Shannon LaDuke Photography: January 2014

as you might guess, i have a "thing" about pictures. one of my favorite things about christmas time is finding bright, shiny, happy cards in my mailbox from friends old and new, all month long. and i save them all. i must admit that i don't only save christmas cards, but also baby announcements and birthday invitations -anything with a photo. eventually, each year's cards get packed up with the christmas decor and stored the attic. i finally decided to do something with them this year - i created a christmas card book for each year from 1998 to 2013. this was no small task, as the cards were not well organized, but it was so worth my time. (disclaimer: my husband was out of town for a few days, we got iced in, my girls got obsessed with our collection of shrek dvd's and wanted to watch them repeatedly back-to-back, and i had free-reign to leave my project spread out all over about 15 square feet of the living room floor for 72 hours. truly the crafter's perfect storm.) i found small card stock folders at michael's for the front and back of each book and cut them in half, punched holes through each card, strung grosgrain ribbon through them (i have also seen this done with metal rings), and tied on a tag stamped with each year. my girls really got a kick out of looking through the old pictures, and i'm so happy to have it done! can't wait to put them out with my christmas gear next year. a nostalgic stack of stories, told through pictures, to be enjoyed for years to come.

it's been quite a year for shannon laduke photography! 2013 was complete with hellos and goodbyes, lots of laughter and a few tears, lively adventure and tender moments, young love and love that has endured the test of time. we escaped occasional rainstorms, enjoyed many glorious sunsets and took advantage of four splendid arkansas seasons. this year, some of you experienced the wonder of adoption, some celebrated age-old friendships, some documented a fleeting moment in time for your family, some welcomed a tiny new arrival, some blinked and suddenly found your kindergartner wearing a cap and gown, some said "yes", and some held on tight and prayed for the miracle of a little more time. i want to thank all the new families i had the pleasure of meeting this year. i know there are plenty of talented photographers out there, and i find it a true honor to capture these memories for you. and to my return clients - the opportunity to work with you again is always such a privilege and i so, so treasure my time with each of you. whether our first session was in 2013, 2008, or somewhere in between, you have allowed me to tell your story, and for that i am so very grateful. thank you for a fantastic year!