May The Force Be With You {Fort Myers Children's Photographer}

My awesome friend, Tami, is redecorating her boys' rooms. Guess what the theme is? She wanted some photos mounted on standouts for their bedrooms and we are SO excited with how they turned out!

Disclaimer: her boys are GORGEOUS. You've seen them before on my blog over the last almost 2 years...they need to be in print! Seriously.

My Fabulous Family! {Sanibel Island Family Photographer}

I was able to carve out some time for my brother and his family, as well as my parents! Amazing! haha

The shoot got cut short because of cranky babies and BUGS, but we still got a few great shots. We really only had time for group shots, but I am happy with the way they turned out.

My parents requested a "grandparents/grandchildren" shot, and we accomplished just that! Look at all of these grandchildren (and ONE great grandchild!)! This shot is bittersweet because two grandchildren are missing from the image because they live in Washington. :(



This is my brother and his family...he and my sister in law have 5 children, and 1 grandchild! They are busy busy bees, but really having the time of their lives!


My beautiful sister in law, and my miracle niece, Faith. She is appropriately named for several reasons and my brother and sister in law had faith that she would make it to term and be just fine...and she's more than fine, she's perfect!

Here's a sweet capture of my daughter, Emma, and my nephew Sean. She truly loves him and looks up to him...literally. And God love him, he tolerates a lot from her! ;)


I had to put off taking photos of my own kids (I want to do them at a specific setting) due to August getting sick. They are both healthy, but now I have to find the time! It's pretty sad that I don't have time to take pictures of my own children!

More of the Holiday Minis! {Southwest Florida Family Photographer}

WOAH...has it really been almost 3 weeks since my last blog post? Unacceptable! I do have good reason though...LOTS and LOTS of sessions! I plan to blog em' out in the next week or two. For now, you'll have to settle for a monster post of the last of my holiday mini sessions. HUGE success this year!

First up...super adorable AND sweet family. Every one of them is so sweet...I really mean that. The youngest is in my daughter's preschool class and she talks about him constantly. It's too cute!





If you follow my blog, I bet you remember these beauties. How can you forget them and their HUGE blue eyes?!!?!





And last, but not least...THREE generations of fun!

They wanted a mix of traditional and non-traditional shots...so that's what we did! I LOVE when clients are up for anything...






Stay tuned for many more blog posts in the near future!

Busy busy!

The Holiday Mini Sessions were fantastic! I got a great response from them. I have been very busy with sessions in general, so I haven't had a time to post them as I go along. So I decided to make one LONG post of a few of the mini sessions!

First up, one of my favorite families. I photographed them (those beautiful boys!!!) last year and they came back for more. Tami is a good friend of mine and I have to say, she may be my biggest fan. My head grows a little bit every time I do a shoot for her. ;)



Next up, a SUPER cute family! This is their first baby, and they wanted to try and capture a few of him, as well as a few together as a family. They claim they are very "unphotogenic". I beg to differ! And just look at the baby's eyes! WOW!




Last but not least, check out THIS gorgeous family! A "cool" front was moving in this day, so we didn't have blue skies but it was the PERFECT day for a beach shoot. The lighting was amazing! This little girl loves her daddy. :) It makes my heart melt...I love little girls and their daddies!




I think THIS may be my favorite 'foot' shot of all time!


More minis to come sometime next week! :) If you've made it this far, thanks for looking!

Random Wednesday--Gift Certificates--The PERFECT Holiday Gift!!!

I'm talking about the gift that keeps on giving...the gift of photography!!! Maybe you can't figure out a gift to get that friend who seems to have "everything"...or maybe you're a man and need a quick and easy idea (that's a joke..ha). Either way, you have it made when you purchase them a gift certifcate from Shannon J. Dodge Photography! For a limited time only, when you purchase a gift certificate worth $100.00 or more, YOU receive a $50.00 print credit for yourself! It's a win win situation! (Gift certificates start at $75.00). If you're interested in purchasing one, please email or call me!

2010 Senior {Downtown Fort Myers Senior Photographer}

I am venturing into the world of seniors...and I like it! It's a bit easier to photograph a stationary target who takes directions. ;) Kory is such a polite young man (I guess I am getting old to call somebody a "young man"!) and is going places...UK (University of Kentucky) to be exact! Congratulations, Kory!

HOLIDAY SESSIONS ALL BOOKED!

I am completely booked for the holidays. I have a few select openings in December, but I cannot guarantee delivery for the holidays. I am already booking into 2010 so if you are interested in booking a session, please contact me!

Sweet Rielyn--Hands Up Charity Event for a very special girl!

This post is a very special one. Meet Rielyn--a very sweet, special (and busy!) baby girl! Rielyn has profound hearing loss--this means she most likely hears nothing. Several months shy of her first birthday, Rielyn's mom and dad noticed that she was not responding to noises or verbal communication as she should, and sure enough, tests confirmed their fears. The awesome news is that Rielyn is a candidate for cochlear implants! The bad news? Insurance will pay for only ONE. The estimated cost for the other is anywhere between $45,000.00 to $80,000.00. Outrageous!

I wanted to do a photoshoot of Rielyn to capture her sweet little smile and show the world that this is profound hearing loss looks like. You can't see it or touch it, but it exists. Imagine going through life not being able to hear music, laughter, your mother or father or siblings' voices. The purpose of this blog post is to raise awareness regarding profound hearing loss, tell Rielyn's story and spread the word about a charity event being held in her honor.

If you are local, please consider attending this entertaining event presented by H.A.N.D.S. U.P.: Holiday Magic at Cape Harbour on Friday, November 20th from 7pm-10pm. There will be live entertainment, FREE pictures w/ Santa, an appearance by Miss US Continental, raffles etc. Admission is free, so please stop by and help raise some money for Rielyn! If you do not live locally and would like to make a donation (any little bit helps!) OR learn more about Rielyn, please visit her website.

And without further adieu, here is sweet Rielyn!



I'd love to know what she is thinking here! Notice the tongue...

And the tongue again...


And yet again!

Frills, Twirls and Girly Girls! {Fort Myers Chidren's Photographer}

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...these adorable girls were all that and more! Mom was really into the "girly" accessories and had so much fun dressing them up! They had a tea party, danced, played with snails...wait...that's not very girly! They were so much fun.

Claire is the big sister, and she's SO sweet, polite and smart. She is so mature and says the funniest things! Her birthday was the day after this shoot!





Jillian is a HOOT. She is such a funny baby! Talk about smart...she sings her ABC's, counts past 10, sings Happy Birthday and other songs (ON KEY)...all at the ripe old age of 16 months. SUPER BABY!







Thanks for letting me come and play with you, girls!! Proofs coming soon, Mom. ;)

Random Wednesday--"A Picture Paints A Thousand Words"

A little Bread, anybody? Ok...I'm dating myself.

Portraiture doesn't always have to involve a toothy, fake grin...or a pose...sometimes the BEST photos are those that convey emotion or tell a story.

I LOVE to photograph hands and feet. Really. I know it sounds odd, but I just think they are so interesting and make for wonderful art!

This picture reminds me of how it feels to be on the beach...sand on your feet, between your toes, in your hair, in your mouth...ok...so sand can be messy! But it can also be fun...I love sandy feet!!!



This photo is so emotional. It depicts the dichotomy of old and young. They are both so different, yet can be so fragile.


I love this next one. It's beautiful but there is something mystical about it! This client just ordered this beautiful image in a 24x36 gallery portrait...I can't wait to see it that big!



This is what separates custom portraiture from the run of the mill "portrait" studios. Tiny details, emotion captured, custom images!

Keep in mind, for your next shoot, those important details you wish to capture! :)