Shannon Holden Photography

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

This baby girl was so precious! I recently met her and her parents for the first time, through her aunt who was a sorority sister of mine in college. This session was so much fun for me. It was a very rainy day when we met, and as a natural light photographer, rainy days can make my job very challenging. No worries for this session, though, as their house was full of large windows and beautiful light. I wish I had this kind of light in my own home!

Eva is a Daddy’s Girl. She had such sweet, adorable smiles for her daddy’s playful tricks. And she was full of curiosity for her canine sister, who was very patient and gentle as we invited her to join in for a few poses. I bet those two will be great friends in the years to come.

Bob and Ericka, thank you for the chance to meet your beautiful daughter. She is a treasure indeed!

Much love,
Shannon

Gorgeous Liam was about 8 weeks old when we met for our session. This can sometimes be a difficult age to photograph, but Liam made my job easy! He was so bright eyed and curious about me and my camera. The light in his nursery was wonderful, so we spent most of our session shooting in there. The light colors in the decor and the bright windows made for a perfect portrait setting. Liam stayed awake for most of our time together, but finally in the end, we were able to talk him into taking a snooze which let me capture this last sweet image of him with his loving Mommy.

This was a session in which I was particularly drawn to the black and white finish on the images. Nothing can equal the crisp, clean feeling of a black and white photograph, and the emotion it conveys. Truly timeless.

I get several emails each week from new or aspiring photographers seeking advice on getting started. Each one is flattering to receive, and I wish I had the time to answer them all in depth. Unfortunately, as a Wife, Mommy, and Professional Photographer, time is my most precious resource, and the one thing I never seem to have enough of. And so, I usually can’t give each inquiry the dedicated attention I would like. In hopes of offering some insight to these rising artists, I wrote this page on my website quite some time ago. It’s been shared on many other photographers’ blogs and websites, and yet ironically, I have never shared it directly on my own blog!

Since I have gotten a whole new flurry of emails this week, I thought it was time to post it here. I hope it is helpful to those interested.

Starting a Photography Business