Shannon Gurney Photoblog

Birthday Bowling

This past weekend we had the pleasure of joining our friend Sutton for his 5th birthday party at the Red Pin Bowling Lounge in Bricktown.  If you haven't heard of it, you should go take a look.  It's a pretty cool joint, if you ask me.  Now, I'm pretty sure it would've been a bit more fun without all the 4-5 year olds, but hey, you take what you can get...right?

Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Sutton!

I wonder if Sutton's momma only invites us so we'll bring a camera...
 

If so, I'm okay with that.  At least it gets me out of the house!  AND, I get some really fun shots to share with you.

Have I mentioned that Ty is VERY shy.  Upon arriving anywhere new, especially when other children are involved, he always looks like this.

I think he's gonna be a nail biter when he gets older.  I hate to see it happen, but what can I do to help him loosen up a bit?  Any suggestions?

Luckily, food (especially PIZZA) helps him to relax.  He's just like his momma that way.  It also helps when his best buddies, Kaleb and Hayden, arrive ( even if a little late).
 

Let me just say up front, our bowling skills are very lacking.  So lacking, in fact, that we had to wait QUITE A BIT to see if our pins were knocked down.  Waiting is always so exhausting!
 
 

After a while, I'm pretty sure folks behind us were starting to BLOW the ball down the lane.  And then, there were kids like Kaleb who'd chunk it so hard it sounded like an earthquake.  BUT, the ball did get there quickly and the crash of the pins could be heard for miles!

Are those baseball cleats?  That would explain a few things.

Hold on!

Everyone STOP what you're doing!  It's time for CAKE!
 
 
 

I'm glad to see someone besides Ty likes Batman!  I thought it was becoming an obsession in our house.  Whew!  Glad it involves someone else's kids, too!
 
 

Did someone say presents?  Oh boy!  That's always the best part!  AND, look who had to be there for that part!

Pay attention, Daddy!  LOOK!

Even the adults behaved and had a good time!

It was a perfect party!  As a keepsake of the party, Sutton's momma arranged for him to have an autographed pin!  We all got to sign.  Such a cool idea...Ty sure thought so, anyway.

If you have a little one about to celebrate a birthday and you'd like to capture the day in photos, shoot me an email or give me a call!  I love to photograph birthday parties! 

The cost is $450 for 3 hours - includes a CD with ALL images and and comes along with a print release!

Some NEW favorites...

 

You gotta love a gal who can drive a tractor!

I'm loving Pioneer Woman's new action set.  If you haven't checked 'em out, you should.  All of these photos were run with either the 70's action or the colorized action before I converted them to b/w.  I'll show you some before and after later on...

Boys Will Be Boys

So, you've seen these two knucklehead boys before.  I had the pleasure of photographing their family just a week or so ago.  After proofing more of their pics, I decided I had to share these with you guys, too. 

I mentioned in the family post that they reminded me of my own two boys - really they do.  They were so spunky and full of life.  One a little more subdued than the other.  One a little darker than the other in all his features (hair, eyes, etc).  I could even see one was a bit more sensitive than the other and wore his feelings on his sleeve.  I could go on and on.  I'm telling you, they could be the body doubles for my boys.  The more I proof the pics, the more I see that.  It's so funny to me.

But, I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.  They are too adorable not to share.  What do you think?  Do you see Ty and Wes hidden in these faces?

Our session, by the way, was one big wrestling match.  Why do you think they are covered in grass!
 

Cooper - 1 year

 

I've been really lucky to photograph Cooper three times now, which is totally cool.  It's so neat to see how much he's grown each time I see him.  This time is no different, of course.  I arrived at his home to find that he's walking around like a champ!  AWESOME! 

Just this past November, he was crawling like a maniac and pulling up on everything.  Now, he's going full speed!
 

The funniest part about our session this time was that Cooper absolutely DID NOT want the crunchy January grass touching his feet!  It was hilarious!  His momma and I got a huge giggle from the way he reacted when we stuck him out in their front yard.  He wanted to be there, but DID NOT want to be barefoot!  He literally would sit with his legs up a few inches in the air.  AND, get this, when he wanted to be closer to us, he would crawl in reverse thinking his toes wouldn't touch the grass that way.  I'm telling you it was hysterical!  Don't worry, though, after a while he got used to it and was even willing to walk around.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Jacob - 1 year

WOW!  This little guy was the cutest thing ever!  He literally would not quit smiling.  In fact, I'm not sure (except for the cold) I've had an easier session.  It was so much fun!

Jacob and I were scheduled to meet this past Friday afternoon, but he had a little ear trouble and had to make a trip to the doctor...AND on his birthday weekend, too!  Poor little guy.  Luckily, he was my lest session of the season and I didn't mind moving his session back a day.  I think it worked out perfectly!  Jacob had a day to rest and we were able to enjoy the last decent day for a while.  It was horribly windy, but still warm enough that our teeth weren't chattering like my last few sessions.

I know Jacob's momma and daddy are waiting anxiously for this sneak peek.  So, I won't keep them waiting any longer.  Here are my favorites!

This first one is kinda funny because he wasn't about to leave his momma's side when we first started.  But, by the end of our session he was chasing me around!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

AND, lastly, he got to enjoy a little left-over birthday cake from his party earlier in the day.

I thought it was so funny that his momma and I were like "2 second rule, go ahead and eat it", but daddy was totally grabbing it up before he could get all germy!  Hilarious!  Shouldn't it be the other way around?  It usually is at our house...

Dylan - 3 years

This little redhead was just what you think redheads should be...spunky, full of laughter, smart, engaging, and tons of fun!  Who said blondes have more fun?  I think I'll have to disagree.  Dylan was an absolute doll and had a giggle just as perfect as she was.  We had a whole lotta fun snapping all of these shots and many more.  Dylan's mom was there to chase her around the park - even her Aunt Debbie got in on the fun!  It was the perfect morning!

Here are just a few of my favorites...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tanner

I thought the idea behind this session was SO cool!  Tanner recently turned 10 years old.  He has siblings at home, but his mom and dad decided he needed some photos all his own. 

Apparently, his school photos never turn out that great - GO FIGURE.  They had a family session in the not so distant past (you might remember seeing them here), but they wanted to do something just for Tanner.  AND, here we are!  Tanner was a great sport - FULL OF SPUNK!  I loved it!

He was on cloud nine!  I love that it made him feel so special and confident!  Every parent should think of doing something like this for their individual kiddos!  It was well worth the cost to see Tanner with his smile beaming from ear to ear!

 
 
 
 
 

He was smiling SO big the entire time, it was hard to see his pretty, blue eyes!  For a couple, I finally had to tell him NOT to smile so big!  HA!  AND, here's a couple with his mom and dad...
 

Ella - 2 years

I met Ella and her mom at a local park for a morning session.  We walked some trails, played in some leaves, and even got chased by crazy squirrels.  Seriously. 

We were running them off the entire time we were shooting.  They would come right up to us to see if we had food.  At one point, I bent down holding out a leaf and the fattest squirrel ever ran over to check it out.  If it had been food, he'd have eaten it right out of my hand!

Ella wasn't so sure about the squirrels and wanted mom to carry her around.  We had a great time and got some fun photos in the process.  Here are my picks!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Moore Family

So, I hear honesty is the best policy.  Right?

The truth is, it's nearly 1am on a Sunday night/Monday morning and I'm pooped.  Rather than talk your ear off with rambling of what I'm sure won't make a bit of sense, I figure I'll just let the photos of this super cool, really fun family speak for themselves!

So, Moore family, here are my favorites!

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lane and Rilee

When deciding upon a location for this session, neither mom or I thought about the effects of shooting along the river in Bricktown with a 2 year old and a 3 year old.  I mean, what could possibly happen, right?  Two super cute kids, one river, LOTS of grassy hills...

Don't worry!  No one fell in the river or anything...SHEESH!  What kind of photographer do you think I am?  Even I stop at pushing kids in the river to get good shots!

BUT, it was a constant contest to see who could keep them OUT of it while shooting.  It was actually pretty funny.  Curiosity kept getting the best of them...

They had to check it out...(by getting closer and closer to the edge, of course) there were really pretty ducks involved.  We survived, though, and Lane and Rilee had a TON of fun making us run after them for two hours!  Lane even rode a Buffalo (like a BULL)!

I told you they were CUTE!

That's his "thinking" pose, by the way.

Hello there, green eyes!