Shannon Confair Photography » Recent Work

Wedding at The Inn at Leola Village | Part 1

Shannon Confair — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:56:19 +0000

I have been looking forward to Amanda and Frank’s wedding for over a year now. They are every photographer’s dream clients! No really, they are. Our first meeting took place over Skype (my very first one!) and I knew we were a perfect fit. Thankfully, they thought so too Enjoy……

I loved this property! It has such a quaint, romantic feel.

The blue box! Loved her reaction! You did good Frank
(And this was his idea, by the way! They didn’t want to see each other before the wedding so he thought they could stand on either side of the huge sliding barn doors)
Part 2 will be coming soon…..

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Abeer and Brooks | Engagement Photography at Boiling Springs Lake

Shannon Confair — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:29:11 +0000

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Hurry….. before it’s too late!

Shannon Confair — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:22:30 +0000

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Maternity Photography Hilton Head, SC

Shannon Confair — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:08:01 +0000

Two years ago I had the privilege of shooting Amanda and Doug’s destination wedding in Riviera Maya, Mexico. And now I had the privilege of photographing their maternity session for their very first baby! I can not tell you how exciting it is for me to capture these milestones in peoples lives

Amanda wanted a mix of fine art and more casual maternity portraits

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Megan’s Story

Shannon Confair — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:00:12 +0000

Megan was one of my very first clients. When I found out she had cancer I was devastated! I know all too well how terrible it is to go through such an ordeal with loved ones in my life, so I contacted her and we scheduled a session. She was gracious enough to allow me to share her story with you. Please take the time to read, and share with those you love. We need to raise awareness of this vicious disease, and we need to raise money to find a cure! Please see the bottom of this post for information on how YOU can make a difference and help end cancer!

I was diagnosed with cancer on June 6, 2012. I had my first oncologist appointment exactly a week later on my son’s 3rd birthday. Just days after that, my best friend was tragically killed in an accident. June was tough to say the least. My journey with cancer is still fairly new; I know it will continue for the rest of my life. Although it isn’t over, and there is so much unknown. I do know this, faith and love prevail in any situation and do for me as I continue to navigate my new life. I am happy to report that I have completed my treatment and on November 26, 2012 I found out that I am in remission!

I want to tell my story because I hope to help others become more aware. Aware that cancer is a reality and can affect anyone. I am a 39 year old wife, mother, sister, daughter and friend. I thought I was pretty healthy. I had some extra weight I wanted to lose. For the last several years, I had been struggling with fertility issues. It took me almost 4 years to get pregnant with my son. Since his birth, I was focused on losing weight and having another baby and in 2011 experienced two devastating miscarriages. My entire focus on my health was related to these issues. I mention this because I believe my miscarriages were probably due to my cancer. A doctor said to me (after my diagnosis) that some people believe the body won’t allow itself to become pregnant or carry a pregnancy to term if there is a significant health issue. I have never been very “tuned in” to my body. Now, more than ever, I am learning how important it is to pay attention to your body, to get to know it and to take an active role in your health. I’ve learned that being healthy doesn’t just happen, it requires a lot of work.

In December 2011, weeks after my most recent miscarriage, I noticed what I thought was a swollen gland on the right side of my neck, under my chin. It was large enough that I could see it when I looked in the mirror. In January, I went to the doctor. I met with a nurse practitioner who felt the gland and measured it. She said that people often are worried about lymphoma but that I didn’t need to be. She said that it was probably just an infected lymph node. She gave me an antibiotic and scheduled a follow up appointment. In the meantime, I had also visited my OB/GYN and she had also felt the swollen gland and said nothing of it. I went back to the nurse practitioner for another appointment before the antibiotic was finished and she said I didn’t need to bother coming in for the follow up.

After a few weeks, I noticed the swollen gland didn’t go away and did not seem to change in size. I was uncomfortable with the way my doctor’s office had handled this. So, I switched doctor’s. Getting an appointment with my new doctor took a couple of months. In that time, the lump didn’t go away and it seemed that there was another one, lower on my neck. My new doctor scheduled blood work and a CT scan. The CT scan was denied by insurance, but the insurance approved an ultrasound. The blood work was normal. After the ultrasound, my doctor referred me to an ear nose and throat specialist. The doctor’s office did not explain why they made this referral. So, I assumed it was allergies. I have long suffered from allergies. At that point, the possibility of lymphoma didn’t seem possible anymore. What I didn’t know, was that the ENT was a surgeon and he would be doing a biopsy. For the week or two before my appointment with him, I was oblivious; thinking only about allergies.

I went to the ENT for a consultation. He examined me and asked a lot of questions. He asked what others had asked. Have you had any dramatic weight loss? Night sweats? Fever? Extreme Fatigue? Cough or shortness of breath? He explained that it could be nothing. But he said that when there is a swollen lymph node as large as the one I had, it was cause for concern on it’s own. Upon further examination, he discovered a lump on the base of my tongue. I had not realized that was there but after he pointed it out, I realized I had felt it before and it had probably been there for a while. After an extensive interview, he told me that he would like to do a biopsy. He told me that it would be an outpatient procedure and he would needle biopsy the lymph nodes in my neck and do a tissue biopsy on the tongue. He wanted to schedule as soon as possible. I asked him what he was looking for and he told me lymphoma. I asked him, “If it’s good news and it’s not cancer, then what could it be?” The options he gave me were unlikely and in my opinion impossible. Although I knew that lymphoma was a possibility, I didn’t believe for a minute that I had cancer. I didn’t really have any other symptoms, I was young, I just didn’t entertain the thought because I thought it was impossible. My family felt the same way I did. We tossed around lots of ideas, its a cyst and needs removed, its allergies…I never turned to the internet for information, I didn’t reach out to anyone to see what they thought, I did NOT believe this could be cancer. My family shared my optimism and hope. We prayed and waited. I had the biopsy and a week later, I received the diagnosis of follicular lymphoma. I had a follow up appointment with the ENT the following day. He reviewed the results of the biopsy with me and stated he couldn’t tell me much more. He scheduled me for a follow up appointment with a medical oncologist.

A week later, I had my first appointment with the medical oncologist. I arrived at the Cancer Center and was pretty blown away. They gave me a “welome to the Cancer Center” folder. Everything they did and the way that all the staff behaved was so matter of fact. I quickly realized I would be spending a lot of time at the Cancer Center. I also quickly realized how many people are affected by this disease and just how common it is. During this first appointment I learned more about my diagnosis. I had follicular and diffuse non-hodgkin’s lymphoma. The report from the biopsy indicated that the cells were grade 3, which meant they were aggressive. The doctor gave me a number of follow up tests to stage the cancer. The following week was filled with appointments; a PET scan, more blood work and a bone marrow biopsy. After another week, I received the test results which indicated that I had stage 3 cancer. I was informed that my treatment plan was to receive 6 rounds of R-CHOP chemotherapy. I would receive chemo every three weeks. Due to the nature of the drugs, the chemotherapy takes a long time to administer. With this type of chemotherapy I would lose my hair most likely within two weeks after my first treatment. My first chemotherapy was scheduled for July 2, 2012.

In the span of these few weeks, my world was crumbling, my families world was crumbling, this was not supposed to be happening. I was a healthy 38 year old, I was a mom of a 3 year old. My husband and I had plans, lots of life to live. And now, I have cancer. What now? I am a very driven person, a controlling person, a do-er, a constant worrier, a fearful person. Or I should say I was. All of those things are changing in me through my faith in God and through experiencing cancer. But, being that person, with this diagnosis was mind blowing. What was I going to DO? How could this be happening? I was crushed, I was sad, I saw my uncertain future and feared what was ahead. For the first time in my marriage, I saw my husband scared. We had been married 7 years and had been through a lot of difficult times but he is very upbeat, happy and easy going; pretty steadfast and not easily rattled. He is my rock. But this, this shook him and that scared me. I watched my parents and siblings, my friends and extended family experience grief and fear. I watched all those around me in shock and I was numb. Initially, me and my entire family were the kind of sad and scared that is very hard to describe unless you’ve been through something like this. I did not think I was going to die, but I did not know what was to come. My family rallied around me, comforted me and each other, and turned to God to sustain us all.

Ten days after my diagnosis, came another tragedy in our lives. My best friend, that I have literally known since birth, was tragically killed in an accident. She was my first friend, we were raising our kids together, she was my family. I mention this, because from that moment, my fight changed and my perspective changed. I was no longer stuck in the shock and sadness of my diagnosis, I was ready to fight. I knew that I had the choice to fight and that I was going to with all I had. She was one of the first people I called when I was diagnosed. She was by my side for everything I have been through in life, good or bad and this was no different. Every day I have imagined her by my side as I know she would have been if she were here.

And so, the do-er/fighter in me immediatley started reading and researching everything I could get my hands on. The day I was diagnosed I drastically changed my diet. My sister and cousins sent me books. My sister replaced my entire refrigerator and pantry with whole organic foods. My family and friends bombarded me with scriptures on healing and surrounded me in prayer. I also began treatment at a health clinic where I received more tests and supplements to help support my immune system. I was also advised to begin IV vitamin C which I continued weekly throughout my treatment. There had been other people in my life that had done this while going through cancer treatment and their testimony convinced me this was best for me.

Walking in to the cancer center on July 2nd was one of the scariest experiences of my life. I didn’t know the routine yet of bloodwork, weight and temp, appointment and then chemo. I really had no idea what chemo was or what to expect. I had seen the doors to the infusion room a couple of times but had no idea what was beyond those huge double doors. When I finally got in there my fear only grew. The reality of what was happening to me and that I was REALLY sick hit me. I didn’t FEEL sick so it was not something that was easy to grasp. I was numb and sad and scared as I sat in that infusion room for hours hooked up to IV’s staring at a television. Over the next couple of weeks, I realized I was in the fight of my life. As I lay in bed sick for days and worked my hardest to be “normal” for my son and family, it became clear that this was only going to get harder before it got easier. Within a week or so of that first treatment, my hair started falling out. I quickly got it cut and donated it to Locks of Love. My hair continued to fall out pretty rapidly and in chunks. I came home one day and asked my husband to just shave it off, I was tired of dealing with my hair falling out.

Over the last six months I have been blown away by the generosity and love I have received from those close to me and those that I barely know. I have learned so much about the amazing people in my life and feel so fortunate to have been touched by so many as I have gone through cancer treatment. I have learned so much from the faith and strength of my husband and family and of those surrounding all of us. Although treatment was difficult, the people that I love and that truly love me, made it as easy as it could have possibly been. The changes that I have made in my diet and for the benefit of my health also helped. I am beginning to get my energy back and with the help of physical therapy am beginning to feel stronger. There are side effect from the drugs that I am still experiencing. I have hope and am praying that they will go away. I am so glad to be on the other side of chemo. And I am so proud to say that (my husband, my son, my step-son, my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, brother and nieces and nephews, my friends, my co-workers, every person that supported me, prayed for me, prayed with me, sent me a card, email, text message, made my family a meal, cleaned my house, watched my son, loved me and my family) and I kicked cancers butt!

Every year the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society hold a fundraising campaign called Man and Woman of the Year. Individuals compete to see who can raise the most money for LLS. I have a friend running this year, and her goal is to raise $50,000; enough to fund a research grant. Even if you can donate $10, every dollar counts! Here is her fundraising page where you can donate:

Donate Now!

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DiSalvo’s Wedding: Part Two

Shannon Confair — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:00:03 +0000

Sam and Jordan held their ceremony in the courtyard at DiSalvo’s in Williamsport, PA. Their reception was held in the ballroom also at DiSalvo’s. In the images below I’m sure you can see why this establishment comes highly recommended by me!

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Wedding at DiSalvo’s in Williamsport, PA

Shannon Confair — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:15:21 +0000

A little behind-the-scenes footage….yes, I will slap uncooperative bridesmaids into submission….JUST KIDDING- they were a great group of girls!

And the credits for this wedding…

Ceremony Venue- DiSalvo’s in Williamsport, PA

Reception Venue- DiSalvo’s in Williamsport, PA

Trolley- Ann Weightman Trolley Williamsport, PA

Hair Stylist- Head to Toe in Williamsport, PA

Dresses- J Crew

Suits- Banana Republic

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Family Portraits in Williamsport, PA by Shannon Confair Photography

Shannon Confair — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:27:44 +0000

I was contacted by the pastor at my home church to see if I was available to do a family portrait session for his sister-in-law. Her husband was being deployed in a few weeks. Of course I was honored to have the opportunity, so I headed to Williamsport for a session in Brandon Park. We were almost rained out, but thankfully we were instead blessed with a gorgeous sunset. Gus, I am so thankful for your commitment to our country. I pray God’s blessing will be upon you and your family, and that he will bring you safely home to your beautiful family.

If you know of a military family who would like a complimentary photo session, please contact me! I will fit them in as soon as my schedule allows. Please leave this family some love in the comments below!

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Jenny’s Salon Bridal Up-do’s Mechanicsburg, PA

Shannon Confair — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:01:13 +0000

I recently had the privilege to work with Jenny’s Salon in Mechanicsburg, PA for a bridal shoot showcasing their amazing styling abilities. Tracie from Blair Mountain Bed and Breakfast in Dillsburg was kind enough to allow us to shoot at the B&B, and Theresa from Tara’s Bridal in Camp Hill loaned us the gorgeous gowns.

I want to take a minute to let you know I HIGHLY recommend these wonderful businesses to everyone. This is my honest-to-goodness feedback from working with these ladies. The atmosphere at Jenny’s is great- it’s upscale yet comfortable and very friendly. The stylists are creative and do an amazing job from everything I’ve seen (and experienced first-hand)

I’ve come to know Tracie from Blair Mountain Bed & Breakfast pretty well, and she takes pride in her establishment and treats her guests like gold. It is a gorgeous venue for a wedding (she can accommodate up to 125 guests total) and as a bonus the rooms are beautiful for getting ready in. We had to do most of the shoot inside due to rain and we still had beautiful natural light images.

Theresa from Tara’s bridal will outfit you in the perfect gown for your wedding day. Her service is top-notch, and her store is one-of-a-kind in the area. She sells designer weddings gowns straight from NYC right off the shelf at a huge discount from the original prices you would have paid from the store in NYC.

Anyways…..here are a few images. Enjoy!

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Christmas in July!!!!

Shannon Confair — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:51:30 +0000

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