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Stillpoint Massage Therapy | Dana Breen | Chicago Massage Therapy

Jen Shannon — Fri, 21 May 2010 05:13:33 +0000

It is with great happiness and pleasure that I announce the “grand opening” of the Stillpoint Massage Therapy website! Dana Breen became a friend of mine about a year and a half ago. She hired me to design her logo and website and I am happy to present the finished product to you! Dana is a massage therapist located in the Aon building at 141 West Jackson Suite 333 in Chicago. To schedule an appointment you can go to her website at http://www.Stillpoint-Massage-Therapy.com and send an email to get an appointment, or call her office at 312.347.1735.

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer

Love at Breathtaking Heights-Willis Tower Part 2

Jen Shannon — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:02:06 +0000

Here goes for part 2! One of my favorite parts of doing this wedding show was the networking. I met some other fabulous photographers but also met some incredible, fabulous florists, designers, linen vendors, musicians, coordinators, invitation and paper vendors, etc. These were definitely among Chicago’s elite and I was super excited and happy to have been a part of it all. Here are some photos of some of the vendor set ups. They were so gorgeous!

Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer

Pet Shoot with Shoney

avrilrae — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:39:50 +0000

It was a gorgeous day in Chicago when we arrived at Peggy’s condo for our pet shoot with her beautiful cat Shoney. Shoney is an older cat but you’d never be able to tell. This gorgeous kitty still looks like a 3 year old kitty. Although Shoney didn’t like us very much, she did her best to let us see her photogenic side. You could tell she dearly loved Peggy and felt safe in Peggy’s arms. This cat was so cute. She loved being held like a baby. She’s the kind of cat an owner could do anything to and the cat just loved it up, except of course to us strangers. But it’s ok, no hard feelings Shoney! We still think your beautiful and know that your momma loves you VERY much!

Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Pet Photographer

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer

Amira

Jen Shannon — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:15:32 +0000

She’s lean, she’s mean, she’s a yarn slaying machine! Well, not really. She’s not so lean and she’s not so mean, but she does kill yarn. It’s Amira! Amira is Brian’s (my brother’s) beautiful kitty. She’s got bright green eyes and looks like a little black and grey tiger. I’ve cat sat for Brian before and usually Amira is so squirmy that I can’t get any good pictures of her, but this time, I got her in her own home… AKA Brian’s condo, although Amira really rules the place. She’s his princess. She was coy, slick, beautiful, and looked like a tough cookie, but really, she just wanted to play with her string of yarn. Her favorite spot is right on top of Brian’s tuner/amplifier for his stereo system in his condo, but occasionally she’ll get up, flutter her tail around our feet, beg for some of our attention, and then go back to the nice warm tuner/amplifier thingy. This time though, something was a little different. We arrived at Brian’s condo before he got back from the store, so we let ourselves in. The sun was shining perfectly through his windows to cast a gorgeous natural light on her. She danced around our feet curiously smelling the smell of our dogs on us. Minutes later, she perked up as if she’d heard something. Little did we know, she apparently heard Brian coming down the hallway to his door. She was so excited and happy to see him, as if he would never have come back. As she settled down, she found a warm refuge on top of his fireplace to look out the window at what was going on in the city. Here are some pictures of her.

Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Pet Photographer

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer

Bob and Colleen's Wedding

avrilrae — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:58:47 +0000

I love details of weddings. Details are one of my favorite things to shoot. Why, you might ask. I love shooting details because there is SO much planning that goes into a wedding. Every single little detail is planned, thought about, and eventually the detail is created. I love photographing the details because 10 years from now, you may not remember the details that you took so long to plan and the photographs of the details may be your only memory of it.

When asked how Bob met Colleen, Bob grinned and said they met in college in Iowa. They had dated for five years with one year being long distance from Iowa. He was happy that their big day finally came. As the groomsmen arrived, it began to sprinkle rain and concern for outside pictures grew. Luckily the rain held out for the formals took of the men before the wedding. Doug arrived at the church shortly before the wedding with the bridal party where I met Colleen. As many brides usually are, she was being pulled in about a million different directions but kept her focus on one thing.. She was about to marry her Prince Charming. Here are some photos I second shot for Doug McGoldrick yesterday.

Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer

My First Wedding Shoot-2nd Shot for Doug McGoldrick!

avrilrae — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:44:51 +0000

The weather prognosis appeared grim the night before Chris and Erica’s wedding. Thunderstorms were to be expected throughout the whole day of their wedding. Saturday came and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I headed out for a long drive to Evanston. I met Doug through the Pictage forums when I asked if anyone would let me second shoot for them. He offered for me to second shoot at two weddings with him, which I was STOKED about! After a few emails back and forth, I found Doug was a teacher at my college, Columbia College, which I will soon be leaving. What a small world! I arrived about 20 minutes or so early in Evanston. Still a gorgeous day! I met up with Doug who I couldn’t mistake for a photographer. He had all of his gear on him with two great cameras with huge lenses attached. I was very nervous to be shooting my first wedding, but I was confident in my knowledge of my camera, so I knew as long as I focused, I would do just fine. And I did! Doug introduced me to the bride and groom. I suddenly became very intimidated when I learned the groom was also a photo teacher and photographer as well as most of the groom’s wedding party! I thought, “Oh no! How can my first wedding be for photo pros?!? The pressure was on, but I was up for the challenge. This wedding, by far, was the coolest wedding I had ever been to. They passed around this ball of nylon material and intertwined it through the rows of chairs, then slid the ring down the nylon, down each row of chairs, everyone touching the rings, to symbolize being intertwined with the people that love them and will support them in their marriage. Also, instead of having a unity candle, they used darkroom chemistry to pour together to create a purple color, symbolizing the creation of a new union. They also had the coolest center pieces, which you can see below. It was such a creative, beautiful wedding, and I am so thrilled that Doug gave me the opportunity to second shoot for him. Doug was so easy to work with and laid back. It was the best first 2nd shooter job/wedding job I could have ever asked for.

Jen Shannon Photographer, Chicago Wedding Photographer

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer

Winner of the 1st Annual Free Wedding Photography Services Give Away Announced!

avrilrae — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:23:06 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen….. Drum roll please……… The winner of Jen Shannon Photography’s 2009 1st annual free wedding photography services give away is…….. Laura Nee and Michael Spikes! Congratulations! The contest was to have a couple submit their story as to why they can’t afford our photography for their wedding. This contest was designed to help brides in need, not brides who have gone over their budget. I was especially touched by Laura and Michael’s story because of Michael’s service in the military and Laura’s support of her soon to be husband. Their wedding will take place Friday, May 29th at 2pm. I could not even begin to imagine how difficult it will be to serve in Iraq to protect our country for a second tour, much less imagine having my husband away for so long to defend our country. Couples like Laura and Michael are honorable and I cannot begin to thank them enough for their service to our country. Although Laura is not in the military, she still serves our country by supporting her husband who is fighting for our country. Read Laura’s entry and see the picture she submitted with her entry below.

“My fiance and I are getting married May 29. He’s in the military and I’m still in college, so we don’t have a lot of money. We really love each other, and we’ve been dating for 4 years. He’s deploying for his second tour in Iraq this summer, so we decided to make the final commitment to each other, just in case, God forbid, something happens to him… We’ve been through everything that is supposed to break a couple up (such as long distance and deployment…) and we’re still holding strong. Our entire wedding budget is $2000, and that’s really pushing it for us.”

Congratulations Laura! I’m excited to be a part of your special day!!!

Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer

Hustle Up the Hancock and My First Celeb Siting

avrilrae — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:00:41 +0000

I’ve FINALLY finished editing the photos I took of my family at Hustle Up the Hancock. It was early on a Sunday morning. I was dead tired from a photo shoot I did the night before for Love Your Pets. I opened my eyes and thought, “Ugh… I have to go downtown again… Didn’t I just get home from there??” I took in a deep breath, relieved that the sun was finally out after months of cold misery, and knew that it meant a lot to my family to go watch them climb 94 flights of stairs to the top of the Hancock tower in Chicago. I was up and ready in about 20 minutes and off Colby and I were, headed for the hotel across from the Hancock that my parents and little brother were staying in. We got there and had awhile to sit around so I took some pictures of the view outside of their hotel room and a coat laying on a bed near the window. Then, it was time for the climbers to get going. As my dad, mom, and Kevin went to go take their place in line, Brian, Dana, Colby, and I headed up to the Signature Lounge on the 96th and ate some finger food while we waited. After about 40 minutes they all came up to greet us. I learned my mom made it up in 21 minutes, Kevin in, I think, 25 minutes and my dad in, I think, 35 minutes. I was happy to learn that my mom, who is 52, and my dad, who is 62, are still in great shape enough to climb 94 stories! I wouldn’t last past 5! We took some pictures and stood around for a little bit then made a plan to go back to Brian’s condo (my oldest brother) and have some lunch. I went back to the hotel with my parents and Kevin but before we could go back, I decided to lay on the ground and take some pictures of them at the Hancock. That’s when my first celeb siting happened. Yup. Jerry Springer pulled up in a stretch limo. I didn’t want to act like the paparazzi so I took some pictures of the back of his head hoping he would turn around and not see me taking pictures of him, but that didn’t work because my dad yelled out, “Jerry! You gonna climb with us or what???” So I decided the proper thing to do would be to not stick my camera in his face and take a photo. So enjoy the picture of the back of his head… hahaha! You can see in the picture of them next to the Hancock where I am laying on the ground my little brother looking over spotting Jerry Springer. Anyway, that is the story of Hustle Up the Hancock.

Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Lifestyle Photographer

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer

Panoramics

avrilrae — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:57:38 +0000

Ok, so I am finally getting around to posting some panoramics. I love doing panoramics. They are sooo fun. Anyway, the first panoramic is a panoramic I did of Pike’s Peak in Colorado when Monica and here husband Jeremy took me almost to the top of the mountain. The second is from the Paint Mines in Colorado. The last one is a project I did in my digital imaging class this past semester of Grant Park in Chicago. I LOVE them!

Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer

Hustle Up the Hancock

Jen Shannon — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:23:43 +0000

My Dad, Mom and little brother flew up to Chicago to participate in Hustle Up the Hancock. Although I think climbing up 94 floors is crazy (not really, just insanely hard), my Dad and Mom have been training for well over a year for this. My mom has been climbing stairs for 4 years and my Dad started participating with her for almost 2 years. My mom finished 26th in her age group! My Dad and little brother did very well, although I don’t remember the exact numbers. Click the photo above to see some of the pictures. Side note, right after we left the Hancock to go back to the Hilton, where they stayed the night before, we met Jerry Springer, briefly. My first celeb citing ever. Ha! I only got a picture of the back of his head. When he walked up I didn’t want to see like the paparazzi type so I didn’t take any pictures while he briefly spoke with us. My Dad told him he should have climbed but Jerry responded that he gets a nose bleed on elevators.

Jen Shannon Photography, Florida Wedding Photographer