Shannon LaDuke Photography: culinary district

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!

we've been talking about doing this shoot for months, and it was certainly worth the wait. i love the way they turned out! caleb and eli have these incredibly beautiful dark eyes, and i've been dying to capture them on film. mom ali added to my excitement by suggesting we shoot downtown at the culinary district. the enclosed courtyard out back has walls bathed in warm, rustic tones and a grand fountain. an old farrier's building stands beyond the courtyard with dirt floors, delicious open light and faded turquoise paint. the horseshoes left behind from many decades past are now embedded into the courtyard concrete. what character!

the boys were quite a delight to work with, as was their mom. they arrived early before the shoot to enjoy a cookie from the kitchen inside the culinary district. as i was adjusting my settings, i looked down to discover a cookie-crumb-faced eli, and had to begin snapping away. mom ali didn't flinch, pull out the baby wipes or anything. she just sat back and laughed as the crumbs flew and the camera clicked. handsome five year old caleb is a star wars fanatic - i'm so glad i was able to get a few shots of him with his star wars guy. you should have seen the look on caleb's face when i told him i hadn't seen the movie since i was in kindergarten. (i didn't dare mention that i slept through the second half!) precious eli has been around for 20 months, and i think he's been walking (make that running) for about 18 of them. what a ball of energy! these brothers are so fun to watch, and so sweet to each other. once, in between shots, i looked over just in time to witness caleb giving his little brother an impromptu kiss on the cheek. arg! why wasn't my camera ready?! thanks, ali! your happiness is contagious and your boys are truly a JOY to be around. what a fantastic way to spend an afternoon.