Category: Uncategorized

09 Jun

Newborn Pictures and LIFE!

Newborn Today, Family Tomorrow: Because Life Happens

Sometimes, the plan is a cozy newborn session with the whole family all together. But life? Oh, it has other ideas.

When this sweet little one arrived, we kicked things off with a beautiful newborn portrait session in my Virginia Beach studio—tiny fingers, sleepy cuddles, and all the squishy goodness that comes with those first few weeks.

But… a few unexpected curveballs (including a broken bone or two 😬) meant the full family couldn’t make it in right away.

So we did what we do best—we adjusted, adapted, and made magic anyway.
Newborn portraits one month. Full family portraits the next.

And you know what? It was perfect. Because photography isn’t about perfectly timed sessions—it’s about honoring your story as it unfolds. Whether it’s sleepy snuggles or big sibling giggles a few weeks later, we make space for it all.

If your timeline doesn’t go exactly as planned, don’t worry—we’ll still capture every beautiful, real, and love-filled moment.


💛 Newborn portraits don’t have an expiration date—and neither do family memories.

Let’s create space for real life and real portraits… whenever the time is right.

07 Jun

Glam & Glitter- A Queen’s Birthday Shoot

Let’s be real—turning 22 deserves way more than a cupcake and a Facebook post. It’s giving confidence, glow-ups, and a whole lot of sparkle. ✨ And this birthday milestone session? Straight-up QUEEN behavior.

This beauty came into my Virginia Beach studio ready to shine—and she did just that in not one, not two, but multiple fabulous looks. From a glittering black gown to a dreamy tulle robe to popping confetti and gold balloons, we celebrated 22 years of beauty, strength, and sass. 🎉👑

Milestone birthday portraits aren’t just about the age—they’re about capturing the joy of where you are in life right now. Whether you’re turning 18, 22, 30, 40, or 60, this moment matters. You’ve grown, overcome, and slayed your way here—let’s celebrate that with portraits that reflect your sparkle.

In-studio birthday sessions at Devon Shanor Photography are completely personalized. Glam it up with gowns and glitter, keep it casual with jeans and laughter, or do both (because, why not?). We provide a relaxed, encouraging space that brings out your real smile, your bold beauty, and your big energy.

So if you’re ready to own your next trip around the sun, let’s make it extra memorable. Come celebrate yourself in the most fabulous way possible.

Because life’s too short for boring birthday pictures. 🎂

04 Jun

The Bunch is Back—with a Birthday Bash!

A Decade With the Bunch Crew (and One Very Special First Birthday)

One of the best parts of being a portrait photographer in Virginia Beach? Getting to watch families grow over the years. 💕 And the Bunch family? They’ve held a special place in front of my lens for over a decade! We’ve gone from engagement to wedding to pregnancies and babies!

From the early days to now—through milestones, laughter, and life’s beautiful chaos—this family has trusted me to capture their story. And this session? It was all about K’s first birthday, but we couldn’t let the opportunity pass without a few updated family portraits too!

We started with a soft, floral birthday set—because you only turn ONE once, and we believe in making it adorable. Then we brought in the family to capture the snuggles, the giggles, and the joy that makes their love so real and so radiant.

Big sister brought the charm, mom and dad brought the smiles, and baby K brought the giggles and the bath splashes!

It’s always an honor to photograph milestones like this, but when I’ve been with a family for years, it becomes more than a session… it’s a celebration of legacy, love, and little ones growing far too fast.


To the Bunch family—thank you for letting me walk this journey with you. Here’s to another decade of memories and milestones. 🥰

02 Jun

Cap. Gown. Glow Up- 2025

Your graduation is more than a moment—it’s a whole vibe. 🎓✨

Whether you walked the stage already or still have senioritis in full swing, there’s still time to book a fun, expressive cap-and-gown session in the studio. These photos? They’re not just for grandma’s fridge (though she’ll love them). They’re for YOU. To celebrate your smile, your journey, and your glow-up.

At Devon Shanor Photography, we keep it fun and relaxed. Want glam lighting? Classic clean white? A few shots with mom that make her tear up? Yup. We’re doing all of it.

Graduation portraits don’t have to be stiff or boring. Let’s bring the energy, the confidence, and the sparkle—and capture portraits that feel authentically YOU.


🎓 Already graduated? No problem. You can STILL book!
This isn’t about a date on a calendar. It’s about celebrating the person you’’ve were’ve been, current are and are becoming!

30 May

Last Call for 2025 Seniors

Senior Year Isn’t Over Until You’ve Got the Portraits to Prove It

Class of 2024, this one’s for you. 🎓
Yes, the tassel’s been turned. Yes, the cap’s already tossed. But here’s the truth—you STILL deserve amazing senior portraits that capture who you are right now.

If senior pictures didn’t happen earlier in the year (or maybe just didn’t feel you), we’ve got you covered. At Devon Shanor Photography in Virginia Beach, we’re offering studio mini sessions for high school seniors—even after graduation.
Quick. Easy. Totally personalized. And full of images that celebrate your vibe, your accomplishments, and your unique story.

Whether you want sleek and simple with bold black backdrops, something soft and natural in studio, or a vibe that’s unapologetically alternative—we’ll bring your vision to life.

👟 Cap and gown? Got it.
🖤 Converse and confidence? Yes please.
🎯 Just want to feel seen in portraits that feel real and expressive? That’s our thing.

Don’t wait. Your senior year deserves to be documented—no matter what the calendar says.

Let’s schedule your mini session now and finish the year with portraits that feel just as strong as the journey you’ve walked.

29 May

Simple First Birthday Portraits That Shine

Not every one-year session needs cake-covered fingers and sparkly backdrops. Sometimes, the magic is in the simple. The soft smile. The curious glance. The little toes peeking out from a tutu. At Devon Shanor Photography, we know some parents prefer a classic, no-fuss portrait session—and that’s exactly what we delivered here in our Virginia Beach studio!

This sweet girl didn’t need a cake smash to steal the show. From soft yellow florals to a vintage tub surrounded by rubber duckies, every setup was intentionally calm, clean, and timeless. And her expressions? Pure gold.

Whether you’re looking for bright and bold or soft and simple, your baby’s first birthday portraits should reflect your vision. We’re here to create a personalized experience that lets your little one shine—props or no props!

📸 Want a clean, classic one-year session without the bells and whistles? Let’s make it happen. Whether it’s a simple outfit, a cozy blanket, or a favorite stuffed animal, we’ll turn it into something beautiful (and totally frame-worthy).

Want to learn more about booking your own one year session? Book a free consultation by clicking here!

10 Mar

DSP Candids of the Week! | Candids

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! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23 Feb

Working with Family | Personal

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! 🙂 

 

01 Feb

What’s coming in 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! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30 Nov

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

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.

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