HI!! I'm Shannon, wife to Wyatt and Mommy to Willem, who is 4, and Sullivan, who is 21 months! We live in Beautiful Northeast Iowa situated along the Mississippi River Bluffs. I love to shoot in natural light indoors and out, but also have a studio space that I enjoy using as well.
I have a special love for newborn photography done in the first 10 days of baby's life. Nearly just as fun however, is Children's photography!! Is so innocent and pure- happy faces are genuine and there's also sad faces, inquisitive faces and solemn, thoughtful faces as well. It is my hope to allow REAL life portraits happen! Natural light, if used correctly, showcases eyes in the most beautiful, sparkly way. You can contact me via email with questions or to book a session! shannon@shannondodd.com
"While we try to teach our Children all about life, Our Children teach us what life is all about..."
Meet Skyler- all 9 lbs 11 oz of him!!! He had just the BEST features ever- perfectly ‘aged’ fingers and toes, plump juicy lips, and he could wrinkle his forehead- even while sleeping! I just loved his session- he was totally sweet and precious! I hope you enjoy this little peek into his gallery!
and my fave— his tootsies!!!
Who knew pea green was my favorite color?? (for today anyway) I was recently down in Des Moines for a few sessions and this session was *SO* adventurous! We had a lot of fun playing on this giant pea green jungle gym- despite being eaten alive by mosquitoes! I REEKED of Off! bug spray and the blood suckers still ate THROUGH my clothes and bit me all up! And yet my playmates in their white tank tops didn’t get a single bite- I must be ultra sweet, huh? The goal for the shoot was 3 GREAT shots- one of each of the boys and then a shot together (which I said up front won’t be easy– my boys are the same age and I haven’t taken a pic of them together in over a year) BUT the planets aligned and the shot below was #12 on my card! Now I’m jealous… 
Thanks again J&R for the opportunity- the boys are getting so big and I hope you LOVE these images!
Cameron… my heart nearly jumped in my throat when I he came to my door! Look at his BEAUTIFUL hair- he has totally amazing features! Hands down- one of my top 3 hairstyles for newborns! Loved EVERY minute of his session and I hope you will enjoy this quick little peek into his gallery!
Thank you A and family for bringing him for his session!
ENJOY!
Sweet little Gavin- isn’t he just the most GORGEOUS baby? He was so good to me at his session- super sleepy, curly and ‘brand new.’ He was 6 lbs 9 1/2 oz at birth and 19 1/2 inches tall! He has such a beautiful head of dark hair, long eye lashes and the cutest puckered up little lips too! I enjoyed every moment of his session and I hope his Mommy & Daddy will cherish these images forever! THANKS and enjoy!
Newborn photography is my passion- or at least my ‘first’ passion. And I’ll be the first to admit that part of the reason I feel so deeply in love with capturing the beauty of newborns was having my own children, and then because of the work of two amazing photographers, Carrie Sandoval and Brittany Woodall, who together, form the Fantastic duo, Baby as Art. They have been offering workshops for a few years now and I’ve longed to go, but FINALLY decided this year was the time to go. No more waiting!!! I truly feel that as an artist and photographer, there is no better way to invest in my future and my business than in education and I wanted to learn from the BEST in the business and I am PROUD to say that I have been trained by the innovators of newborn photography! I want my clients to know that I am committed to continuing to educate myself so that I can offer them the best images I can give them! So it was off to San Diego! It was an absolutely breathtaking and amazing experience! Here are some of the images- Carrie and Britt posed the babies and I got to capture the images and process them! Here’s my take!
Nash is such a dreamy lil’ man! I photographed his newborn session and he kind of won me over then with his gorgeous blond hair and his sweet personality…. FAST FORWARD to his 6 month session and he shows up with these HUGE blue eyes (that I don’t think I saw AT ALL at his session because he was so sleepy) even more hair, and a LOT bigger! Not bad- 24 1/2 pounds at 6 months old… ;) We had a great session!
THANKS L for bringing your SWEET baby boy for his session- I had a great time and I hope you did too!
One of my absolute favorite sessions to date….
Here is a little information about Aubrie.
Aubrie was born with a congenital heart defect called Pulmonary Atresia with Intact Ventricular Septum, which basically means one of her heart valves did not form correctly. Aubrie has had three surgeries before the age of 6 months and is supposed to have another open heart surgery around the age of 2-3 years.
When I heard Aubrie’s story I just knew that I should contact her Mommy and see if I could give them a session to help document and remember this special time in their lives. She asked if it would be possible to have a few images that would show Aubrie’s ‘victory’ scars and I of course said yes- I think baby skin is always fantastic, but baby skin that has a scar over her heart is even more special!
I hope you enjoy this image- Aubrie is such an absolutely beautiful little girl- I had the best time at her session, she was so sweet and happy the ENTIRE time, not a single squeak, whine, or cry of disapproval, no matter what the silly noise I made to make her grin! I wish I could take credit for her ‘pose’ here, but I can’t- I wish I had said, “Aubrie, grab the chair with your hand, tilt your head to the side and give me a sweet, closed mouth smile…” But I didn’t- this is Aubrie all by her sweet and pure self.
Thank you H&J for sharing Aubrie with me- she’s a little miracle baby and she has touched my life in ways you don’t know.
If you’re so inclined, feel free to read about a benefit that is being held in Aubrie’s honor this weekend, May 8, 2010
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=288692445896&ref=ts
It’s been one year since I photographed Claire- the last time was when she was a newborn and now she’s got a whole pocketbook of tricks! Such a sweet, sweet girl with gorgeous eyes and peachy cream skin! Loved her in these brown tones and this was the VERY last shot of the day!
Thanks A for bringing Claire for her session- she’s quite the cutie!
Madilynn was back for a third session this past year! I cannot believe she’s already turned 1 year old- she’s just as cute as the little button she was when she was born! (maybe even cuter if it’s possible!) The changes from newborn to 6 months are as great as 6 months to one year in my opinion!
We got to get outside for her session and I LOVE that the weather is now warm enough (most days) to photograph outside!
Happy Birthday again Sweet Madilynn- it’s been an honor capturing your growth your first year of life!
Just a little over a year ago, I photographed a sweet baby girl named Brynlee… and here is her new little sister, Evelyn! Two of THE prettiest baby girls I’ve seen! It was amazing to see how similar, yet how different they both are- definitely sisters!
Big Sister Brynlee, One Year Old!
And Baby Sister Evelyn, 8 Days New!
