{personal} something i will ponder

i'm been contemplating this whole blogging thing lately. i am not the most disciplined blogger, and if i haven't any work to share i often find it difficult to come up with something write. part of this is questioning how much of me - my thoughts, my life happenings, my dreams and ideals - do i share... do you really want to know? but moreover, i want to make sure that i my work is about my clients having the best experience and not about me getting my accolades and being a "celebrity"!

there seems to be two camps within the professional wedding industry. those that market themselves, and those that market their work. but most of the photographers that i love and am inspired by seem to find a way to balance both things well. through sharing their life with their clients [and anyone else who cares to read their blog, follow their facebook, retweet their tweets] many photographers successfully promote their work, their skills, and offer insight into the overall experience they wish to give their clients that makes their clients feel like rockstars!

i know i am a good photographer and that my work is good. part of what makes me confident of this is your feedback; the other part is that i am always striving to learn, to better my skills, to see/find/create the light, to better the quality of the finished product, to learn more about the history of photography and the photographers who have been most prolific since the invention of the camera, and who the game changers of my industry have been. i am always looking for inspiration from unusual sources and pushing myself to look as things differently through the lens.  but, what really makes me a good photographer is because i love what i do [aside from bookkeeping and few other things i have to do to operate a business, there is no part of my job that i do not love], and because i pour every bit of myself into my clients and work, and find my own life-giving moments in this. i love my clients as though they are my friends. i want my clients to be happy, to follow their dreams and to be successful in love and life the same way i desire these things for my friends. so... how do i separate myself from my work? 


this time of year [in this part of canada] is likely to be slower as people hibernate in their homes and think less about having a winter wedding or being outside to have their high school senior portraits taken [though, hello, how beautiful the morning light is in the morning... i would love to be out shooting more right now!!], thus i am going to take some time to really think about how i wish to move forward with my business, what kind of web presence i wish to have and how to balance who i am with the work i do so that my clients always have the very best experience that is one hundred percent centered upon them, delivers amazing photographs to boot, and so that i can feel the joy that my work brings to me!

thank you for sharing my journey with me!

love & sunshine,
shannon-may

{family} marshall, kristina and maxwell

i was there in the hospital for maxwell's first bath ever [with camera in tow of course], i was there when he first came home from the hospital, and i was there to photograph him when he first began to grow and fill out all the cute little onesies kristina and marshall had collected all the many months before maxwell was born. so there was no question that maxwell's aunty shannon-may would be there to photograph him and his mommy and daddy as they prepared to celebrate their first christmas as a family! 

is was a pretty slow start to the day. we started out with some photos at home, enjoying the festive christmas decor. maxwell was really not feeling the whole sit-on-mommy-and-daddy's-lap-and-smile thing while a camera is pointed at him!! oh, but he looked so dapper in his checked pants and suspenders [suspenders i bought for him last summer while in bar harbour, maine]! happy faces came when he was free to explore, pulling things off the advent calendar!! 

marshall and kristina live in belcarra village close to the ever so lovely belcarra provincial park. the morning light was just beginning to peak over the trees when were there. the morning frost had yet to melt away, and air was soft and delicious. it was a gorgeous setting for some outdoor photos of marshall, kristina and maxwell, who bundled up for the weather! maxwell was definitely feeling these photos... no lack of smiles on this little guy!

 i am in love with these photos. it helps of course that i love the people in the photos, but also the light was so amazing!!! i am definitely going to start exploring morning light versus evening light...

love & sunshine,

shannon-may

ps: looking back at marshall, kristina and maxwell's first set of family photos and looking through this latest set not only shows how much maxwell has grown in just eleven months, but i also see how i have grown as a photographer in those few months as well. i am thankful everyday for everyone who has encouraged me and taken a risk with me, and for God who continually inspires me and challenges me to grow!