Waking Hours Photography

Kelsey and Ben

2012-01-15T13:13:00.001-08:00

Bryce

2012-01-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Head shot teasers

2012-01-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

Great news! I'm now offering a special packages for natural light head shots. Rates begin at $100 for a half hour in one location, with three outfit changes and 10 retouched images on disk.

B. Family Photos

2011-12-28T09:23:00.001-08:00

David and Brittany

2011-12-18T12:56:00.001-08:00

Parker Family photos

2011-12-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

C. Maternity Session

2011-11-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

Adam, Morgan and Dudley Teasers

2011-08-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard during a shoot. Everything about this couple, (and their adorable pooch Dudley) makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. My job is to capture memories, and to make some too. If that isn't a blessing, I don't know what is.

Dudley likes to pretend he is a basset hound, but in reality, he is a donkey. He is long and stubborn and... beautiful. This was my first time incorporating a pet in a family shoot and I am so glad it was with Morgan and Adam. They have the best sense of humor, the most patience and are up for anything!

Fun facts: Dudley likes bananas, trembling when meeting new people, chasing lizards and squirrels, and walking slowly on his short little legs. His ears CAN in fact be tied in a knot, he has handsome freckles on his paws, and when he tries to run sometimes he steps on his ears and face plants. (He did this twice during our shoot and I thought I would die from laughing!) Morgan and Adam are secretly superheroes capable of lifting this donkey repeatedly in the 97 degree weather and remaining absolutely gorgeous. They are the most fun.
And I can't wait to show you more!

High-five,
Shannon

Hoffman Family Teasers

2011-08-14T09:29:00.001-07:00

Mona

2011-08-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

Emma and Gabi

2011-08-09T12:38:00.001-07:00

Sneak Peek! Rachel and Brady

2011-08-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Matt and Christina

2011-07-24T15:21:00.001-07:00

Derek Danger

2011-07-24T12:47:00.001-07:00

Puig Family Portraits

2011-07-10T18:44:00.001-07:00

Facebook give aways!

2011-07-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello, hello!

This post is meant to vocalize an epiphany I had a few weeks ago. I realized I have been straight up neglecting my business facebook. I have been, up to that moment a few weeks ago, a poor updater. All of that has changed! I am now a super updater!

And in an effort to make amends and encourage you to "like" me if you haven't already, here are 5 great reasons to add me to your facebook:

1.I've been going through my external hard drives and adding a new album to my facebook page on the DAILY! That means new pictures of lovely scenic vistas, tiny baby yawns, or other striking individuals!

2. Full albums of your favorites! I update my blog with teaser images. These are ones that catch my eye that I can process within 24 hours to give my collaborators/ clients something to look forward to. Facebook will have more images of those shoots so you can see what else went down.

3. As of right now I'm operating solely on word of mouth. You adding me helps my business to grow! Good karma!

4. I offer special packages and discounts available only through my facebook page.

5. Every time I reach a "50" or "100" friend mark I will be giving away a FREE 1 HOUR SESSION!

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(At this moment I have 243 fans. Only 7 new followers away from a give-away! Add me here!)

Be sure to pass my name and this message on to a friend and check back soon for all the latest!

High-five,
Shannon

Rated!

2011-06-27T15:23:00.001-07:00

So many blessings this year. By connecting with other wedding professionals I've found my place on Wedding Wire. It's a wonderful asset to brides and grooms; offering ratings and suggestions of vendors in cities all across the U.S. I'd like to extend an enormous THANK YOU to all my clients who have taken the time to write a review. Your kindness and friendship are something I cherish beyond belief and I am so grateful to have been a part of your weddings!

Headshots: Monica and Damian

2011-06-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Zafirah

2011-06-05T07:46:00.001-07:00

Breathing Room

2011-06-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Justin

2011-06-02T11:42:00.001-07:00

Kyleigh

2011-06-01T14:14:00.001-07:00

Swings Tampa Bay

2011-05-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about Swings? Swings is a non-profit organization that's out to make the world a better place; starting with the Tampa Bay Area.

The idea is simple, the materials are simple, the effect has been dramatic. Before becoming 2011 recipients of the 10-100-1000 award (and a $1000 dollar grant), Reuben and Hunter were hanging swings made from wood, paint and rope in surprising places around St. Petersburg. They found that complete strangers would step out of their paths to experience the simple joy of swinging. A swing has the power to spark conversation. A swing created interactions and an appreciation for the spaces they were hung. A swing has the power to unite the community.

Then they won. Using 100 percent of the proceeds to jump start this non-profit they have been networking and expanding at impressive speeds.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer with Swings at two of their maiden events. We invited the community to come, learn, paint and donate at the Saturday Morning Market, and Sweetwater Organic Farms (Sunday).

Here's a quick run down of what went down on Saturday:
2 co-founders, 5 volunteers, 1 tent.
Multiple hidden swings hung around the market.
1 large chalk drawing station.
100 swings painted for free by those who live in and/or love Tampa Bay;
ages ranged from brand new, to not so new.
Elongated family style tables allowed for conversation to spark while people painted.
1 large map to mark locations that could use a swing.
Info graphics and ropes gave patrons the chance to take their swings home for a $20 donation.
Fabulous artisan swings painted by local artists gifted for donations over $70.
4 hours later, all 100 swings were painted with inspiring messages, Florida inspired art and other creative musings.
We raised over $600 in 4 hours.
Over $800 total over the weekend.
We almost matched their grant.
All for the sake of Swings.

Truth is, everyone who walked by walked away with a smile. I knew this project had the possibility to make people happy, but I was really taken aback by how much people supported us.
How much they believed in this project and it's potential. I hope that you'll like Swings on facebook, donate a dollar or two to "help keep us swinging" and come out to visit us at our next event!

High-five,
Shannon

Letting go

2011-05-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

God, I used to love to swing. Sitting on the edge of that hot plastic seat and feeling the clunky metal chains always gave me butterflies. I'd pump my little legs and lean back into the wind and feel it sweep of my face. Filled to the brim with excitement, loving the feeling of blood rushing, wind whistling and the top bar creaking when I swung a little too high. My friends and I always used to dare each other to jump, to see who could land the farthest. And I'd be nervous, tingling with the fear of letting go. Then I'd gather some courage and jump, sometimes landing on my butt in the sand.

I know some kids who know some kids who have sprained or broken their wrists this way but for me it was always worth the risk. I still love to swing but don't make it to the playground very often these days. I got older. I'm continuing to get older. :) And I have developed a fear of falling. I get nightmares sometimes about walking up stairs, tripping and slamming my jaw into the concrete. I got pretty queasy the first few drives over the new bridge to Clearwater beach, after the pilings fell in twice during construction. I'm becoming more cautious. We don't jump back into action like we did when we were 5 or 6. Don't heal as quickly and (at least) my brain can't seem to adapt to absorbing new pain and letting it go.

This applies to a lot of areas in my life right now, especially as I continue working on "The Catharsis Project." Every time I feel I've conquered a mountain I get emotionally drained, sit a moment, then brush off my knees with elation. "I know I'm tired but I finished a piece!" However, when my eyes raise off the ground to see the path ahead of me all I can see is that I'm still a long ways off from my destination. The horizon is still littered with hills, peaks and valleys. I understand that each obstacle is going to teach a lesson and help me grow as a person and as an artist, but I still have trouble convincing myself it's worth the sweat and pain I put into it.

I see little kids skim boarding at the beach all summer. Maybe it's because they don't have as far to fall before they hit the ground but they are resilient little buggers. They'll hit a rogue wave then get up immediately to do it again. Today I'm focusing on channeling that little, fearless me. And part of that entails letting go of frustrations. I have scoured my apartment, done my meds, met with a very inspirational friend for lunch, and completely re-done my website slide shows. (Please check them out, I'm terribly excited!) :)

Today I'd like to remind myself (and you) that eventually we can get to where we want to be. Whatever you're struggling with today, I'd like to encourage you to take a deep breath. When you exhale let go of the frustration and give thanks for something positive happening in your life. It could be as small as your breath, or the extent of emotion that allows us to feel good and bad, a smile from a stranger, a determination to keep moving, friends, family, health, AMEN!

Jaxson

2011-05-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Breathing Room

2011-05-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

Steven and Heather

2011-05-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

Elora and Ibai

2011-05-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Ana

2011-04-27T12:01:00.001-07:00

Cooper

2011-04-24T20:58:00.001-07:00

Amanda and Josh

2011-04-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

I feel so lucky. This woman, this phenomenal, gorgeous woman is Amanda. And she's the sister of one of my best friends. Over the past few years I've gotten to photograph their wedding, a maternity session when they were pregnant with their beautiful daughter; Alex as a newborn and now with baby number 2 bundled and safe in the oven. Needless to say this is a very special family to me.

I adore them both but have a special place in my heart for Amanda; she has an easy grace, she laughs easily and is an incredible Mom. Alex is teething and she didn't have much sleep this week; yet she still showed up with an amazing attitude, an adventurous outlook and an impossible amount of patience.

I love you both so much. Thank you for letting me be a witness to your journey.

Syd

2011-04-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Sydney is one of my best friends. Some awesome stroke of fate landed me in the same elongated dorm room as her my first year of college. Looking back, I have never felt so lucky.

She is the "always there" friend. The one who sticks around when it's not easy to stick around. The one with the 'in-your-face' total honesty. The one with a heart so big you wonder why she hasn't had a heart attack yet. She's the down to earth one. The 'tom-boy I can kick your-ass in every sport and out-drink you' one. She's the one all the boys fall in love with and all the girls are jealous of. She's the one who I made steak, zucchini and onions with for weeks on end; the one who opened up the windows and shook a towel in front of the smoke alarm because we forgot to cure the cast iron grill-pan. She's the one who hopped into bed with me when I was stuck in the hospital with 3 seasons of Will and Grace. She's the kind of friend who has an incredible work ethic. Who is going to be insanely successful in whatever she chooses to do because she is just a good person. She's the friend who has helped me through 4 years of bogus weird art projects, who has worn stinky thrift store grandma nighties and laid in milk for me when it was 40 degrees outside. This is the girl who I've had soul bearing talks, innumerable laughs and honest tears with. This is the kind of friend I know I'll have for the rest of my life. She's mah boo. The strong one.

And now she's graduating, so it was my turn to try to give back a little for all she's done. These pictures are inadequate for all she means to me but I love them all the same. I may be biased but I think she looks like a super model.

SYD- I LOVE YOU! THANKS FOR THE GREAT RIDE!

Riley

2011-03-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

Lisa and Vinny

2011-03-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

I LOVED THIS WEDDING!

Location: St. Petersburg Vinoy

Officiant: Pastor Dean, who did an especially wonderful job officiating the ceremony. He truly takes the time to get to know his couples and is an incredible speaker. Highly recommended!

Sig Ep Teasers: Tarin

2011-02-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

Today was perfect.

Weather Patterns

2011-02-27T10:25:00.001-08:00

So. A year ago, if you had asked me what I do, I would have said that I was a photographer. If you asked me today, I would say that I am primarily a photographer.

A camera is a machine. I look. I see. I frame. I capture. Paintings use the whole body. More than my eyes and my brain and one finger. You use your whole arm, you can be aggressive or gentle, you can express a mood with a single brush stroke or by varying your impasto. You can eliminate and add content at whim. You can layer, and layer and layer until you are pleased; simplify down to basic shapes, or work in elaborate detail. Paintings require more work, more consideration, more awareness of color and feeling. When I paint, I feel alive.

When I work with a camera I can make things look perfect, every blade of grass is represented exactly how it was when I pressed the shutter. There has been a long and brutal competition between photo and painting. The idea that an academic painting was praised for being like "looking out a window," and that photography was in fact, a window was a part of many reasons why stylistic movements started shying away from photo-realism.

And after so long of making exact renderings with my camera I was very hesitant to draw and paint because I felt whatever I made wouldn't be "good" enough. Wouldn't be exact enough, and that would be frustrating. This year I realized that I should embrace the paint for what it is, a form of free expression. It's opened up a ton of doors for me and not only have I improved my basic drawing skills but I have begun exploring many loose styles of painting to see what I like most. It's a nice break from photo but also informs my art in all other areas, from drawing to sculpture. I learn by seeing, by creating, by doing.

Detail of the wing.

Propped on an easel in studio. Please note that there are two separate panels that ideally will be hung an inch apart, creating a crop in the midsection area. It's kind of bowed in the picture because they are resting on top of one another.

Detail of the end of wing and tail.

Detail of eye and head.

This bird is for my Exploring the Series class that I'm taking under Ron Janowich. It's part of a series called Weather Patterns I'm making that I'll post the artist statement to in a later post. For now, just know I'm interested in repetition of mark, the iconography of nests, and the migratory patterns of birds. Feedback is much appreciated!

Sig Ep teasers: Louise

2011-02-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

Spring has sprung. For real. Last Thursday I walked outside to see hundreds and hundreds of birds skimming from tree to tree, all of them singing in a righteous chorus that would put KISS to shame. Talkin bout some *loud* birds. They were still at it when I got home from class at 6:30. It was the first warm day in a really long time. Warm enough to warrant a beach day on the weekend, which I definitely indulged in with some island rats. It was Richard's birthday! (Happy birthday Meester Reechard!) We celebrated by burying each other chest deep in the 2 story high mounds of sand that the construction workers are using to re-scape the beach (which has been constantly eroding.) We also rolled down them, skim/sledded down them and jumped out as far as we could from the top of them. I was terrified when my lion ran at the edge at full speed and disappeared off the top into the abyss. (Remember when Aladdin just casually strutted off the balcony because he knew he had a flying carpet but Jasmine was like WTF!? That was me.) When it was my turn I turned on my inner rebel and turned off my fear of heights and soared off the edge!!! A measly two feet hahaha... but after finding that the landing was soft and poofed up like powdered sugar I stopped being afraid and just leaped and laughed the afternoon away.

I've been so busy working on my paintings and large format series for school that somehow a month slipped by without me even noticing that I haven't updated lately. I have a lot to show you and a lot to talk about! (Adventures happen every day!) Although I am tempted to do a massive upload tonight I think I'll space them out over the next week, so be sure to check back!

Now world, meet Louise! Hello Louise! :)

I shot one of the features for Sig Ep's annual magazine this afternoon. This will be my 4th consecutive year photographing their cover. Last year they added a feature about leading women in Greek life and Louise is one of two nominated for 2011. I've gotta tell you, it's not a surprise. She is as down to earth as can be and has a really positive attitude. Florida native, tomboy-jock we started out near Hogtown creek and moved into downtown for variety. All time favorite part of the day was finding the little pink leaves that look like dragonfly wings. When you throw them up in the air they spin down like helicopters. When I was a kid growing up I use to walk around my neighborhood picking up as many as I could and putting them in a shoe box. Then I'd go back to my room and throw ALL of them in the air at the same time. It made me feel like I was dancing in snow... Magic! Andrew and Kevin (two very nice and very muscle-y frat brothers) scourged up a few large handfuls of these at my requests. We tried to take a snap of Louise amid the pink helicopters but they blew backwards with a sudden gust of wind and we didn't have the heart or time to try it twice.

Other favorite moments of today. Posing this gorgeous girl near a dumpster that definitely smelled like pee. I'm not perverted! I actually didn't enjoy the overpowering odor... what I did appreciate was the fact we did it anyways and bust a gut over it. Some of the qualities I most respect in a person are tenacity, sincerity and compassion. I loved working with Louise today because she is all of those things. She's not afraid to get her feet wet, (literally, in the Creek.). She was down for whatever we needed to do to get the shot. Her favorite quote is "Live like there's no tomorrow" and I think today, we did!

Filth

2011-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

Filth... oooh, don't you feel kinda grimy reading the title? I hope you do or my whole concept for large format is KAPUT!

First let me say that large format is the most challenging line of photo work I've ever done. The camera is beastly heavy. It's a pain in the butt to set up because I can only use a 210mm lens on it (that means I have to pick up the trip-pod and move the whole camera to get the frame work I want.) You compose your image upside down, get everything in focus under a dark cloth, tighten down your tripod and then pray that nothing moves so your focus stays. I shoot 4 negatives at a time and usually only 3/4 come out in a usable condition. That's two hours of work before developing the negatives, and then developing the prints! FOR THREE IMAGES.

Quick rundown on film development. Mix your highly toxic chemistry, make sure it stays at a constant 68 degrees throughout your process, take all the trays into a pitch black room. Take your film out without seeing a thing, try not to scratch it with your nails, slip on a glove, dip at various times through all your chemicals. I use Diafine because it is fastest and gives a little extra clarity to the 4x5's. For that it's 3 minutes in Diafine A, 3 minutes in Diafine B, 30 second water wash, 5 minutes in fixer (which stops the silver halide from devloping and hardens the negative) and a 5 minute water wash. Fixer is the stuff that we NEVER put down the drain because it causes mutant animals. It goes into a big silver recollection tank that sounds like a train. Chuggin along, just like me.

I've been working my hiney off to get solid work! And I am! It may be that I have the most patient, gorgeous friends in the world, or the god's are smiling because I'm trying so hard; but these have been the most successful art making months of my life. Picking up my paintings today and I'll post some of them later in the week.

For now, just a few of the images I've been working on. To see them all you'll have to come out to see my show or get a copy of the handcrafted book I'll be making these into! ;)

Intentional finger print at the top, btw.

Weird refraction at the bottom of this image, there was no camera shake and she didn't move. Of course this was at a scary abandoned trailer park that had burned buildings and spiders so maybe it was a ghost!

Fin- for now.

Filthy things that have happened to me lately: some very funny person in my apartment complex rubbed their pork fried rice, lo mein and some brown poop like meat into the windows of my car! :)

Filthy things that have happened to me not so recently: while blissfully enjoying the salt water and mid-sentence to my lion a tiny baby fish jumped up and slapped me in the eye.

High-five,
Shannon

Adopt-a-Street

2011-01-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

Oh Engineers Without Borders, you are so close to my heart. We had a clean up this morning for the street we adopted. About 6 times a year volunteers head out early in the morning to pick up the variety of scum left behind on our road, NE 9th Street.

Among the cigarette butts, empty dime bags and rice krispy treat wrappers we found a few treasures: a rhinestone baby sandal, spray paint, a pocket knife and some barely used underwear. ;)

Walking along our street on this gorgeous day we started talking about sustainable energy. Calli and Nick are both interested in working with solar and nuclear energy when they graduate. As the only non-engineer present I always have a ton of questions...

For example...

Me: Fusion, fission, that's like what Doc Oc was working on in Spiderman II right?

Nick explains that fusion would be like building a sun (Exactly like Doc. Oc, btw! WIN!) and that by fusing atoms, in theory, there would be an unlimited power supply at our fingertips.

My next question of course was why build a sun when we already have one?
Why not put all of our resources into utilizing solar energy?

I recently attended a talk by Ray Kurzweil, who said we're not so far off. He explained a lot about the exponentially increasing advancements in technology. In the same way the first computer was guarded by the government and filled an entire room, and gradually expanded out toward the public (MIT had ONE in 1951), they have become so small and economical that every man, woman and teenybobber/adolencent/baby has one on their cell phone.

Ray theorizes that solar energy is going to explode in the same way... exponentially increasing so that in the next 20 or 30 years we will have solar panels so small and efficient we could fuel the worlds growing energy needs with a small floating island of plates in the ocean. Engineers. Are. So. COOL!

In the chance that we're farther away from solar energy than planned I did learn that nuclear power sources aren't so bad for the environment as I had once thought. I always imagined Chernobel type damage to the landscape after the power plant had been used up. Salted earth. Radio-active, glowing squirrels. No nuts. :(

Turns out most nuclear plants are fortified with lead and it's workers have less health risks than those who mine fossil fuels. France uses nuclear for almost all their energy needs; AND they've found a way to recycle the uranium a number of times so it's getting closer to being a sustainable source. That process is still illegal in America, but a girl can dream.
Anyways, had a great morning with Ashley, Christine, Calli and Nick in our sexy orange vests! Rock on EWB, rock on!

Julia and Quinton

2011-01-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

I'm approaching my maternity sessions a little differently these days. Mainly, *let's have more fun* and incorporate the whole pregnancy experience; cravings, weird experiences, the gamut. Julia and Quinton are my kind of people. They like sports, Julia likes potatoes, and they are having a baby. AWESOME!

Julia painted and glazed these sweet shoes for when her baby is born in the next few months. I love the idea of giving something that shows just how loved and excited the parents are for their baby to arrive!

The playoffs were today, Packers v.s. da Bears. Julia's from Chi-town so yawlreddyknow we planned our shoot for the morning so we wouldn't miss the game. Or, my personal favorites, a warm couch and snacks.

Julia: you. are. beautiful.

So Julia had a thing for potatoes, and it's made me start wondering. Where the HECK is my stomach going to take me when I'm pregnant? I already have a love affair with a sandwich that makes most people cringe: tuna, mayo (sweetened with a hint of honey), mustard, pickles, onion, and cheese pressed in between some toasted whole wheat. My boyfriend knows to keep yogurt, chips and chocolate in his fridge when "girl time" comes around. Salty, savory and sweet... cold and crunchy.. nom nom nom! I know you may be questioning my palette but have I mentioned I have a food blog? It's awesome! (And sorely in need of an update but you can see it here .)

Do you have any strange cravings?

Dumb joke or laughing about chips? :)

Ok so slightly ridiculous but I *love* these pictures^!

Advice from this sweet couple? JUST BE HAPPY!
I couldn't have said it better myself...

Julia and Quinton, thank you for sharing your morning and your story with me.

High-five,
Shannon

Linhof

2011-01-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

Well hello! Would you just take a look at the gorgeous camera? I was stoked out of my mind to take it for a spin. The Linhof Technika 4x5... le sigh. According to my professor these were originally old press cameras, although after my experience with it today I have a hard time believing anyone could take photo-journalistic (by-the-seat-of-your-pants-quick) snaps. My assignment this weekend was to use a tilt-shift to compensate and fix the converging lines in architecture. I was halfway to a beard when I finished.

For all you non-photo types, converging lines happen when you take a snap of something and have to look up, this causes an "A" shape to form at the top of your...whatever, in my case "building". As such, it's necessary to use large format camera's or tilt-shift lenses when photographing any kind of architecture or advertising work because it will correct any distortion. The photograph above was taken with my digital camera and you can kind of see the A shape on the building to the right.

St. Pete was super fickle today. I left to shoot around noon when the sun was out. As soon as I had the Linhof set and ready to go, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped drastically and I had cloud cover for two hours straight. Discouraged I took a lunch break to thaw out my fingers. After chompin down on some leftovers, and borrowing an extra jacket I was ready to try again. This time I had company! Reuben and my Lion came out to keep my spirits up!!!

Check me out in action with a wind-fro!^

Reuben is so welcoming :)

Linhof in all it's glory^

The natural wind blown look! ^

Feeling pretty lucky I finished today, I'll scan in the film or some prints once I have it developed on Monday. Happy Saturday!

Cake Man

2011-01-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

I've been spending a little too much time in the library but I stumbled upon this gem. Make it big, just not while you're drinking any kind of liquid. Hahaha :)

Breathing Room

2011-01-04T16:16:00.001-08:00

1-1-11.

5 hours after my lips brought in the new year by shouting salutations on a cobblestone street and kissing a lion who hugs like a bear, my eye-lids struggled to open so I could shut off the alarm that was incessantly beeping me awake.

I was never really a morning person. I've been told I growled like a distressed woodland squirrel defending her winter nuts while simultaneously burying deeper into my blanket cave. If further prompted flailing limbs, and teeth doth protest. When I was in high school I discovered coffee, (mana from heaven) and I truthfully believe my neighborhood has been spared from a family of captain hook's. Since then, I've mellowed out. Everyone has their fingers, everyone is happy. I enjoy sunrises with unabashed glee. The hardest part is getting out of bed.

On this morning, though. I had a really, really good reason to start moving and shakin, no black elixir of life required. 3 days of camping in paradise.

Cayo Costa.

It's hard to hold back all the pictures I took; I could gush forever. But for brevity's sake, and my hatred of flooding the internet with too much crap, let's just say Cayo Costa is Florida in her purest form.

It's a national park on an island and it's flooded with wildlife. We saw osprey, pelicans, ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, plovers and gulls, herons, egrets, all 5 types of mangrove, sea urchins, 2 kinds of starfish, crabs, horseshoe crabs, sting rays, an octopus, dolphins, more fish than you could shake a stick at, sand dollars, lightning whelks, conk, moon shells, you name it. We stumbled upon a dead shark in the lagoon below; and then discovered that it wasn't the real lagoon. (A return visit is guaranteed.)

Did I mention the cactus with purple flowers? Or the campsites in sea grape forests? Meadows of sea oats? Drift wood quarries that line a large amount of the coast? I accidentally brought the wrong battery so I'm missing picture proof of a lot of these things, but trust me, among the 9 miles of beach and countless trails cris-crossing the island, you can find it all.

The first 3 days of the New Year bore consecutive sunrises and sunsets, more stars fill the night sky than I have ever witnessed, and endless amounts of peace. 2011, bring it on.

Ibai

2010-12-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

E.

2010-12-26T14:44:00.000-08:00

My favorite people in my favorite place. I love you E.

2011 Senior Reps- Mary and Paulina

2010-12-21T19:41:00.001-08:00

ANARCHY! Did your senior pictures turn out like crap? Do you want to give Brynn Allen the finger? Would you like to send pictures to your friends and family that show YOUR personality, and don't have you wearing a musty drape that smells like mold and someone elses B.O.?!

GOOD NEWS!

hahaha I can totally help...

Check out my website or talk to Mary or Paulina about how to get in touch and get a very niceeee discount on a senior package! OH- and spread the word, ya heard?!

www.wakinghoursphotography.com

High-five,
Shannon

Gabriela

2010-12-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

First Photo Mixer

2010-11-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

Drew and Colleen

2010-11-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

Location: Kanapaha Botanical Gardens
Hair and Make-up: the talented Russel Wells
Hair pieces: Jessica Baker

Morgan and Adam

2010-09-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Adrian

2010-09-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, lighten up!

2010-09-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

Work, work, work! I've been so busy taking pictures for the Engineering Department that I haven't had much time to shoot for myself lately. And since I'm not taking any photo classes this semester I don't even have the excuse to burrow myself in the dark room. :(

Today I said screwahooooo it and adventured away! My car is now covered in mud, I have several mosquito bites in unpleasant places and I am a MUCH happier clam. (Go figure the things I like, eh?!) Our lovely sporadic Florida showers kept me good company as I slipped and slid my way through 6 miles of dirt-road and explored the back boundaries of a secret Gainesville location. I got some sprinkles on my gear, used a tri-pod for maybe the third time of my life, am covered in mud myself and had SO MUCH FUN!

I'm always down to shoot and hopefully will be getting out more often. Any photographers in the Tampa Bay/Gainesville areas give me a shout!

^ make this one bigger!

High-five,
Shannon

Vitale Art Studio

2010-09-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

So I do the portrait/ wedding thing. But I also go to school for art.
Brand spankin new fact of the day! Truth is, I love it. The community in Gainesville
is all about supporting the arts and we have shows connected with UF all
the time. So it was a pretty big deal to me when I got accepted into a show
that had nothing to do with UF. I applied, and got to put three
big pieces from my "Catharsis Project" up.
Hope you enjoy getting a sneek peak of what I do on the other side of the fence!

View from inside. Mine are right near the entrance!

^ They are looking, they are looking!

^so happy to be there ladies and gents.

Mine were the only ones you could see from the street.
Hooray!

What they look like with out horrible glare.
"Turtle Neck Summer", "All Made Up", "My Best Smiles"

Also- enormous shout out to Hector from Hector's Framing for the fastest and cleanest mat cutting experience ever. If you live in Gainesville, back away from CFOP and go to Hector for matting and framing. He is the BEST! (www.HectorFraming.com)

Sarah's Bridal Shower

2010-08-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Kyle and Rachelle

2010-08-08T11:26:00.001-07:00

Dimura Family

2010-08-01T17:58:00.001-07:00

Kyleigh

2010-07-09T20:00:00.001-07:00

Alexxus and Noelani

2010-06-27T07:35:00.001-07:00

Connie

2010-06-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

Heather Family

2010-06-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Jessica and Roy

2010-05-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Do I get to take photographs of the most beautiful people or what?! Jessica and Roy were sweet as can be. It was such a pleasure getting to spend time with you both today and I can't wait to meet your precious baby girl! Enjoy these teasers, I'll have the rest up in no time!

Meghan

2010-05-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

I. Loved. This. SHOOT! When Meghan stepped out of her car I knew it was going to be a good day. She's an artist with a huge humanitarian focus and I could probably write a few pages about all the ways she brightened my afternoon with her positive attitude and energy but I'll let these teasers speak for themselves. I am *so* glad I got to meet you, GOOD LUCK and keep in touch!!!