IT'S HERE!!!!

My Awesome surprise is HERE!!

I have a beauuuuutiful new website! I have worked so very hard to get it just right....music, images, colors, every thing!!! .... Here is a tiny peak but you simply must pop in over there turn up the sound, sit back and look at the new site!!!

My portfolio is along the bottom, you click the pink dots!!! http://www.shelliebenson.com/

Oh, I'm in love. Please let me know how you guys like it!!!!!!! {{{big hugs}}}

YEA, YEA, YEA!

My "surprise" is coming soon!!! I'm SOOOOOOO excited! Not sure on the exact date, but anytime between now and the 1st of the year...I'm to the point I'm waiting on someone else now, so its officially out of my hands!

I'm SO excited!!!!!!!!!!!! I have worked so hard to get everything 'just right' and I'm so picky, it about made me crazy, hehehe!! I'm so excited for 2008, it's gonna be AWESOME!!!

The Winner is.......

Barn Picture #3!!!!!

CONGRATS to the BRADFORDS!!

I'm so excited, I LOVED that whole session....LOVE IT! So many great shots, I will be using them for display purposes a LOT so I'm sure you will all see them :) So Mrs. Bradford...be on the lookout soon for your pretty new picture to display :)

If you are interested, here are the totals! I'll give ya the top four who where in the most competition thru-out the contest!!

#3 - Bradfords (24% of votes) - WINNER!
2nd #1 - Amanda (14% of votes)
3rd #11 - Blayney’s (11% of votes )
4th #6 - Herren (9% of votes)
...The other 6 contestants photo's carried the remainder 42% of votes!

THANKS SO MUCH everyone for all of your votes!!! I will have a new contest coming soon!! ....The next one will be to kick off the New Year (wahoo!!) so keep watching!!

~Shellie

Contest Winner...

Sorry guys, my contest email keeps giving me an "Internal Server Error" So I cant peek at the last few votes for the contest!! ....As soon as I can get in there I will announce the winner!!

Wedding Sneak-Peak

This is a little peak for my happy couple from last weekend! It will take me awhile to get all of thier proofs done for them so I just had to let them see a few for now!!



CONGRATS you two!!!!

December Special!

DECEMBER SPECIAL!

Baby's First Year Plan....On sale from $425.00 for the entire year, and now $400.00! You save $25 bucks! ALSO as an added bonus....you will receive a $100.00 gift certificate to go along with with your Plan! You may use that $100.00 towards your Plan price to take it to $300.00, OR save that Gift Certificate and give it away as a gift for Christmas..or a birthday, anything your heart desires!!

***If you aren't Due until 2008, yes you can purchase it now while its on special!***

Thanks guys, you all are great! I look forward to meeting all my new little baby faces in December!!!!~Shellie

Contest Prize?

Hey guys! Ihave a bunch of shirts like this that say my business name...pinks ones, brown ones, hoodies, you name it I probably have it! But I though hey I should give away one of Those for a contest! So I thought I would get your opinion, would you guys want that to be a prize for a contest???

I'm a dork but I think that would be cool to see my cute little clients walking around sporting one of my shirts, haha!! *wink*

I'll make a little poll over to the right for ya! Thanks everyone!!
~Shellie

Guys, my exciting news...

is NOT that I'm pregnant! No, no, no...sorry if I gave that impression!! HAHAHA...I have had a handful of people think that and let me just assure you its totally business related exciting news!!

...stop it! Stop it right now, no more babies for Shellie!! hehehhehee!!!

Have a great day guys!!!
~Shellie

SO Excited!!!!!!

Okay I can not tell my surprises, but starting 2008 I will have something REALLY AWESOME coming!!! Such a great surprise for me and I just can not wait to show every single one of you!! I'm giddy with joy!!!!!!!! The FIRST person to comment on this really awesome surprise will for SURE get something awesome in return!!!
Keep watching, hopefully the very beginning of January I can spill the beans!! Yippeeee!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!
I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!! I'm swimming in getting every ones orders filled and out, so if you are awaiting some pictures, I'm sure working hard for ya and I'll let you know as soon as they are all ready!
Have a great day!!!! Talk soon!!!

~Shellie

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

First of all...THANK YOU for all of the votes this photo contest!!! You guys are doing SOOOOOOOO great getting all those votes in!! ....Just a thought, but Thanksgiving is TOMORROW! (ahh!) so while you have all that family there, make them jump on a computer and vote for you too!!! ...They cant "forget" when you are standing right there! hehe!!! ...I'm even gonna make my family vote for all of you guys, Ha!!!


Also I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with love and thanks. I'm so very thankful for so many things this year, I might just spend the whole DAY in prayer giving that Thanks to God for all of the wonderful blessing in my life right now. I hope you guys have just as many wonderful things to be thankful for. Each of you mean more to me than you know...I always walk away from a session feeling like my family has been extended. That alone is a huge blessing, you guys are all so great!

I hope you have a fantastic day and are surrounded by everyone you love.
Warmest wishes,
~Shellie

Love of some images...

The mommy of this little sweetie has not gotten to see her gallery yet, but I just couldn't wait to post a few on my blog! As a Photographer, you enjoy shooting a whole variety of things and you feel a little divided as too what you love the most! But even so, some images are what you yearn for and what you always 110% love no matter what. Well, these images, are what I love. I love to shoot natural light, outdoor non-traditional stuff. Typically, I only get to do that for Seniors, or weddings or older kids. When the mommy of my baby planner asked if we could meet at the Peoria Riverfront for her little guys 6 month session, I was completely giddy!


Anyway, I had to post just a couple for the simple reason it's what I truly love to shoot and they just make me smile, inside and out. You knwo I love the babies...and when you mix a baby with natural light stuff I love...you get one happy photographer.

Happy 1st Birthday Ryleigh!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY MISS RYLEIGH!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday God Bless youuuuu, Happy Birthday to you!!

I hope you have a wonderful day on your very first birthday!!! I sure had fun watching you grow up this past year, and I really had fun watching you eat all that cake at your last session!!

December Special Announcement!

Hey guys!!

I have had quite a few emails asking what my December special will be and I figured I will just post it now, and save you (and me) some time!! I announced it at my booth on November 3rd, so a few of you know and are waiting patiently, hehe!!

DECEMBER SPECIAL!

Baby's First Year Plan....On sale from $425.00 for the entire year, and now $400.00! You save $25 bucks! ALSO as an added bonus....you will receive a $100.00 gift certificate to go along with with your Plan! You may use that $100.00 towards your Plan price to take it to $300.00, OR save that Gift Certificate and give it away as a gift for Christmas..or a birthday, anything your heart desires!!

It's a GREEEAT deal!!! I love my Baby Planners so I like doing Specials for the plan at least 3 times a year...but I try to make them a little different each time :)

ALSO, you may start purchasing this special ANYTIME after Thanksgiving...So if your Due Date is early December, or you would just like to pay ahead, go for it....after Thanksgiving I will honor the December Special :)

Thanks guys, you all are great! I look forward to meeting all my new little baby faces in December!!!!
~Shellie

Update!

Just a little update on the Barn Contest!!!

Right now as it stands we have ONE picture who holds 39.2% of the votes!!!!!!!!! Thats AWESOME! There are stiil so many who have rallied for votes, and its still so early I can turn easily, but WOW 39.2%...that was worth mentioning I thought ;)

Keep 'em coming guys!!! You are doing great!!!

Also, the other session times I have available for the rest of November are...
Weekday afternoon/eevening sessions! Everything else is booked up. I fyou are interested in a date, just email me and let me know! ...Remember, the only things I shoot in December are Newborns and Baby Planners...so if you need to get in, be sure to set your date soon!!

Thanks guys!!! Have a HAPPY Thanksgiving if I do not post again before then!!!!
~Shellie

Red Barn Photo Contest!!!!

The first Photo Contest was such a HUGE success, we are doing another one!! This one is dedicated to the big beautiful red barn....if you guys have been out here, you know how great it is! I had SO many sessions out here I thought why not do a Barn Contest?!?!

<----CLICK on that Contest Picture to make the photo larger so you can see them better!!!

RULES! New rules this time guys! You vote by email again like before, but to a new Email address! Be SURE to put the number you are voting for in the TITLE of the email!!! Example "Voting #4!!" New Email is BarnContest@shelliebenson.com . ONE vote per email. ALL emails will be recorded, so I'll know just like before if there are repeats. If I suspect 'fake' emails then you take a risk of losing automatically so please do not create emails just to up your votes!! It's 100% my judgement call so please just don't try it and save me some stress, haha!!! We wanna be fair to everyone so just rally your friends, family and co-workers!!!

The winner will get an 8x12 mounted print of the 2 photo's displayed that won!!! (Every contest it will be something different!)

HAPPY VOTING GUYS!!!!!

~Shellie

Maternity...

I had to post some of these maternity images because, last Saturday, I got to photograph the newborn was in her cute little tummy in these shots! hehehe!! This is Claudia, isn't she so beautiful? I dont even look that great NOT pregnant! ...just not fair! haha!! We did studio shots and of course outdoors because that's my favorite thing in the whole wide world. ...I will be sure to post some of baby Jordan too when I'm all done, he's just perfect!

STUNNING Senior...

Oh dear, I Had to post so many...and even now I'm forcing myself to stop!!! COUNTLESS great shots of her! This is Kristen, she a senior this year! Last year we did some pics for her, just for fun because shes a great subject and let me borrow her for an afternoon, haha!! Well this year is her Senior year and she booked her senior session like months ago to make sure she got in, in the fall! Boy, we had a great time! We just drove around Morton/East Peoria where she lives and near our church (we attend the same church) And jumped out whenever I felt the need...worked out awesome as usual, I love doing that ... and yes, I had the chairs with me, of course, in the van! Gotta be prepared.

(Hey Kristen! If you wanna "steal" these for your MySpace go for it, chica!) Speaking of Myspace...Just so you guys know, I consider anything I post on my blog with my copyright stamped on it "free to grab!" so feel free to use them on your MySpace of family blog, no need to ask, I promise I'll never get upset about that, my name is right on there so go for it guys. They are your pics too!!