DSP Candids of the Week! | Candids

• March 10th, 2021 •

Portraits are supposed to be fun! Posing and staging is only half of it! Personally, Candids are my favorite! One of my favorite things about Devon is her ability to make any session fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tantrum, nervous mom getting her first boudoir shoot since kiddos, a Dad that “really hates getting his picture taken” or that senior that is only doing portraits to appease Mom and Dad… It’s a fun experience here at DSP!

Here are some of our favorite candids that we absolutely love!

“I love my baby brother!!!!… Sooooooooo much!”

“Don’t mind me… just struttin’ my stuff with the newest fad… Wear necklaces around our teeth!”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEAUTIFUL MATTHEWS SISTERS!!!

“Nothing like a cold ocean touching your toes to make you run like the wind!”

Keep checking back for more candids on the blog!

Working with Family | Personal

• February 23rd, 2021 •

Anybody who has talked to me about working with Devon has heard me say “I don’t work with Devon just because she pays me…” and that statement is more than true…

I started as a client, I wanted to do newborn portraits for my son Bradley and I tried to do them myself… I procrastinated and finally said I need a professional to do this! Devon was sweet and understanding and we did a “newborn” style shoot when Bradley was three months old. I was so happy to have newborn portraits, even if he wasn’t really still a newborn. She was so patient with me as a new mom, especially one that was suffering from Post Partum Anxiety and didn’t know it at the time.

We loved them and the experience, this woman even got my husband to enjoy getting his photo taken. I even got him to agree to do family photos once a year! So the following year, we did Bradley’s one year portraits…. this was so much fun! Devon had just gotten back from her latest trip to Ethiopia with Habesha Mama so we got talking about what she does there for kids in need. It was such an incredible story that just made me love her as a person even more. (keep an eye out for a post about Habesha Mama if you’d like to hear about it!) We talked and laughed and bonded.

The following year, Andrew was born. Needless to say I didn’t hesitate to get newborn portraits right away! Andrew was 13 days old when we got his newborn photos and I will treasure them forever! This time Devon learned more about me, she found out I was a real estate photographer, and had some significant experience with graphic design.

The following year… (yes, I got my husband to do pictures FOUR years in a row with Devon!) for Andrew’s one year portraits we were already family. My kids looked forward to seeing her, and my husband was not nervous about pictures and as a result, I wasn’t stressed out about getting ready for pictures.

After his cake smash, during our inevitable hour chat, Devon told me that busy season was coming and what was on the horizon for her and Devon Shanor Photography. I told her that if she ever needed a hand I would be happy to help out! A few months later, she took me up on it! It started as a small edit here, to collages, and evolved into so much more.

Here we are in the fifth year, I’m integrated into Devon Shanor Photography more than I ever expected to but I LOVE IT. A little bit of graphic design, little bit of office management, little bit confidant, little bit organizer, and so much more. Jack of all trades is an understatement when it comes to what I do for Devon Shanor Photography…. But let me tell you, Devon SAW that in me.

I work for Devon… not just because she pays me, but because it’s like working with family. There is a comfort and openness that I’ve never had working anywhere else. My opinion is valued and appreciated, and my skillset is valued and even encouraged to grow. There is an honesty and respect that you don’t usually see in big work place politics. We aren’t scared to put each other in their place. She tells me I’ve gone off on a tangent and got distracted (ADD… Just saying, it’s brutal!) and I’m not scared to tell her that the fifteen different folders for the exact same thing really gotta go. There is respect, love, friendship, Christ, honesty and so much more working with Devon, because that’s WHO SHE IS, and it’s who we have become as a team. Devon always says this, but Dev, MY TURN! I LOVE MY JOB! 🙂

What’s coming in 2021?!

• February 1st, 2021 •

Devon Shanor Photography is doing some amazing and exciting things this year! We have a few new offerings to share with you and some that you may not know about!

Become a part of our FOUREVER FAMILY!!

Once you’ve had 4 sessions with Devon, you become part of the “fourever family”, any sessions after that have no session fee and you receive 15% off of anything you purchase FOR LIFE! How cool is that!? But wait, there’s more!!!!

Devon Shanor Photography is now offering GIFT REGISTRIES!! Any special occasion you have to celebrate, we can get you a registry for! Just let us know you’re interested, what occasion the registry is for, and you will receive a set of printed cards as well as an email with your unique registry link on it!

Did you know about DSP’s referral program?! If your referral books with DSP, you receive a $75 credit! Referring just TWO people can get you a waved session fee or even one of these neat jewelry options we are offering for the first time this year!

Jewelry! This is a first for DSP! Unique and beautiful jewelry with your amazing portraits in them to take anywhere you go. Perfect for the on-the-go mom or even for dad who may be out to sea. The possibilities are endless!

We have some more surprises and news up our sleeves, so stay tuned for more! We can’t wait to share more exciting things with you!

Routine in 2020, What’s that? | Creative Chaos

• November 30th, 2020 •

I don’t know about you, but 2020 has been the most “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of year I’ve ever had. A lot has happened here in the Porter household, Bradley turned 4, Andrew turned 2, we all got Covid-19, my husband made Chief in the Navy…. With quarantine on roulette and each day being a “wing it” kind of day, routine is pretty much non-existent AND THAT’S OKAY!

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I beat myself up a few times when the kids threw a tantrum around dinnertime because they missed a nap, or when I look back at the last week and realized I hadn’t accomplished anything I wanted to because there was no routine or habits that had stuck through this crazy year. One thing I’ve learned though is to give myself a little bit of grace, we are all going through something that was not only unexpected, but affected our every day lives. Kids don’t understand and in some cases, neither do the adults. We will get through this!

This too shall pass, it’s almost the start of a new year and we can all do with a fresh start. “This too shall pass”, so hang in there everyone… One of my new habits will be blogging more often to you all, we are not alone, even if sometimes it feels like it. <3 Hang in there and I can’t wait to see more of Devon’s incredible photos of your beautiful families as we roll into the holiday season.

Schedule? What’s That? | Creative Chaos

• May 20th, 2020 •

If you’re anything like me, the work/student – stay at home mom… two littles and an active duty husband who’s schedule changes by the minute… a schedule at home is well… close to impossible.

Especially with all of this COVID chaos going on right now, the schedule I used to have is now null and void. I’m just saying… mom’s, dad’s, caregivers and anybody in between… give yourself some grace. These are not normal times or normal circumstances. Yes, structure is good, and yes, I intend on working on creating a schedule for our house because I need it, my children need it.

But you know what? I’m not going to beat myself up because of the late bedtimes, missed naps, spaghetti-o dinner, chores can wait days… Because those are the days I… put the beds late because we decided to have an impromptu family movie night because daddy found out he didn’t have to work the next morning… missed a nap because nobody slept well and when they finally did sleep, woke up late… spaghetti-o dinner because daddy had to work and mommy had exhausted kids or that day we should have done chores but spent the day bowling, racing, and having a monster truck show in our living room….

Don’t feel bad for doing your best in hard times. You are a wonderful mom, dad, person and everything in between…. You’ve got this.

Let’s make this week better than the last. <3

Happy Mother’s Day!|Creative Chaos

• May 10th, 2020 •

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the wonderful mother’s out there. Whether you’re a biological mom, adoptive mom, soon-to-be mom, grand-mom, step-mom, all around mother figure and everything in between, I hope you have a beautiful and wonderful day today, and are celebrated for the amazing people you are.

During this quarantine, our patience has been tested! Creativity has a new definition, and time is sometimes irrelevant. Did I do that yesterday morning? Or this morning? Wait, it’s only 3:00, it’s not bed time yet? I hear you. I’ve been there, but you know what? This too shall pass. Personally, this quarantine has been a beautiful reminder of what mother’s and family are supposed to be all about. We are forced to go back to basics and spend quality time together, get creative, play games, and just be present in the moment.

Today, I am spending my day with my wonderful husband and beautiful boys. Had to get creative because they have been going stir crazy, so I made a tape race track in my living room. We have had race after after race and I’m exhausted and it’s only 1:00. Andrew is down for a nap and Daddy and Bradley are outside playing. Mommy is going to kick back and read a book.

Enjoy this time together, take those few moments for yourself too. You’re beautiful and you deserve it. Happy Mother’s Day! You’ve got this!

She’s Lost Her Mind! | Creative Chaos

• April 8th, 2020 •

Devon has lost her mind in quarantine! She has to be crazy… anybody who knows the woman knows she’s a the lovable kind of crazy, but still….. When talking to her the other day she told me she wanted to do something for those families who wanted photos, but she wasn’t able to do them due to the COVID quarantine order. So she told me about her crazy idea…

In addition to the Seniors getting their photos this year…(Seriously, that is so cool! Check that one out if you have seniors!) She is making another offer that she only makes ONCE A YEAR.

Normally reserved for Black Friday, Devon Shanor Photography is now offering 50% more when you purchase a gift certificate!

These are hard times, we miss our clients, our friends, our families… Though we are blessed and thankful for this time to focus on improving the Devon Shanor Photography workflow, we are so looking forward to seeing you when this is all over! Hang tight, this won’t last forever.

What is your favorite game? |Creative Chaos

• April 2nd, 2020 •

Do you have a favorite board game or card game? Did you have family game nights as a kid? I did! I remember we used to have family game night once a week when my brother and I were kids. We could never agree, so we always each brought one we wanted to play and my parents picked between the two.

During this difficult time when we are all self quarantining, board games and card games are making a huge comeback! Monopoly, Risk, Life, Guess Who, Phase 10, Uno, and so many more are being played more and more often! We have always enjoyed games so this is exciting for us to have time to play and Daddy home to join in the fun.

But after game after game of monopoly being whooped by my sister-in-law, my husband and somehow even my three year old, I wanted to get creative. So we are creating our own Monopoly!

We only used graph paper and markers. The movement pieces are beads I had with some hot glue on the bottom for stands! The possibilities are endless! What game would you create your own version of?

Quarantine at the Porter House | Creative Chaos

• March 28th, 2020 •

So this is what quarantine looks like at our house. Chaos.

If you have two littles like I do, I’m sure you are going absolutely bonkers. With two boys, I hear a lot of fire sirens, abc’s and have played game upon game of “firefighters” and lost about 700 races, had 400 meltdowns, 800 loads of laundry, and so much more… But you know what? That’s okay! Even though my ears are constantly ringing (due to the high pitched siren my 3 year old produces, how he does that is beyond me.) I wouldn’t trade this time with them and my husband for anything. Daddy is home from work (he’s active duty so having him home is always a blessing!) and we have been able to have more family time than I could have ever hoped for. We are on day, what, 14 (I think) of this quarantine. If you’re like me, all of your ideas for entertainment have all been exhausted and your backups of your backup cards have all been played. So what now? That is what this blog is all about.

We are not in this alone, whether you have small children, children of school age, children out of the house, no children, living at home, husband or wife deployed, home alone, or everything in between. This is for you. I will be posting a few times a week so, lets get off the couches (I know, they sure are comfy right now…) and do something, creative in the chaos… let’s do this!

Romance Lives for Morgan and Michael

• January 23rd, 2019 •

Morgan and Michael were one of the first couples I photographed for 2019 in my pursuit to capture and spread more love. They have been together for over 12 years and the last time they had portraits taken as a couple was for their wedding. Even though we had to start late because they forgot to bring the guitar, with a little patience we were still able to capture their love and the romance they share in those simple moments. It can be hard to find time to focus on each other when kids and family take the front seat. I am so happy that I was able to help Morgan and Michael rekindle their love for each other. I can’t wait to help more couples rekindle their love in the new year.

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