This is Jess, we did her session back in June. Jess wanted a location with water and place to do some softball pics as well. Her shoot was great and we got some fantastic images, and doesn't she have the most amazing eyes?  Check out a few of my favorites below!

Let's just put it out there ... my blog is never up to date! lol. I'm going to try this season, but as usual I am already way behind!  I do want to start with my class of 2016 senior models! This has been the first year for my senior model program and so far I think I can speak for all of us when I say we are loving it! The girls are having a great time as am I! We are getting some stunning shots and they are going to have a HUGE variety of photos from their senior year. My senior model program is by invite only, but you can snag an invite by speaking to my current senior models! If you are a junior, let them know you are interested and give them your info! They will be handing in names of people they think will be a good fit and I will contact you in the spring to come to a meeting to see what it's all about!

Now, for the best part ... Here are my girls!

First up Jess! Jess is a senior at Mt. Vernon High School where she plays softball! I have a LOT of softball players this year, so we have a really fun shoot planned in a couple weeks! Stay tuned for that! Next up is Olivia! Olivia is a senior at Eastern Hancock High School! Olivia loves hanging with her friends, going to summer concerts and weightlifting.
Kerrigan is a senior at Pendleton Heights High School. She plays softball and is involved with her school's radio station 91.7 WEEM. Bailey is also a senior at Pendleton Heights High School. She plays softball and enjoys vacationing with her family.  Jayden is a senior at Shenandoah High School where she plays softball.  Nicole is also a senior at Shenandoah High school where she plays softball. She also spent time last year with her family as a missionary in Honduras.  Tori is a senior at Rushville Consolidated High School. She plays softball and volleyball. Brittaney is a senior at Lapel High School where she is a cheerleader and a softball player. Katie is a senior at Hamilton South Eastern High School where she plays basketball. And last, but not least ... Marlee is also a senior at Hamilton South Eastern High School where she plays softball.


 
This is my entire model team at our Boho Themed shoot earlier this year. It was a great time and we got amazing photos! I used several of them here!

It was a great year for us here at Shawna Marie Photography! I had some really great seniors and fun sessions! Here are a few of my absolute faves, as I am pretty sure I didn't get a chance to blog ANY of them. I am so terrible about keeping up here! I keep much more current work at www.facebook.com/shawnamariephotography  !

Congrats to all of my 2015 seniors!

I am now booking and currently shooting 2016 seniors. If you want a summer session be sure to book ASAP! June is full, July is almost full and August is starting to book!

I can't get enough of newborn shoots! I have so many I need to add to the blog! Here is little Mr. Payton! He is such a cutie! You just want to pinch his adorable little cheeks :)

 

Now's your chance! This year, and THIS YEAR ONLY I will take model applications for my senior model program. After this year, Models will be by invitation only. I am only going to take 10-12 Models this year and I have around 8 people in mind already. I do still need a model from Greenfield, New Pal and Eastern Hancock for sure. Being a model is not free, but you get all this and more!

• $100 print credit on your senior session if done by a certain date
• Free family mini session before you graduate and go off to school
• Extra free sessions at cool places! *Will go over at model meeting*
• Input on group session ideas
• Opportunities for assisting jobs that actually pay $
• The chance to get to know new people from other schools
• Free T-shirt that models will help design
• Opportunities to earn points that transfer to Cash$
• Featured in my senior magazine
• A personalized App to show off all of your photos
• prom photos based on availability *must schedule in advance
• one of your sport/game/school events photographed *You will need to give me your schedule and I will pick the closest location to me based on my availability

If you are interested in this opportunity, send me a text 317-319-6045 or an email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I will send you an application and more information!

Spring senior season got away from me! I haven't had a chance to blog most of my 2014 seniors, and here we are starting 2015 seniors! But that just means it's been a great year ! I didn't want you to miss out on this gorgeous girl! She's a softball player too, so I was right at home and so so so happy to do her softball related shots! Those never get old! Enough talk, these images speak for themselves!

 

It's that time of year again! Travel softball! I have photographed several teams this season, but this is by far my favorite! Probably because I know these girls. They are my daughter's teammates, and this is one of the most drama free sweet group of girls I know! Love them so much! I would love to add ALL of the photos, but that would be total overload, so I will post a couple of each pose and of course our Team banner and this year's memory mate! Pretty sure it's my favorite Ever! :)  If you are in need of sports photography or if you are a senior who plays sports and needs senior photos, please contact me! My middle senior package includes a visit to one of your games, and I LOVE to include sports photos in your senior session as well!

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I just want to say Congrats to each and every one of you! I am honored that you chose me to help you remember YOU as a senior! Each of you is beautiful inside and out and I can't wait to see where your journey takes you! Don't forget me when that journey brings you new babies! ;) haha!  Here is a little video of each of my seniors that signed a model release ... to those of you who didn't, I wish you the best as well, I just can't share your photos :)

If the video won't play for you, you can see it here as well!

http://video214.com/play/4d6p1rlXX1nY5iLVY0E70A/s/dark
 
 

Had a great session this past fall with Rachel. My make-up artist gave her a fresh and natural look because she doesn't normally wear much make-up.

If you haven't had your senior session yet, no worries, it's not too late! Just give me a call 317-319-6045 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This is sweet little Jade:) She just celebrated her first birthday. Watch carefully because there are live and still moments:) Want one of your own? Give me a call! 317-319-6045 or Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Meet baby Benjamin. He was born on Halloween, which means we most definitely did get a costume shot, and since Christmas was right around the corner, we were able to get photographs for his first Christmas cards as well. We had a lot of fun, and don't you just love the "Got Milk" pics? He made the cutest little Santa!

[caption id="attachment_764" align="aligncenter" width="754"] The gorgeous new family :)




If you love these photos, make sure you give me a call or email to book your own newborn session!
317-319-6045
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So when people hire me for their senior photos, they usually want to know what sets me apart. I could answer with a lot of things ... the way I treat my clients, the amount of time I pour into learning new techniques and lighting, the way I pray before every single session for God to help me make this one the best one I've ever done, the passion I have for what I do, the way I don't JUST love taking the photos, but I love opening them up on my computer and creating the perfect masterpiece ... Art. That is what sets me apart. My vision. My art. The colors that pop off the page, the light, the emotion. I'm offering something to my seniors this year that I haven't seen offered in this area. Seniors are typically involved in a lot whether it be sports, drama, choir, band, cheer or other interests like racing or dirt bikes etc. The point is, we can go out and take some amazing portraits, but if you truly want to remember who they were during their senior year, what about some action shots of them doing what they love ? I love my seniors! I would love to come to a game or a performance and capture them in their element, and then you can have a really great piece of art to hang in your home or they can hang in their dorm, or we can do an album... I'm adding a senior session package that includes a visit from me to an activity of their choice. It should be a home game or event unless an away game will put them closer to me, then that is your choice. When it's over I can create something really great for you that will last long after they put their glove down for the last time ...

So what are you waiting for? Email me This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or give me a call! 317-319-6045 Your senior doesn't want to miss out on this, and neither will you!

Want to get some quick, cute and very affordable Christmas pics of the kids while helping others too? For $50 you are going to get a session, 5 digital images with print release drop boxed to you within 48 hours of your session! And, if you bring a new unopened toy for toys for tots, I will throw in 3 extra digital images for free! Also, if you host a "Portrait Party" at my studio, you get your own session free! All you have to do is gather 5 friends, fill up 5 slots in one day, collect their money and get it to me to secure your day and you earn your session!

Today for the final day of my charity features, I am going to share a few things with you.... as you can see, I am involved in several different organizations. I am a part of 2 others that I am currently inactive in. I have my reasons for each, which I will explain ... and I am also going to share my OWN idea. Well, maybe it's not my own, as it came to me while in prayer.

First off is Red Thread Sessions: Red thread is an organization that does photos for adoptive families. I think this is great and important, and if someone eventually comes to me for one of these, I will happily oblige. I haven't stayed really active in this one because I haven't seen a great desire/need for it in our area. Not that no one is adopting, but not a lot of interest in the free session.

Second : NILMDTS otherwise known as Now I lay Me Down to Sleep (where we take photos of babies who are about to pass or who were stillborn so that their parents have something to remember them by) ... This one is very, very  important to me, and I actively served for several years. However, having 4 kids always going here and there and 2 young ones who can't be left alone yet made it extremely difficult. Sometimes you have to just GO right now or you miss the last few minutes of a baby's life... the last few precious seconds that a parent gets to hold their living, breathing newborn baby. You can't miss that. But I couldn't always leave RIGHT NOW.  I spread myself too thin and something had to go FOR NOW. As much as I hated it to be this one, this is the one that I can't say I'm sorry I can't take this one. This is the one you may have to leave in the middle of a ballgame or a bedtime story, so for now I had to become inactive, but when my little ones are a little older, I will definitely go back. It is the most heartwrenching thing I have ever done, but knowing what you are giving those parents makes every tear you cry all the way home 100% worth it. If you are a photographer and you have the time for something like this CHECK THEM OUT! You won't regret it.

Last but not least ... last year was a rough year for our family. We struggled financially, our daughter was diagnosed with a condition we had never heard of, she had brain surgery ... and I just kept praying and asking asking asking every single day for help, for provision for her health and total healing. God came through for us, just as I knew He would and one day I found myself praying and instead of asking, I asked Him what I could do for Him. I asked Him to use me to bless someone else ... and then the idea came to me. I love teenagers. I mean they baffle me at times, and drive me crazy, but I love them and I LOVE doing senior photos. I have such a great time, and I hate that any senior can't have them because they can't afford them. I hate the idea of a teen being teased and bullied all through school. I want to take them out and take amazing photos of them and show them how amazing they are! So each year I will be accepting nominations for teens who can't afford photos, who are or have gone  through something difficult, who are being bullied, teased or feel horrible about themselves... I have the stories sent to me, and there is NO WAY I could choose one winner (and no way I could afford to take them all on, though I wish I could!) so I pray over them, and then draw one out. I know every time, the person who gets this session is the person God intended for me to bless. Again right before graduation I will ask if anyone was unable to get photos and then I will do a day of mini sessions and gift one 8x10 to each kid.   I really want to make the full session BIG. If you or someone you know is interested in donating a Hair and Makeup session, clothing, a clothing allowance, print credits *at cost (I give a CD with the session. There is no cost to the teen ever) anything that  could make the session a big deal, shoot me an email or give me a call! I would love to team up with you on this!

Thank you so much for reading these this week. I am so thankful for every one of these organizations and really want more people to know about all of them! We can't give them if no one realizes they exist:)  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

Today's featured charity I donate sessions to is The Magic Hour Foundation  .  Magic Hour donates photo sessions and digital images to individuals and families who are fighting, or have fought cancer.  (From the Magic Hour web page : "We are a national network of professional photographers who want to serve the individuals and families who are fighting cancer by providing them with the ability to celebrate the truly important things in life through photography. These charitable portrait sessions will provide an opportunity to be normal - just relax, smile and have fun with loved ones. Above all, we will strive to express compassion and love as we support them and pray for God’s grace in their lives, no matter the outcome of their battle")  I'm pretty sure there isn't a person out there who hasn't been touched by cancer in some way. I personally have lost grandparents and a cousin to cancer, so when this charity appeared on my Facebook page looking for a Photographer in the Indianapolis area for a breast cancer survivor, it was an easy decision for me to step up and join. I'm very new to this charity, and as of now, she's the only session I have done, and while I wish I didn't have to take anymore, because that would mean there was no one out there suffering this horrible disease, I'm looking forward to being able to donate this service to other families who are going through this. I don't think many know about Magic Hour yet. I hope this creates a little bit more awareness for the foundation, because everyone battling this disease deserves to have a day  off ... a day to just enjoy their family and create special memories.

I am just going to link you to the blog post I already wrote for Amy's Magic Hour session since she's the only one I have had ... Amy's Story .

Today's Featured charity is Operation Love Reunited (or OP LOVE as we call it). If you know me, you know why this one is important to me. Being a military wife, I know how important photos are when your loved one is deployed. Actually, while I have had a love for photography my entire life, my husband's first deployment was the push I needed to go for it. We had 2 small children when he left and I didn't want him to miss any of it. I couldn't imagine missing it myself. I even utilized OP LOVE when he came home from his 2nd tour in Iraq. The reunion photos are some of my absolute favorite to do, but I wanted something that showed my WHOLE family... without me missing. It was a great experience and it made me realized just how important what we do actually is.  You can visit the Op Love site to be paired with a photographer in your area HERE.  We cover sessions of the entire family before your loved one leaves, during R&R, or just those of you left home during the deployment, or homecoming. You can receive 2 of those sessions per deployment ... one of the first 3 options and the homecoming. (Don't miss the homecoming! Those photos are amazing, and it's such a whirlwind!) If you utilize any of the first 3 options, your photos are sent in an album overseas to the deployed soldier, all free of charge to you, then the homecoming photos will be given to you on disk shortly after the session.

Here are a few of my favorite Op Love photos :) Enjoy, and share with anyone you know who could utilize this wonderful organization! :)

As promised, this week I am going to feature each photography related charity that I actively participate in. The first charity I am featuring is very near and dear to my heart. Inspiration Through Art. Through ITA I am connected with children suffering from a chronic illness. We provide photos free of charge for their families to mark this part of their lives be it, remission, recovery, time for surgery or to preserve their memory for their families when they pass on. Meeting these kids can be gut wrenching, but they are all so amazing, and you walk away with a new connection to some of the strongest kids and families you will ever meet. You can connect with ITA on facebook  here .

ITA goes beyond just photographing these kids. If you are not a photographer, you can still participate in this program. The connection with these children doesn't end with their photos. They can be paired with someone who sends them a birthday box and/or other boxes throughout the year if they are hospitalized or homebound. They also give away mini getaways for nominated families. Donations are always welcome to help keep the program running, if you'd like to help in that way.

I will leave you with a couple of photos from my own ITA photo sessions ... First up ... Aleigha. This little girl has been through so much, but she is always so spunky and cute and with God and Pink, she can do anything! A little princess for sure :)  You can read Aleigha's story HERE . It goes way back. She's been in remission, but right now, she's battling another kind of cancer so keep her in your prayers!

 


Next up ... Meet Grace. Grace was adopted by this amazing family, and she had several things going on... Graces' parents contacted me when she was going to be at Riley for surgery for her CHD. They wanted this time in their lives documented. They were so great and fun to meet. You can read more about Grace and her family HERE ...



 
And then, something I wasn't prepared for ... my own daughter was able to benefit from ITA. I chose to be the photographer who did her photos, but I applied because ITA is great about getting those stories out there, and the more we can learn about the different things children can suffer from, the better. My daughter was diagnosed with CHIARI MALFORMATION and went through decompression surgery about 15 months ago. She is doing great now. You can read her story HERE.

 

I have had the pleasure of working with this family a couple of times. I did Miss Delainey's newborn photos 2 years ago, and they brought her and her newborn baby sis, Ellerie, for photos this time. We did Ellerie's newborn photos and a couple of photos for Delainey's 2 year pictures. They are such adorable little girls. I had a great time with them :)

I loved this session. I love all newborn sessions! This little girl was sleepy and easy to shoot. We got to use a lot of different poses and props :) Here are some of my favorites! Don't miss the one where she is peeing down her daddy's arms. lol!

This has been such a great year for seniors. This is Madison. She went with my 2 day session and we had a blast. Love her different looks!