Thursday, August 30, 2007

just be you, it works.

i've been wonderfully reminded lately how lucky I am to be part of such a talented family. I'm the oldest of five kids, and all of us are so different! My mom's birthday was a few weeks ago, and I gave her these photos of each of us. We barely have any recent ones, which had to change. So, I secretly took each kid's photo in our backyard and gave them to her for her birthday.

>>the leith family

Jason, one of the few family members without a blog, is the silly funny kid in the family. He plays the keyboard in Sun From Shadow, his band. PLUS: he's a fine artist: He draws and paints! he is so so so good. it's incredible. He's a senior in high school. carson. we look alike, and are called the Brownies of the family. He's a sophomore in high school and is the lead singer for his band Sun From Shadow. Read his poetry on his blog. He's so good.
Heather, the 14 year old actress who has the quirkiest sense of humor I've ever encountered. She's the youngest, and somehow has survived having 3 older brothers and an older sister. Along with acting, she's a writer!
Here's Ryan, the film-maker/musician with two tattoos, plugs, and cool jeans. He's in his second year at Biola, so we see each other all the time! (well, we see each other mostly because we share a car. Ryyyyyy, where's the carrrrrrrrrrrr is one example of a typical interaction.) I've always wanted glasses like his. And a fauxhawk like his.
and then me. Ryan took it. the 20 year old senior at Biola art major who likes photographing life!
i like how our parents didnt make us do any sports or anything like that: we all chose what we wanted to do, and its been cool to see each person pursuing things they love.

i'll post about my parents soon, when i have a chance to take a photo of them. they are both business people. ha-- how did they get all these art/music/film kids?

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

secret facts!

{the road leading up to my house}
eight small details about myself
that you might not have known.

the lovely Lauren Hillary tagged me, this little game is happening among all the photographers' blogs, and now its my turn to share!

WELL.
number one. i didn't like art until my senior year of high school. I wanted to be a 4th grade teacher up until I took a trip to Kenya and fell in love with exploring the world through art and photographs. i had never even drawn until a few months ago! i'm new in this art-world. i love it, but i'm definitely new.

two: my favorite color has never been a color, it was black a few years ago, then grey, and now it's white!

three. berries taste good with everything! i eat them on pasta, in sandwiches, sprinkled on salads... oh, speaking of sprinkles: have you ever tried rainbow sprinkles on pizza? SO GOOD!

4. I read backwards. From the bottom of the page up. A little bit psychotic? yes. but-- it does help me get the main idea quicker. And, I don't like doing things the boring way. haa

5. sometimes i don't shave my legs or do my laundry for months at a time, and no, i'm not exaggerating. {can we still be friends?}

sixx-- directions and i don't mix. i've lived in La Mirada for 3 years and and got lost going to the highway the other day. *sigh*

7. I'm 5'10", wear size 10 shoes, weigh 145 pounds.
(Is that one boring?)

eight: i cut my own hair when i see an area that needs a little spice. also regarding haircuts: I never go to the same person twice. Two haircuts ago I told the guy to "just do some fun hair-art" and to be "led by the spirit" and I walked out with a real mullet. i had him recut it. Ahhh! I'm not that brave!


now its time for lindsey, blx, el, mr. robbie commenter, brady, and hollie to write some secret facts. for those of you without blogs, commentt!

Monday, August 27, 2007

just trying things...

this is the first time i used my polaroid without a flash! it seeped in all this light, and turned orange, and i am in love with it.



love, shan

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Apartment Necessities: asparagus and bowtie pasta




i went shopping for apartment-groceries for the first time
i was so excited that i shopped for about an hour and a half,
picking out just the right things.

apples
spelt
bowtie pasta (MY FAVORITE!)
cheese
marinara sauce
golean crunch!
honey yogurt
avocados
tomatoes
bread
bagels
animal crackers!
babycarrots
white macaroni and cheese
coffeeeeeeee
mustard
CHICKEN, mmm.
frozen corn
basil !!!
milk
spelt (a grain, kind of like rice)
chocolate.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

photos from a field that i love



This summer I discovered a wide open field next to my track-home, Southern-Californian neighborhood. Seriously, I never knew about it, and it's literally right around the corner from my house.

It's amazing what you see when you actually
look
!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

the best emotionally-charged, full of life, mid-moment photo ever.


i just melt at this photo.
so in the moment!
what's going through their heads at that moment?

right now i feel like my world might explode and crush me...
and i know that everything can't be wonderfully full of bliss,
but it seems like its been too long since i've
had one of these mmmmmm life moments, like they're having.

its when my heart audibly screams PAY ATTENTION TO ME!
that i know i have to go drink some iced tea outside or something.
you know?


the really pretty, really fun Alpha girls

this is the RA staff from Alpha Chi.
We fulfilled one of my life visions:
to stroll down Beach Blvd and take photos.
I absolutely love that street because of all the great buildings, colors, textures, light... so I'm excited that they let me take them there to explore!
here's the RD, Dawn.
and her lovely staff.aren't they fun?

{thanks for helping me bring the beach blvd vision to life!}

Sunday, August 19, 2007

art while driving

Joy and Michael's Wedding!

When we first met, Joy told me that her wedding was going to be in Inglewood, but that I'd never know it. Boy was she ever right!! Directly next to LAX, in the middle of run-down LA, was the most beautiful Victorian house that Joy and Michael were married at. Gardens, fountains, antiques... it was absolutely incredible. If anyone needs to know how to plan the classiest Inglewood wedding the world has ever seen, talk to Joy McCoy.

okay, this is possibly one of the most unique wedding day moments I've seen: Grandpa measuring his granddaughter on the day of her wedding!! He has fourteen grandchildren, and this door is covered in names and ages and dates and heights. ahh! I love this!!
her shoes were so precious.
just hanging out on the counter
blythe {my wonderful friend!} was my
assistant and took this one of me in ac-tion.
again, one of my favorite wedding moments.
Ashley, glamorously eating corn on the cob
We were by a wheelbarrow or something and I told Amy, "now you just need a farmer boyfriend!" I already have one! "you DO?" yup
here is the beautiful Joy :)
i couldn't get enough of all the lace!
this window had such great light coming in.
i absolutely loved kim's hair.
side swept curls are the best best best.Michael, looking amazing in his hand-tied (!!) bow tie.
!
they asked if they could fight for their group photos,
i said yes
then they gave me a few smiling ones. :)
these centerpieces ruled. pears! and asparagus!!sweet thing.
they were glowing the entire day
blythe took this rad abstract
and... one last favorite!
thanks for taking me to the place that i now want to copy you and get married at, mainly for the amazing wallpaper, and of course, all the lace.

it was a lovely day :) joy and michael i am glad to know the two of you. family photos when Riley arrives, okay?

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Ellen and Alex and Tropicana

I'm moving in to Tropicana today-- my new apartment, which you will be hearing a lot about this year, because I am absolutely ecstatic about it.

So many good things.
#1, it's completely teal
#2, i will have things like a kitchen and a couch
(luxuries after living in a dorm room!)
#3, i have the best roommates ever ever ever
#4, these are the people who are in charge:el and alex and i collaborated on this little welcome postcard that each person will get when they move in! ahhhh! i'll pretend to be surprised when i find it in as i move in today. we did the photos outside of trop-- I need to post more of them this week, because they are so much fun.

okay, time to go put the boxes that i still haven't unpacked from the beginning of the summer back into the car to move in.

i cant wait
!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Tjepkema Family Photos!

Yesterday I did a family portrait session for the Tjepkema's. We had so much fun together! Being in college-land, it's always fun to hang out with families-- especially when there's little kids!
here's Reagan! she was such a crack up.
sweet Lila.Nate set up his train to show me.
I love this shot.
Kim and Travis!
each of their expressions just makes me melt.
woo-hoo for family photos!


Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Horton Staff Photos

This is an RA staff from Biola who had me take their staff photo--
I absolutely love Res Life-- and love making ordinary places
into an instant studio. We ran around Biola and took these.

Yeah Horton!!
Ahhhhh!!! (translated: i love this one!)this is Katie, the RD, the woman in charge!Katie and her husband!
they just, rule.

way to be blissful, blue-steelesque, excited, serious, scattered and genuine... all in the matter of 40 minutes.

- Shannon!

Monday, August 13, 2007

my summer was made complete

i saw a shooting star tonight

!!


the third one i've seen in two months!!!

ahhhh!!! so LUCKY!
the great part of the story: i was really bitter because i had to wait for 20 minutes outside for my brother, so i laid down on the sidewalk, bored and impatient. then the shooting star came and made my heart light up :) i was a little bit less bitter after that.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

hollie wins!

its my mom's birthday today, so I had her choose the winner out of a hat. (Thanks everyone for being so enthusiastic about my contest. To the general public: i promise i didn't pay my 3 friends and my sister to enter my contest and make me look popular. i promise.)

Anyway,
HOLLIE WON!!

Now. Here's the thing: I have this amazing photo of my mom being all excited for choosing Hollie's name, but:
1. I can't find my card-reader
2. my computer is running out of battery and the cord is not in sight
3. i ate at Lucille's tonight (for my mom's birthday), and now I feel sick. I hate southern food. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just do. I had a garden burger-- because I can't stand the taste of BBQ, and I accidentally ordered COLLARED GREENS as my side-dish, thinking it was SALAD. Collared Greens are not salad. Now I know!!!

BUT-- as a result of that fun fun fun fun fun contest, now I know without a doubt that:
I have 10 buds.
8 people like my photos
5 people LOVE me, and polas.
and, you like details about life. (like... the collared greens incident? eh??)

blehh-- i seriously feel sick.
this is not happy.

i wish i had that picture of my mom.
WHERE IS THAT CARDREADERRRRR.


oh! hollie! your book journal will be waiting on our new kitchen counter. (she is my roommate for my new APARTMENT!!

shhhhhhhhan.

Friday, August 10, 2007

free book journal! for possibly you.

You're here.

youuu you you.
Let me in on who you are!

in appreciation, and as a warm welcome to my life, one lucky commenter gets a free BOOK JOURNAL!! I'll mail it to you. :) Come out of hiding and admit you read my blog, and I'll reward you.
How fun.
______________________
A contest!
{all you have to do is
comment comment comment.}

______________________


Oh, do these exciting polls too.
click as many answers as you'd like.

6am photos: I was tired, but they RULE!

For about two years now I've wanted to shoot in the fog. Not just any fog... the 6am, I'm leaving early in the morning for a plane-flight kind of fog. ie: whiteness before the sun arrives.

My brother Ryan needed some photos for his new CD, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make someone get up at 6am! It'd be hard to do this to a client... but when it's your brother, banging on the door for a wake-up call is allowed.

this one's at the top of a hill, with a tree coming up from
behind him! from now on, all photoshoots will be held at 6am.
plan? {i love white!}
the plant is KILLING me.
i just love this photo.
simp-licit-yy.
he's so cute.
if he weren't my brother----


rocket.
shan

Monday, August 6, 2007

details, like i promised

i made a new blog header.
that is redundant, since you just scrolled past it to get here.

i figured i'd be less mysterious, and help stalkers know where they landed. eh?

so! onto the fun stuff.

last night for dinner i had this awesome, organic, natural, vegan, healthy, fresh, delicious, free-range, etc., meal.

I got a haircut in Hermosa Beach by a lovely girl named Marie (SHE RULES!!), and then I ate at a place called the Spot. I had a salad with jasmine rice, avacado, and tomato in it, with their famous tofu dressing on top. The tofu dressing was a stretch for me, but it turned out to be pretty fabulous. I also had iced tea, my favorite-- and it was a combination of chamomile, apple-cinnamon, and lemon zinger.
TALK ABOUT A ZINGER.
This iced tea
rocked
my
world.


wow.

oh, here's some leftovers from some photos brother Ryan took of me.
we shot them in the backyard.
my philosophy: photos need... light, and the world. then you're set.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

a transformation: thugs --> supermodels


This was one of my favorite photoshoots.
These girls are good friends from high school,
and they asked me to photograph them.
Friends Photoshoot!
You don't know how excited I was when they walked up dressed as thugs. WHAT!! Who gets to do this! They totally rocked it.
Even better was their transformation. They hopped into a van halfway through, and came out looking like
this.

i have rockstars for friends.

here's lindsey
dayna.mon-icaSamira,and blythe.
{blx!}such lovely, lovely friends i get to have.ahhhhhhhhh!

what a blast!
do i say that after every shoot????
its true though.

[ps. aren't they HOT????!]

love, shan.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

my grandma on a motorcycle

she emailed me this photo with the caption: You only live once!

zest! she brings such zest to life!