Working with Family | Personal

• February 23rd, 2021 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

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! 🙂 

 

Precious Little Braleigh | Newborn Photographer Virginia Beach

• January 13th, 2021 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Oh, how this adorable little cutie stole our hearts!!  She wasn’t quite a newborn, closer to two months old, but she rocked her session anyway!  She loved being wrapped but let us get some adorable little “nakie” pictures too.  And mom wasn’t planning on being in pictures but so glad we convinced her because, can this adorable mom and me picture get any cuter?

 

Wide Eyed and Alert | Newborn Photography

• March 3rd, 2020 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Most newborn sessions I photograph while my little client is sleeping and dreaming! But little Jaylin had no desire to sleep for me! Two breastfeeding sessions, a heating pad, white noise and lots of cuddles and she STILL wouldn’t give in to the sandman. So, we went with it and we did an entire session with those beautiful wide eyes open!

She really is an “old soul” as those eyes say so much. She looks so much older than her 12 days. She was happy as long as I kept her wrapped and snug.

Check out some of my favorites from the alert and beautiful little Jaylin.

I can’t wait to photograph this little princess as she grows up. I’m late blogging this so she is already over 3 months old!!! So many changes in such a short time. Can’t wait for her one year portraits next fall!

New Year More Love

• January 16th, 2019 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Each January I “claim” a word for the new year: a word that is focused around having a single simple word or theme to guide me in what I want to embrace more of in the coming year.

This year I claim LOVE as my word because the world needs more LOVE, I need more LOVE, my family needs more LOVE and my business needs more LOVE!

LOVE is all around us in all of our relationships.  We forget sometimes to focus on the love and instead focus on the bickering, the rushing to get to work or practices, the financial issues, the chores, the disappointments, etc.  We get so busy in the day to day of life that we forget to actually see the love right in front of us.  This year my goal is to give and share more love and in business to work hard to create opportunities for more people to capture their love in print.

I want to do better at encouraging people to capture the LOVE in their relationships.  I want to photograph the beauty and love between a mother and baby, the time tested love of a couple married 40 years, the love for oneself in boudoir, the love between siblings who fight like cats and dogs but also have grown up as each others playmates.  I want to photograph LOVE in all the relationships of life.

For families, I want to focus on encouraging families to CAPTURE the love they share.  Too many times I have heard “It’s been 10 years since we took family portraits” or “I can’t do family portraits until I lose the weight.”  Yet I have also heard after deaths in families “I don’t have any recent picture of my dad with is grandchildren, now it is too late” “I wish I had recent pictures of my parents together that weren’t taken on a cell phone.”  Too often we want to wait for the right moment and forget to recognize that the right moment is RIGHT NOW!

One area I am especially going to focus on this year is capturing LOVE in marriage.  I am not going to say that there are no perfect, never argue, he/she is exactly what I need and want them to be all the time, marriages out there, but in my experience almost ALL marriages have times of extreme struggle.  Look at the divorce rate that keeps climbing- marriage is HARD work.

I have been married for 18 years, together for 22. We fought tooth and nail for each other even when we didn’t like each other.  But the LOVE was there, just hidden beneath the hurt, pain and trauma.  The photographs we have during the good times, smiling and loving each other and our children are reminders that LOVE overcomes.  Our children remember the good times because those are the memories we have on our wall and in our albums.  They see and remember the LOVE their parents have always had for each other.

I photograph families all the time and often take time to get portraits of mom and dad together as well.  But it’s not often I get a full session dedicated to the love between a husband and wife.  That will change this year as I bring back my “Renew” sessions and introduce my “Romance in the Simple Moments” session.  I cannot wait to photograph love that has been TESTED.  Marriages of 5, 10, 15, 30, 50 years. Marriages that, like mine, have gone through the storms and come out battered but stronger than before.

I also need to claim LOVE for myself more this year.  Last year was a very trying year for me and I let self love fall away as I worked so hard to support my husband, kids, family and business.  All of their busyness kept me so overwhelmed that taking care of me took a back seat.  I gained weight and spending time with friends rarely happened. This year I claim SELF- LOVE for myself.  I am determined to loose 40 pounds by eating better and getting back in the gym.  I have already been away on a fabulous girls weekend in NYC with two of my besties. I can’t be the best Devon I need to be if I am not loving myself enough to take care of my mental and physical health. So this year, I will embrace loving myself better.

I am claiming LOVE this year for my business and for myself.  My marriage still has rough patches and places where we can improve the ways we love each other.  Like many of you, we get caught up in the kids and their busy lives and schedules and realize we are more roommates than anything else.  We need to focus of US because without a strong US our family is not as strong as it should be.

Do you have a word for 2019 that you are claiming?  Share it with me, I’d love to stand in agreement with you!

 

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Perfect Little Peanut – Margo

• September 25th, 2018 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Margo was the star of this portrait session! Margo modeled one of my new lace outfits for newborns and I think it looked incredible on her. Margo slept for most of her session making it very easy for me to get some gorgeous portraits of her. I can’t wait to photograph Margo more as she grows up into a beautiful little girl. Congrats Mom and Dad, you have a perfect little peanut!

 

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Newborn Photography and Safety for your baby | Hampton Roads Photographer

• June 20th, 2018 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

I adore photographing newborns! My youngest is 12 so, my littlest clients give me my baby fix!  They are so tiny, new, squishy, and adorable!!  I love molding them into little naked balls, swaddling them into little beans with my wraps, and perfectly inserting them into baskets and bowls.  That said, a newborn shoot is not easy – with much of the work happening before I even book a client!

When I take your little one out of your hands to photograph them, I am accepting the greatest gift you have ever been given.  I am taking the baby that just days ago you had only ever held in your womb.  I have a HUGE responsibility to care for that baby and make sure he/she is safe and sound.  I take that responsibility seriously and I have put in the work to make sure I am educated on how to photograph your baby safely.  I have attended newborn workshops and classes to make sure I know how to mold, swaddle, and insert your perfect little bundles into the beautiful poses you often see in newborn portraits.

Often the pictures you see are not single images- but two or three images composited together where I am photoshopping out my assistants hands and fingers that are helping hold that perfect little baby in that pose.  The beautiful pictures of babies hanging from tree limbs- often that baby is just two inches off the ground- not hanging freely as the photograph would like you believe.  Expert and trained newborn photographers know these tricks and tools to keep your baby safe while still creating amazing art of your precious baby.

You are probably aware that newborn babies can’t support their own heads- so the famous pose with the little one holding their head on their tiny hands, is IMPOSSIBLE to do without doing a composite.  I always tell a client I can’t promise that shot because unless the baby is relaxed and completely asleep- that shot isn’t going to happen.  If your 6 day old baby doesn’t want to be in a certain position, I will not force them just for a picture. I still capture amazing images for my clients that express who their baby is and what they like even at such a young age.

The point of my post is to encourage people to research your photographers ESPECIALLY for newborn portraits.  You only get one chance to do newborn portraits (they change immensely after the first 2 weeks) and you don’t want your first portraits of your little one and your first portraits as a family being done by someone without the experience your child deserves.  While I understand cost becomes a big deciding factor for many people, for the safety of your newborn I beg you not to hire someone with price in mind.  An amazing deal doesn’t equal proper training and education to provide you with a safe environment and portrait session for your newborn.

I continue to take classes and attend workshops on newborn photography. I want to stay up to date on all the information out there so that I can enhance my client’s portrait sessions. You and your little precious munchkin deserve experience, education and passion.

Look at examples of a photographer’s work and try to find the photographer with the style you are looking for. When looking into a photographer, make sure you ask many questions such as:

  • How many newborns have you photographed?
  • Do you have an assistant with you during newborn shoots?
  • Are you educated in newborn safety during shoots?
  • Are you a licensed photographer with business insurance?
  • How long have you been in business?
  • What tools do you use to help my newborn calm down when they start to cry?

Get the information you need to make the very best choice for your little munchkin.  You want your session to be something you remember with fondness and love, not fear and unease.  Choose the photographer who will make your session easy for both you and baby, and will create amazing portraits you’ll cherish forever!

Here are a few composite images I have complete for my clients.  Enjoy!

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Devin 2.0 is Here! | Hampton Roads Newborn Photographer

• December 13th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Welcome to the world sweet baby Devin! Not only did I get to capture portraits of momma’s new munchkin, but I got to capture BEAUTIFUL maternity photos! 

Mom and Dad Urie are both in the military, so I would like to take this time and say thank you so much for your service! This couple was an absolute blast to work with. They are so in love and so silly together! There was a lot of laughter and sweet moments while capturing portraits for this lovely family! 

I was so excited when I got the call that baby Devin had made his appearance! The little munchkin marches to the beat of his own drum and wasn’t sure how he felt about being the star of the shoot. No matter how he felt he was cooperative and I was able to capture some very sweet portraits for Mom and Dad to keep forever! 

 Andrea and Jamison thank you so much for allowing me to capture these sweet memories for your little family! 

If you’d like to book a newborn or maternity shoot, please feel free to contact me! 

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Santa Clause Came Early! | Hampton Roads Photographer

• December 8th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Santa Clause made an appearance at the beach this year! The weather was chilly but I’m sure that made Santa feel at home! We had so many great families! 

We love when Santa on the beach mini sessions because we get to capture so many beautiful portraits for families and help a family in need. Instead of a session fee we ask that those participating donate a toy for a family who may not get a Christmas this year. We actually over filled a big box of toys for the munchkins we are helping out, how awesome is that!?!?!  

We had so much fun with this shoot as you can see below! Each family was super awesome and we were able to capture such great portraits that we love so much and hope you do too! 

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New Office, New Season! | Hampton Roads Photographer

• October 12th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

We are so excited to announce that we have moved offices!  It was a little bit of a crazy (and unexpected) transition but we have settled in quite nicely and have enjoyed making the place our own. The best part is that it is ALL OURS!!!  No more sharing!

We’ve made small changes around the office for better efficiency and are happy to say it’s working very well for us! Our favorite addition is an adorable newborn wall where we’ve hung all the outfits and headbands/bows! We also have a changing table for my very little clients!

It’s exciting to see this new season start to unfold so quickly! We love our new office and hope that you love it as much as we do!!

If you haven’t visited us yet, you should! Our new 4862 Shell Rd so feel free to stop by and say hello! We love visitors 🙂

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Sweet Sofia Stokes|Virginia Beach Newborn Photographer

• October 5th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

I’ve been privileged to take newborn portraits for a second time with Stokes family! Shana and Donnie recently welcomed sweet Sofia to the family and she is adorable! Sweet Sofia was such a good baby who slept most of the time which made my job super easy! We captured some amazing portraits and she looks bee-utiful! 

I was blessed to photography their first daughter,  Adalynn, and I got to watch this sweet girl grow with the Baby’s First Year plan! I’m so excited to get to do the same with Sofia! 

Adalynn is a big girl now and a big sister. It’s tough being three and patient while waiting for newborn portraits but she rocked it and we got some adorable portraits of these precious girls!

I’m so thankful that Shana and Donnie continue to trust me to capture these moments. I am so excited to watch their little munchkins grow into not so little munchkins! 

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