if you know me well- you know of my affection for sharp as a tack lyrics that poetically infuse music with heavy words rich with metaphors, deep-probing thought, and  real-life. in this life, i’ve listened to a lot of lyrics.  and i’ve learned from a lot of artists, but i have to say- no artist has taught me more than tupac. (second to him is Alanis)  and i’m not talking about california love.  me and my girlfriend is a song you’ve never heard unless you are a real tupac listener… and if you aren’t and you hear it, you might get confused, feel like you should cover your ears and never come back to this blog.  i get kind of giggly thinking about some of you heading to youtube to listen and then having to turn down the speakers on your computer real fast.  i mean, real fast. it’s really all beside the point- i could do a whole post on rap music- poetry, singer song writers, rhythm, powerful vocabularies, choice words… the lost arts, weak words, and lazy communicators.  the point is- when i hear this song- i can’t help but move- images flood my mind of what it must feel like to have the whole world against you.  i’ve always been fascinated with bonnie and clyde . and i’ve always wanted to shoot a couple with them in mind.

last week i taught a really great CRASHintoMYBIZ class with an up and coming houston photographer (***i’ll share when she’s ready) Hilaria and Ivan were our models, and i knew they would be the PERFECT BONNIE & CLYDE.  we happened upon a perfectly ambushed building (riddled with pseudo bullet holes- that came in the form of rocks) and the rest is history- we only shot 45 minutes tops & i walked away with a stash of new favorites!!  here are a few that i had to share here- you can head over to the Shauna Maness Photography facebook fan page to see the rest- & if you aren’t a fan… become one!!!  (that’s were the model postings go!) the WHOLE time i was shooting me and my girlfriend was playing in my head.  i know hilaria and ivan would have loved it… but i didn’t want to scare away my new friend – so, i came home and listened to it and edited.  looove them!!!

**** sick, right?

i know… they are too perfect.

i mean, really? so- check it- my sister (who happens to be MIGH-TY fly herself did the styling &&&& THE MAKEUP.) i cannot stress enough how important great makeup is girls!!  if you know that you are going to have a super-special shoot… then make an appointment and treat yourself!! you will be so glad you did!! and if you are scheduling a shoot with me, ask me to book a makeup artist for you- i will just add it into your session… easy, easy!!  i hope you love my version of bonnie and clyde.

and if you head to youtube and listen to tupac, don’t judge me really, think about the story he is telling- and why he chooses each word- they are all intentional. (as they should be) ** and for the record: i don’t really like guns at all, so personally, i wish tupac was talking about his new iphone, but alas, he isn’t.  shoot cameras, not guns. (oooh, that should be a TSHIRT!! – i’m on it)

have a blessed day.  don’t rob any banks.

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ok, so- these beautiful darlings are Noelle & Michael.  Their wedding is coming up in March & i am pumped about it.  I have a feeling it is going to be a day filled with purpose & laughter- not to mention sweet love and pure moments of fulfillment & joy.  oh sweet day.

I have to say that sweet Noelle started off a little nervous- and paired with Michael who quickly assured me “i am probably the most confident person you will photograph.” we chuckled and the ice was broken- we laughed at his mad skillz as a top model & by the end i think Noelle felt like a top model too… their spirits are full of life, and love- and i had sooo much fun just hanging out & talking about the real things of life.  We talked about their trip to Cambodia, war, love, what it means to live our lives fully & how it is totally OK to invest in great wardrobe pieces    at one point we were talking about some of the things that brandon went through in Iraq… really heavy stuff- & i got the light just right and moved them one more time & said… ok, in the middle of the heavy stuff- y’all just tuck yourselves into each other.  great. nice. way to make sure the engagement session is light, carefree, & fun.  way to go shauna.

it really was great.  i shot theirs a couple of days after Ben & Trish’s & it was such a joy.  I felt like i really had the freedom with both couples to express who they were without any pre-conceived ideas.  these are the couples i’m looking for.  so thankful.

hope you are having a happy day.

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her name is Lael.  and i just fell in love with her.  she was shy at first.  hiding behind her mama’s leg she peaked through to see if i was still looking.  i was.  she has the softest curls and the sweetest cheeks & once she started smiling it was over- she played on the slide, acted out scenes from Annie, and played with her balloons for a bit until she was onto the next thing… her mama is diane- and she is too groovy.  i knew it was going to be fun when i saw her half sleeve.  magnolia’s and lace… too vintage and feminine- it is a dream.  it makes me want to call our tattoo guru and make an appointment TODAY! and Joe? check this out- he was in Baumholder the same time we were!! SMALL WORLD.  we were in Germany at the same time, in the same TINY VILLAGE.  how strange that we both moved back to texas only to meet in Bryan.  funny how the world turns.  it was a very grey day- and despite the chilling air- little lael did NOT want her sweater on. so, we sniffled and she strutted… it was so the opposite of the way kiddo sessions normally go.  they were heading to New York the next day (they are stationed at Ft. Drum)- i talked to Diane today and she said they have been in a blizzard and that there is 3-4 FEET of snow in front of their door.  oh, how i remember the days of pouring snow.  that is one thing i don’t miss about germany.  the snow is beautiful as it comes down- but if it doesn’t melt on contact… it’s not so fun. && in talking to Diane about her images i realized… i never blogged them!!! so, here they are- the Alvarado family- Downtown Bryan, Texas.

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love, that is.

you just know when the one your with is supposed to be the only one.

when that place under his arm is the perfect fit for you- and you can’t get close enough no matter how hard you try when you hold each other- there is that overflow- the love that wells up & grows each time you really meditate on it.

what a gift.

i won’t tell you their whole story now- i’ll save it for their sweet wedding post (they are getting married at the Astin Mansion in august) but i will share this- i think it was the sweetest thing i’ve heard during a session, ever.

Trish begins to tell me about the sweetest memory of their engagement as a family of deer swiftly pass before us- leaping with grace that can only come from heaven- she covered her mouth and held her breath- i was amazed by her awe.  in that moment, i asked myself why that wasn’t a big deal to me- note to self: just because you have seen a wonderful thing again and again, doesn’t make it less wonderful, or less that a gift- stop and allow the awe to return.

she returned to her story after an outfit change, in her boots and flannel she sweetly said “the thing that i remember most about the day was thinking about how normal it was. i feel like most girls wait their whole lives for the day they get engaged, the day they are made to feel like a princess- so in the midst of all of the sweet things we did that day, all the details he planned for me- i remember thinking- this feels so normal, because this is just who he is. he loves me like this everyday, because it is who he is.”

um.

there you have it.

check out their love…

the last outfit was shot as the sun was well on it’s way down- hence the extremely warm tones- but i LOVE them!  Trish has such a classic style, i can’t wait to see all of her wedding details! ben & trish, you guys are a blessing to my heart- thanks so much for letting me tell your love story.

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most appropriately for the new year is a new blog that will finally allow me the full freedom to create, enjoy, share, and express the way i’ve wanted to for a couple of years now.  it’s tough to know what you want and at the same time be limited by your (finite) knowledge of all things code and internet.  i think i’ve found the solution.  by desire is that this blog would be EXCELLENT.  fully subscription worthy & full of fun and inspirational things.  i’ve taken into account all of the polls from my readers and plan on sharing most things in this main section.  there will be times that i venture off to other pages for specific purposes- but i’ve found, for the most part most of you didn’t even know there were other resources off of the main blog page- WHAT A SHAME!  i don’t know yet if i’m going to import all of my old sessions, i may just periodically share favorites, revisit them as my clients come back for their new sessions, & enjoy the lack of archives linking to the old stuff when needed.  i’m excited about things being new and fresh here.  i fell like i’ve just cleaned out my closet.  i’m going to work really hard at tagging and using categories to make posts easy to find (my new blog makes that super easy) – so, join me in this new journey!! subscribe to the feed or just stop by daily… goodness is coming.  today i wrapped an AWESOME CRASHintoYOURbiz class with an up and coming houston photographer (shout out Ashley P!!) and we  shot bonnie and clyde those will come soon!! for now, i’m back to tweaking this new BLOG! please share your likes/dislikes with me- i really want it to be great!  THANKS FRIENDS…

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