Meet Jayden! She was one of my senior models this year. Such a great girl! We had an awesome time at her shoot and ended up with some amazing stuff! Girls, I can't tell you enough ... bring a fab pair of heels to your session! You don't have to wear them the whole time, but they just really complete the look for some outfits! I LOVE that her shoes match her car! Perfection!

I am currently booking class of 2016 spring senior photos and filling spots on my 2017 model team! If you are interested in either, shoot me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. !

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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 hardly ever get the chance to do engagement sessions because I don't do weddings, but I got the opportunity recently and I jumped on it! I forgot how much fun these can be! This couple is adorable and I had the chance to try out some fun things I had been saving up for the next chance I had to do these. Here are some of my absolute favorites! Sorry for the overload. It was a really tough choice!

 

This was another beautiful fall day at Falls Park in Pendleton. Such a great location for photos!

 

As usual, I am behind on blogging! You can always keep up with my most recent work on my Facebook Fan Page. www.facebook.com/shawnamariephotography.com  there is always something new there to see! While you're at it, become a fan and join my contest! I am trying to get to 1000 fans and when I do, I will be giving away an Organic Bloom Frame! Never heard of them? You MUST check them out! Amazing frames! I am selling them now too, so if you're looking to get one, contact me!  Anyway, all you have to do to win the contest is tell your friends to go like my page and then leave a comment on my wall with YOUR NAME. That's it! The person with the most referrals wins! When I hit 1000 fans, you get your prize :)

Soooo enough about that! Let's have some photos! It's been too long!