Shannon Holden Photography

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles, and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles; and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea
-e.e. cummings

It’s falling a cold, steady rain in Atlanta tonight, and I’m dreaming of warmth and sun and sand. Anyone out there dreaming with me?

I have two sons and a daughter. I always wanted a daughter, long before I became a parent. I’m an only child, so the “girl” world was all I ever knew. When our son was born, I was not only overwhelmed by motherhood in general, but felt completely clueless on how to raise a boy. Truth be told, I still do sometimes. But as I fell in love with my son, I realized this was one of those times where God did not give me what I thought I wanted, but he absolutely gave me what I needed.

Then a second son came along, and I was fully, happily, excitedly engaged in the role of Mom to Boys. My boys have taught me more about life, about my husband, and even about myself than I ever dreamed they could. I’ve found a fondness for trains, trucks, slimy creatures, and pirate adventures. This boy thing was working out just fine.

And then our baby girl came along. And I felt like a rookie all over again! Just when I’d figured out the boy thing, I was back in unfamiliar territory. And in the same way that my boys have changed my life, having a daughter has been nothing short of wonderful. God not only gave us a girl as our third child, he gave us a girly girl! I admit … that was a shock to my husband and me. I am not a girly girl in the least. I am a jeans and a t-shirt, very little make up, don’t own a dress, own only one pair of black shoes, kind of girl. I never thought girly-girl was even in my DNA.

My daughter loves all things pink, all things sparkly, all things frilly, and all things Princess, and I love those traits in her more than I can express! It just encompasses who she is at this tender age, when fairytales are still so real for her. At three and a half, I know that those magical days might be disappearing soon. She’ll discover Hannah Montana or some other cool trendy idol and her Princess daydreams will just be a fading memory.

At this fleeting moment in her life, spending a day as a real princess is a dream come true. That is why I am so incredibly excited to be partnering with the uber-talented Heather Lickliter of Stylized Portraiture in Athens, Georgia to offer a chance for Limited Edition Fairytale Sessions in Atlanta this Spring! Please check out Heather’s website for additional peeks at these Fairytale Sessions. Details will be forthcoming … in the meantime, drop me a note if you’d like to be on the advanced notice list for these special sessions. The number of sessions we can offer will be limited, and only for a short time.

And this next image will soon be a Gallery-Wrapped Canvas on my wall. Her daddy just about had a heart attack when he saw this portrait of his baby girl.

Much love,
Shannon

They say it takes 21 days to create a habit. I wonder how long it takes to fall out of one? Because I obviously have fallen out of my blogging habit. I let the blog go during the crazy busy holiday season, in favor of more important work and family matters. (My personal blog is sorely neglected as well.) And then I took a little time off after the holidays. And then I did some traveling. And then …

Well, I’ve been reminding myself daily that I had to get back to the blog. Yesterday, I remembered a contest I had a couple of  years ago … aha! That is what I need … a personal challenge to get me back in the blogging habit. So help me out, ok?

Catch me not blogging! I’m going to strive to post on my blog every single day between now and February 22. And if I drop the ball, you have a chance to win a prize … a $50 gift certificate to Shannon Holden Photography!

Here are the rules:

• I have until 12:00 Midnight (Eastern) to publish my blog post. Each “day” will be the calendar day, midnight to midnight.
• IF you catch me, you must post a comment on the most recent blog post to claim your prize. You also must post this comment by 12:00 Noon the next day.
• Only one winner at a time or per day. But IF I miss more than one day, the same person can win twice!
• If two readers post at the exact same time claiming their prize, I will split the gift certificate 50/50. The blog will time stamp your comment. If two readers post within a few minutes of each other, the comment with the earlier time stamp wins. (If you have never posted a comment on my blog before, it will hold your comment for moderation by me – this is to prevent spammers. Rest assured I will receive your comment via email as soon as you post it, with the time stamp in tact.)
• Any gift certificates issued will expire August 1, 2010. Gift certificates are not redeemable for cash, and are not-transferable.
• Your gift certificate will only be valid on portraits, not session fees or specialty items. You are welcome to use the gift certificate on a past or current session.

I’ll be sharing my recent sessions of course, along with some personal photographs I’ve been working on, and maybe some other helpful photography and technology tips. Have something you’d like to hear about? Just let me know!

Catch me if you can!

Much love,
Shannon

(And since photography blogs are boring without photographs, here is an image I made during one of our recent snowflake sightings. Since a half inch of snow isn’t much fun for the kids to play in, I thought I could at least have fun playing with my macro lens.)

I first met these two dolls when they were just months old. They were so tiny and peaceful. I was elated when their mommy called me again for a portrait session this year. I knew those two beautiful babies would certainly have grown into amazing toddlers … and they have! Now they are two years old and ever so adorable. As I am sure any parent of twins will tell you, they each have their own unique spirit. Nicholas is calm and thoughtful. I can tell there is a great intellect growing inside this young man. Madelynn is spunky and playful. And though I’m sure Nicholas would argue with me on this point, I think Miss Maddie might be the one who calls the shots most of the time. Both of them are simply darling, and have such a precious bond. Life is sweet, isn’t it?

Tamera, I’m sorry to have to tell you that you’ll have too many images to choose from. I am having a very hard time narrowing them down! For now, I hope you love your sneak peek. Thank you for the chance to spend a beautiful Fall day with you, Nicholas and Madelynn. It was such a treat to work with you again, and I loved playing with Nicky and Maddie. What a blessing they are!