Butterfly SpArks) to come style. You know it’s a good day when I get to hang out with my girl.
styling: Butterfly SpArks
dallas | TX
On a side note I was interviewed by The Bloom Forum today! You can see a little sneak peek of the interview here or if you want to be a part of the forum and read the whole thing you can jump over to The Bloom Forum !!
Thanks for asking me!! :)
Rose: Love the American rebel photos! :) Wonderful teens, the hope they bring to the world is amazing. Congratulations on the interview, your work should be featured more often! (06.30.2011 08:38am)
Joan: She looks like a R&R star!!. Great work!!. Congrats for the interview, Shanon ;) (06.30.2011 09:48am)
Deyla Huss Photography: I love her rockin style and you did a beautiful job capturing her! Ill go check out your interview, congrats Shannon! (06.30.2011 03:19pm)
zalaine: She is a doll! So free spirited... You, on the other hand, are 2 cool 4 school!!! (06.30.2011 04:04pm)
Kathy Carlisle: I'm loving all this teen awesomeness lately. Have I told you lately how amazing I think you are? Well, there you have it...and I will be saying this for the 1 millionth time when we are 100 together. You amaze me my friend. Not just the pictures and your huge talent...it's who you are that amazes me. You heart, your love, YOU! (06.30.2011 06:59pm)
josh: Bout time you get some work done...geez :) Lovely pics, by the way! (07.01.2011 03:01am)
Shayna Shipley: Yay!!!! :) So cool, great interview. I love Bloom! (07.01.2011 10:34pm)
ali wood: LOVE LOVE LOVE! These turned out so fabulous and she is just shining with her big smile! Gorgeous work! You captured her personality so well! (07.05.2011 01:18am)
I would consider my business very specialized. 90%+ of my work is kids in the 4-10 bracket. And I absolutely adore it… I love the challenge, I love the silliness, I love the play, I love the unexpectedness, I really do just love that age group. Every once in a while though I get to shoot the older set and, I have to say, having a subject that does exactly what you ask for as long as you ask it is pretty darn amazing! On my most recent visit to Dallas I got to hang out with a small group and shoot these two lovely models. I came home thinking that perhaps my speciality should add a few years ;)
dallas | TX
Josh Mitchell: So awesome! (06.28.2011 12:09am)
Kara Layfield: Models in the making! Um yes...please add a few more years....these are fantastic! (06.28.2011 12:44am)
Kelsey Gerhard: These are "tastic!" as my 3 yr old would say. I LOVE the colors. And it's funny as I've shot a few teens lately and you pretty much just typed exactly what I've been thinking! (06.28.2011 01:11am)
Sara from L.A.: I get absolutely giddy when I see that you have posted something new. Always fresh. Always new. Never the same. Always inspiring. Love stopping to see what you've come up with next. xo P.S. based on your advice from the Oakley workshop, my 85mm f1.2 comes tomorrow and I can't wait to practice, practice, practice! (06.28.2011 03:22am)
kristin cook: I love how you can take the simplest of things and make them so spectacular!!! (06.28.2011 03:47am)
Heather F: YAY been waiting on these :) Awesome as always. What I love tho is how no one seems to be sweating, how in the world did you pull that off? LOL Still 90 degrees here last time I checked at 10pm ugh! LOVE LOVE the 2nd close up of her where her hair is back and he looks so GQ in his shades :) (06.28.2011 04:04am)
theresa: i love your vision. my girl hasnt stopped talking about how much fun she had and she LOVES the photos...as do i! it was a pleasure meeting you and i hope we run into each other again. :) (06.28.2011 05:12am)
Jen S: Thanks for a really fun workshop and sharing your talents with us. These images are beautiful and I loved getting to see the same session ... through your lens. Until we meet again ... keep rockin' your shoots!! (06.28.2011 01:15pm)
Diana Hall: These are so awesome, LOVE them! Thank you for rocking our day, we had a blast!! ;) (06.28.2011 01:46pm)
kim danley: yay!!!!... they look awesome... got to edit some of mine... thanks for a great day!!!! (06.28.2011 04:15pm)
zalaine: Coolness does seem to fit you, very nicely. There is Something right before they have their senior photos taking, where they WANT to be see in adult eyes, that being grown up is light years away but still moving in that direction. Cool changes and looks different as we pass throught the seasons of life but this innocence is only available for a few years. Great work Miss S! (06.28.2011 04:19pm)
Amy C: Holy cow these are awesome!! Stunning models, stunning images. I'm going to have to get a thesaurus so I can come up with other words when I comment!! LOL!!! (06.29.2011 02:01am)
Rose: Wow, these are great. These kids are just gorgeous. And yes, you should expand with a few more years... :) Can't say just ow much I love your work and it might be the reason I fantasize lately about organizing a shooting for kids. :D (06.29.2011 06:36am)
Lesley: Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!! I always love what you come up with, it's so freaking inspiring!! :) If only I knew more people to photograph I'd be outside right now! :) (06.29.2011 04:24pm)
Joan: Incredible!, so inspirational, thanks. (06.30.2011 09:50am)
Rachel: I agree with your sentiments - it's nice to have subjects who stand still!! :) (07.01.2011 04:39am)
wrecklessgirl: wowsa, beautiful!!! plus, if chris & sarah rhoads had a little girl .... hmmmm .... (07.05.2011 10:19am)
“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)
I think it was the early 80′s when I first heard Madonna. I saw her mixed-dance-attire-sudo-street clothes, black rubber bracelets, rags tying her hair back… it was the Borderline video… and I was hooked. Apparently, as a little girl, I thought that dancing down the street looking like you just rolled out of bed was the thing to attain to. I proceeded to memorize and copy every single dance move & lyric I could behind the security of my closed bedroom door. And I’m pretty sure I was really good. No really. I mean, I still have some of them memorized (not that I would still do it to know of course) ;) For some reason (the painfully shy part of me most likely) I never actually asked to go to a dance class or entered a dance studio more than once in my childhood. Yep, it was kept for me alone (& my poor little sister that I made join in when back-up dancers were necessary). As I grew older I kept my love for dance. Read books & drooled over pictures of Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp, Alvin Ailey… so, of course, when I had my own little girl I assumed (k- kinda hoped & prayed) that she would love dance like I did. As soon as she hit the magic age of 3 we signed up for ballet. All I can say is that seeing that little 3 year old cutie with her buns, leotard & leg warmers was all I ever needed and I was good then & there. And, lucky us, she had the most fabulous teacher- Ms. Candace. So, you can’t imagine how excited I was when Ms. Candace emailed telling me her daughter needed Senior pictures aaaand… yes- she is a dancer. And yes.. she arrived with leg warmers & a tutu in hand. Me? oh-so-happy (mighta done a little dance even) ;)
ryan: what a fun shoot...and intro story too. (09.09.2010 02:28am)
AmyC: Absolutely stunning!!! Love the ALL! (is there a video of said dance? hehe) (09.09.2010 03:21am)
julie brazeau: Very cool the ballet shots! That tutu is something to write home about. Where did it come from? I'm a fan...like always! (09.09.2010 03:25am)
Anna: How do you manage to infuse such a sense of style and whimsy into EVERY session you do? I keep waiting for you to have clients that look just the slightest bit unknowing--simply bc everyone you shoot seems so at ease by you! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. (09.09.2010 03:39am)
lroah: Me thinks your daughter just got life long dance lessons. :) Awesome. That tutu is AWESOME!!!! (09.09.2010 03:51am)
ajja: as a happy dancer myself i just love the fire hydrant image....yes, yes, yes. that tutu is very special esp with the earphones...she could grace the cover of dance magazine anyday! (09.09.2010 01:42pm)
Kathy Carlisle: Stunning! I love that tutu. I keep trying to find a favorite....just can't do it. I like the reflection of you in the glasses:) (09.09.2010 03:17pm)
zalaine: I am always looking forward to what you are going to do next and now, this masterpiece. The two of you together are way too cha cha. The spunk, the angles, the attitude. You have got it going on Girl! These are over the top. I magine Ms Candace is a very happy mom and Ms Candace Jr is too. FABulous my friend! (09.09.2010 03:38pm)
Susan Dodd: WONDERFUL!! (09.09.2010 03:58pm)
oneshotbeyond: just beautiful! Love the 1st black n white of her in her dance outfit. (09.09.2010 06:28pm)
Kelly: LOVE! Gorgeous shots as always - you can do no wrong Shannon. And that tutu is awesome! (09.09.2010 07:20pm)
Bunn Salarzon: That's THE cutest ballerina outfit ever! (09.09.2010 07:24pm)
ray: simply put...awesome work! (09.09.2010 07:53pm)
janice: love!!! (09.10.2010 05:04am)
paveiphotos: Love it!! Great work! (09.10.2010 01:00pm)
Natalie Clayshulte: Wow! She is an awesome ballerina. I love the last shots where you can see your reflection in the sunglasses. Such a fun session!! (09.10.2010 03:09pm)
Paige Butcher: Love! These dance photos are fantastic. That is one stylish tutu. I'm in love with the one of her sitting at the cafe table :) (09.10.2010 03:33pm)
Corey Sewell: These are awesome! Love the ones in the tutu - so fun! (09.10.2010 04:01pm)
Sarah: These are just beautiful! (09.10.2010 05:47pm)
Rianne: Woow! Beautiful pictures! (09.10.2010 06:51pm)
Deyla Huss Photography: Beautiful Session Shannon! I ADORE her tutu!!! (09.11.2010 05:19am)
jennie gaskins: STUNNING!! I took dance classes when I was young and made it all the way to point!! Wish I had these images to look back on!! NICE work!! (09.11.2010 06:54pm)
stephanie mcbride: we are drooling over this shoot. fantastic in every way. this one we will definitely have to print and put in the "shannon sewell" file cabinet;) saving this for my girl's senior shoot in 3 years. you knock our socks off Shannon in every way :) (09.12.2010 06:38pm)
stephanie mcbride: wait! the fire hydrant picture... thats our favorite!! (09.12.2010 06:40pm)
darcie elliott: LOVE that session! Kiernan, is dear to my heart, I've loved watching her grow up and I can't even believe she is already a senior, and so grown up! You captured her essence, Shannon, beautiful job! (09.13.2010 07:19am)
Miss Candace: Shannon, we cannot thank you enough!! What a glorious way for Kiernan to begin her senior year. She is thrilled beyond words. And, I tear up every time I read the intro. This shoot is sooo HER! You know, It's never too late for dance classes! P.S. I also have white, sapphire and red platter tutus : ) (09.13.2010 05:46pm)
willow: if i thought it would be ok the only word that this comment would have is F. just one after the other all in caps. but i wont so i'll just say stop wit yo bad self! those are awesome!! that tutu is off the hook, i love how its all spikey. that is totally the outfit one would wear out for coffee, right? (09.13.2010 07:13pm)
Sunny: Just so you know...I SUPER fat heart the tutu shots. The hydrant one is canvas art baby! (09.13.2010 10:30pm)
Chrissi Richards: Perfect. just perfect. (09.14.2010 03:51am)
KELLI TRONTELL: Perfect....in every way. I love this! (09.16.2010 02:05am)
heather mann: um. these are fabulous! i totally was a dancer growing up and wish i had pictures like these! oh man. completely fabulous! would it be weird if i did a session like this now? i am 27, have had 3 kids and look like i have had 3 kids. but i still have my point shoes, tutu's, and legwarmers!!! oh, and haven't danced in like 6 years!!! (09.16.2010 02:15pm)
kamonwan: I love the last one she has really nice smile! (09.18.2010 10:02am)
Michele Houston: WOW, these are such cool photos!! Our Daughter has Teacher C for a teacher too. Some day I can't wait for yout to take photos of our girls!! (09.22.2010 10:00pm)
LEticia: Hi ... I have watched your photo style and I LOVE IT!!! I m i I am an inspiring photgrapher, and would like to upgrade my canon 40 d. What type of camera, and lenses are your favorite...what is your GO TO all time favorite lens...?? THanks for your help! I love your work!!!! (10.06.2010 11:47pm)
Breanna: Gorgeous!!!! :D (10.18.2010 06:58pm)
kristin: God, I love these images! The juxtaposition of something that is usually done inside a studio being brought out into the street is fabulous. i love all the sides of personality this young girl brought. Great capture, Shannon. (10.21.2010 01:57pm)
Jess: I am completely amazed by your talent. (10.23.2010 05:50pm)
Hillary: These are great!!! (07.06.2011 01:58pm)
Rose: Really beautiful. The young ladies are gorgeous and you did an amazing job! Love these!! (07.06.2011 04:39pm)
Lindsay: No matter the age or the subject, your images are like the sweetest most yummiest candy ever! ;) I love them so much!!!!!!! (07.06.2011 06:49pm)
zalaine: There was never any doubt that stepping out of your comfort zone would be anything but stunning. The proof is in the puddin...and you brought it, again. Beautiful Miss S! (07.06.2011 09:04pm)
Paige Anderson: 2 gorgeous gals. I'm so glad they can wear those shoes and NOT fall over! I would break an ankle! =) (07.07.2011 02:59am)
Kathee Downey: Shannon, such a beautiful job with these gorgeous girls! I totally remember the moments you caught with my daughter and so glad they chose you to capture theirs. I know they won't be sorry :) (07.08.2011 04:17am)
Shayna Shipley: Beautiful as always! :) I love their eyes. (07.09.2011 04:05pm)
Kara Layfield: Looks like a fun time to me!! (07.10.2011 01:55am)