Shannon Holden Photography

“When a baby is born, so is a mother.” One of my favorite quotations. It’s so true. Once a child enters your life, you are never the same.

And now, one of my dearest friends in the world has become a mother. Peggy and I met in college, and our friendship grew closer in the years after that. It was Peggy who held my hand at 4:30 a.m. in a hospital room, as I held my mother’s, as Mom left this life behind for Heaven. I told Peggy that night that she was no longer just a friend to me. She was a sister.

Life gets hectic though, and living in different states can make it hard to stay in touch. I don’t get to see Peggy nearly as often as I’d like. But to get the chance to celebrate with her as she welcomes her first child into the world … well, that’s something that I wouldn’t miss. So with our other dear friend, Melissa, we got to spend a weekend catching up and meeting Miss Addie.

Addie was 6 weeks old when I met her. Normally that is an age that can be difficult to photograph, which is why I generally recommend that my clients schedule their newborn portrait sessions between 6 and 10 days after the baby’s birth. After the first couple weeks of life, babies learn that they can wiggle and stretch, and posing for portraits is not high on their list of favorite things. But obviously in some circumstances, it’s just not possible to schedule a portrait session in that early window. Miss Addie proved me wrong on the timing, and she was an absolute delight. She even agreed to a quick snooze during her portrait session. She might truly be one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen. With a mother like Peggy, I know she will have a lifelong beauty that radiates from within.

Welcome to the world, darling Addie. What a blessing you are!

Much love,
Shannon

Finn has arrived! Blog readers met his big sister, Rowan, last Fall. Finn was so nice and sleepy for our session. He didn’t mind a bit as we interrupted his nap for each new pose. And in excellent timing, he woke up at the end of our session for a few more images with those bright eyes open. Perfect! I think he’s going to have that same gorgeous red hair like his big sister. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job? Finn’s portrait session was my first day back “on the job” after a short break following the holiday chaos. Admittedly, I was feeling a bit burned out after the craziness of the holiday portrait season. Many of us photographers feel that way. But the minute I started packing my camera bag to head out to meet Finn, that surge of energy and excitement came back to me, and I had a blast at his session. Simply having a camera in my hand … that’s all it takes to reawaken my inner photographer.

Ryan, Sarah, Rowan, and Finn … may God shower you with love, laughter, and blessings in your lives together. Thank you for the chance to share a little of all three with you.

Much love,
Shannon

As I mentioned in my recent post here, we have a new baby cousin in our family! Precious Hudson Robert arrived just after Thanksgiving. My cousin’s family lives in the Washington, DC area, and their favorite photographer recently moved out of state. During our Thanksgiving visit, as Heather and I browsed some local photographer’s websites, we decided on the spur of the moment that I would just fly back to DC after Hudson was born! How thrilled I was to be his first photographer! Unfortunately, my ticket was booked for the weekend that the DC area with hit with a massive amount of snow, and sadly that same day, my husband’s grandmother passed away. Heather and I agreed that it would really be best if I postponed my trip rather than get snowed in, especially at a time when my family here needed me.

Thus, Hudson was already several weeks old by the time I got to DC just after Christmas, so he really wanted no part of the sleepy, curly, newbie baby shots. Nonetheless, we had 36 hours for this session, and in that time, we finally talked him into a snooze or two! I couldn’t resist a few more images of Riley and Jake while I was there. These two just grow more stunning every year. And they are so in love with their new baby brother. What an honor and a blessing it was for me to get to spend this weekend with them. I only wish we lived closer, so it wouldn’t have to be months in between our visits!

Welcome to our family, sweet Hudson!!

Much love,
Shannon

Meet Megan! This darling baby girl joins a family with three big brothers, so you can imagine the excitement when her parents found out they had a girl on the way! We had a little trouble getting Megan’s newborn portraits scheduled, so she was just a bit older than the age of 10-14 days I usually recommend, but that’s ok! At 4 weeks old, Megan was so curious and alert, which was such a treat for me! We managed to coax her to sleep for just a few minutes, but she was reluctant to miss out on anything exciting while she snoozed. I understand, sweet girl. I wouldn’t want to miss out on the party either.

I just love those big blue eyes and those beautiful, soft cheeks. So sweet! (Boy, do I have baby fever lately! Thank goodness my job lets me spend time with so many tiny babies. I always pause for a quick snuggle during our sessions.) I’ll be curious to see how much pink fills up the B household now that they have a girl! With three big brothers, she might just find more interest in Transformers and Star Wars as she grows up. Nah … I think she’ll be a pretty princess through and through!