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Shelby Studios Photography | Peoria IL wedding photographers bio picture

Thanks for stopping by the blog! My name is Cindy and my business is named after my beautiful daughter, Shelby.  I am a wedding and lifestyle photographer.  If you are here, it's because you are looking for pictures that are different than you've ever seen before! You want something unique and special.   You are looking for images that capture emotion and feelings.

Your wedding day, your family, your child is Significant.

They are Significant to me because there is nothing like two people in love committing to each other for the rest of their lives. They are the beginning to a new family, a new journey, the first chapter of a story.  

They are Significant because there is nothing like a newborn baby and the overwhelming joy and love that you feel as a new parent when you hold your own child and look into their eyes. 

They are Significant because your child changes at an unbelievable pace.  Before you know it, they have grown up..... learned to ride a bike, started driving, they are off to college, and now starting their own life and their own story. 

Every wedding, every family, and every child is unique.  I want to document these moments so that you remember exactly how you felt...... on that day...... for the rest of your life. 

So if my work sparks your interest, you are not an average bride.  If my work revels up emotion and joy, you are in the right place!  Please drop me an email or give me a call.  I would love to hear from you. 


Express yourself Class of 2011 | IL senior photographers

Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 11:41am

Express yourself class of 2011!!

Shelby Studios Photography is now accepting applications for Senior Reps

A Senior Rep is basically a spokesmodel for Shelby Studios Photography. That means you need to be outgoing, positive, friendly, stylish, and willing to get the word out to your friends about my business. You need to be willing and excited to talk about your photo session experience and encourage your friends to book with me for their senior images. If this sounds like YOU, please contact me via email at shelbyphotography@comcast.net

What’s in it for you?

A fabulous custom photo shoot * 50 senior rep cards * $300 All About Me package * By referring 10 students, you will receive a custom DVD slideshow from your session.

Senior Reps must have their session between now and May 1st so email me now!

Posted in Senior photography | Tags: , ,

by Cindy

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Rose - So beautiful! :) And if I am outgoing, positive, friendly, stylish, and willing to get the word out to my friends about your business, but not a senior and I am very very far away?? Could I? Just love these photos!

Alexandra - This is such a great idea to incorporate into your business! I love it :) Plus you're so good at what you do. Keep up the great ideas and work!

Renee - This is rockin'! Love the post. Great idea and it looks super!

Jessica Feely - I love the work you do with seniors! I was just hitting the leave a comment button when I saw the baby post below.. *Drool* What gorgeous shots...and that baby is just too cuddly to stand it. Love them!

Zoe Berkovic - What a great selection of images!

Michelle Kane - You know I love you Cindy! Good luck with this promotion.

Ericha - Fabulous idea and these sessions look like SO. MUCH. FUN!

victoria – 6 months old | first year of life | IL children’s photographer

Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 6:57pm

I’m fairly certain that Victoria is one of the cutest and sweetest 6 month old little girls that I have every captured. Mom warned me that Victoria had changed ALOT since her newborn pictures but I had no idea! She went from a tiny petite newborn to an ADORABLE, chubby sweetheart that charmed the living daylights out of me! Seriously, take a look below…… doesn’t she completely melt your heart? Not to mention her big brother, Troy, who is by all definitions, a baby too. But his big brown eyes and curly hair are a photographer’s dream.

Posted in First year of Life, children's lifestyle session | Tags: , ,

by Cindy

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Brianna Phelan - OMG I just want to reach through the screen and pinch those rolls. Too freaking cute!

Sean - Oh my goodness, the second image - her eyes! I LOVE the black & whites, all of them. Maybe some of your best work? Your best newborn for certain. Gorgeous, Cindy.

carol schleich - Awesome work Cindy! She is a beautiful baby; her rolls remind me of Maryahna's!

Christine Pobke - OMG Cindy!! LOOOOOOVE! LURRRRRVE! Beautiful newborn, and she DOES totally melt my heart. :) 2, 3 and 5 are my absolute FAVES - beautiful, beautiful work! :) xoxo

Michelle Kane - Oh, Cindy! These give me baby fever. Perhaps one of the cutest little chub-a-wubs I've seen. How can you not love all those rolls and bright eyes. Superb session.

Rose - Sweet sweet babies! :D Loved no. 4, 5, 9 so much! But no. 4 is so delicious. So precious!

Keely - Such a great job, Cindy!! I love love them.... You are amazing.... But of course she is a beautiful subject!! And the ones of her and Troy - omg... love!!! I'm one proud mamma!!

Annie - The third and fifth are my favorites! LOVE that green wall!!!

Brianna Phelan - I actually came back again just to see these photos once more. I just couldn't get enough of this cuteness :)

Ericha - OMG! Cindy....these are amazing!!! What a cute, cute, cute baby!!! I absolutely love #s 2, 4, & 6!

Nicole Haley - Wow, she is breathtaking. Just gorgeous. These are inspiring to look at - I, like Brianna, came back a second time as well! I want to shoot a six-month-old now! :D

Cindy - LOL! Thanks ladies. They just don't come any cuter than this and I was so happy how they all turned out.

Marissa Rodriguez - OMG!!! Just perfect! SOOOO cute!

Lacey Reimann - She is just dollbaby-licious! And, that pose??! That's the sweetest capture!

Zoe Berkovic - These are fabulous!! I think mom and dad must have had a really hard time choosing favorites!

Dabria | IL children’s photographer

Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 4:50pm

Little 2 year old Dabria was a ray of sunshine in my day! She was shy at first but quickly warmed up and my camera loved her. I love this age! These were some of my faves and check out the slideshow below. Full view here.

Posted in children's lifestyle session | Tags: , , ,

by Cindy

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Lacey Reimann - Adorable!! Love that garden gate shot & especially the bedroom shot of Daybria reading a book!

Zoe Berkovic - These are too cute! What an adorable little girl!

Renee - All are wonderful. I absolutely adore the third one and last one. Awesome colors, Cindy!!!

Sean - The fourth shot of her outside in front of the fence is AMAZING! It's just one of those moments in life. Love these, Cindy. Nice to see fresh work from you :)

Rose - Oh such beautiful the one in her bed! Such vivid colors and looks like a comfy place to read and dream you are in wonderland! :) What a beautiful session! Good thing for Monday mornings!

Michelle Kane - She is simply precious. What wonderful moments you captured. I love this set.

Ericha - The one in front of the gate and the last one in her bedroom are just too darn cute!!

Gabrielle turns two! | IL children’s lifestyle photographer

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 9:28pm

Gabrielle turns two this month! She loves spending time with her big brother, Gavin and wants to do exactly what he is doing. Their dog, Carribe followed us around and had to get in on the action as well. Gabrielle looks just like her mommy with dark curly hair, beautiful dark eyes and an identical smile. Happy 2nd Birthday Gaby! Slideshow below or full view here!

waiting for grandma.....

Posted in children's lifestyle session | Tags: , ,

by Cindy

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Renee - Awh, love the little piggie toes. You captured so much joy here with this sweet family.

Sean - She is looking so much like her mum already! I love, as always, the real lifeness of your images, Cindy.

Yuriy - what a lovely set, thank for sharing!!

Christine Pobke - Oh my gosh she is so gosh-darn cute!!!!! :) I love the series of her on the counter with the lemonade - so so so adorable. :)

Rose - They look like such a fun family! Look at the love and giggles all around! And they made lemonade, how sweet... :) The one with the kids looking out at the window is priceless!

Susan Solo - Oh gosh, I LOVE the day-in-the-life feel of these! The waiting for G-ma image is my absolute favorite - so super sweet!

Alexandra - Lovely shots.

Stacy A. - Happy birthday to her! Beautiful captures!!! Love those lemonade shots, precious!!!

Kelli - So beautiful! I love these at home sessions..So much fun!

Tori Piercy - What a fun session! I also love the "day in the life" feel to these!

Baby Johanna | Session 1 of 4 | Peoria Wedding and Lifestyle Photographers

Friday, January 15, 2010 at 5:17pm

Reason #4 I LOVE my job!! Take a look at this precious family and you can see why!
Baby Johanna Marie was born in December and weighed 7lb, 6 oz. She was 19.5 inches long. Johanna is an absolutely gorgeous, sweet baby…….most likely because she came from some of the sweetest parent ever!! This little princess was a perfect baby for our 1st session. Even at only 5 weeks old, she responded to her daddy’s voice in an amazing way. Congratulations John and Marie! Welcome to this world little one. Full view slideshow here. or see below.

Posted in First year of Life | Tags: ,

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Sean - Aww :) So cute and playful eh. I love your little details shots of her fingers & toes. Complete adorableness.

Renee - Cindy, these black and whites are gorgeous. I'm totally smitten with the second from the top, too. Wonderful shot of dad and baby. They must be thrilled with these! :-) Have a great weekend.

Michelle Kane - The lighting is so wonderful in these. Definitely some of my favorites from you. Every time you post it's gets better and better! Love it!!!

jessica - I agree with Michelle. The lighting is beautiful. Such great photos!!!

Anne - What a sweet session. I love all the close-ups of his sweet little baby parts. True keepsakes.....

Rose - She is adorable! :D love the b&w choice. Gives that timeless look to the photos! Ah, what a sweetie!!

Joanna Garcia - What beautiful moments you have captured of their newborn.

Nicole Haley - Totally adorable! I love #9 and the storyboard at the end - SUPER cute.

Baby Liam – 6 months old | Peoria children’s photographer

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 11:18pm

Baby Liam is six months old and looks completely different than his newborn pics! How is it possible for a child to grow that much? This little man was full of smiles and the dimples on his cheeks were so stinkin cute!
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Posted in First year of Life | Tags: , ,

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jessica - Such a sweet session. Love!!!

Sean - Ahh! What a fun little guy! How cute is he in mum & dads arms! These are wonderful, Cindy!

Brianna Phelan - Very sweet - love the one of them feeding him the bottle.

Renee - Oh my goodness, what a sweet little pumpkin! You captured them beautifully!

Rose - Love no. 91! :D He is such a doll!! Wonderful photos!

Christmas Vacation at Nubs Nob

Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 11:04pm

The week between Christmas and New Years Day was spent with family and friends that I LOVE! We went skiing in Northern Michigan at a place that we have been going for years…. Nubs Nob Nubs is located in Harbor Springs about 9 hours north of Peoria, IL. It is a family friendly resort that keeps the slopes groomed immaculately. We all feel very safe while skiiing, especially when separated from the kids, and there is always someone from ski patrol around if needed. This year, my family and my sister’s family and our good friends, The Kaebs shared a home. With 8 kids and their parents, it got a bit crazy at times but considering all of the different ages and personalities between us … we had a great time full of laughter, awesome skiing, good food, and priceless memories. I am a very cautious skier…. so I didn’t get the camera out too much for fear of falling on top of the equipment and ruining it, but I couldn’t help but bring it out on Day 3 when it wasn’t snowing quite as hard and the kids agreed to cooperate and stick around for awhile. We all agreed that it would have been great to have TLC come out and film our week together as a reality tv series because of all of the crazy times. We also agreed that there would be a couple of episodes called “The Plungers” because the downstairs bathroom that the boys shared clogged on a regular basis! Wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I got back home after a week away, guess what I had to do as soon as I walked in the door? Yep….. I had to plunge the toilet! Unbelievable! TLC didn’t come out to film us, but I think Shelly will write a book!
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My beautiful daughter, Shelby (14)

My beautiful daughter, Shelby (14)

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Posted in personal | Tags: ,

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Sean - Sounds like, and even better - looks like you had a magnificent holiday away! Would love to hit the slopes a little like you guys did!

Rose - Super!! Such a beautiful gang! :D Love the snow action photos! It seems like you had an amazing time on the slopes!

YGuerrero - Hi Cindy, How fun!! the images just show the great time you had with your family, wishing you the best for 2010!!!

Irene Frankhouse - They all look awesome!! I can't get pictures like that here in Hawaii.

Chelsea Nicole - Looks like you guys had a total blast! Happy 2010 Cindy. :-)

Renee - Fantastic snow shots! I'm becoming a big believer in them myself!! And a beautiful family you have :-)

Michelle Sidles - These shots are all GREAT!! What a fantastic time!!

courtney – class of 2010 washington community high school | Peoria IL senior photographers

Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 1:32pm

My name is Courtney

I go to Washington Community High School and graduate this year!

My favorite subject is art. I love photography and drawing.

My hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music, hanging out with my friends, and attempting to stay out of trouble.

One World is my favorite restaurant.

Chicken fried rice is my favorite food.

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

When I’m thirsty, I like to drink Dr. Pepper.

My favorite book is Please Kill Me.

I love to listen to people talk.

I hate it when people are artificial.

My favorite place to shop is Co-op

Music makes me happy!

In school I participate in Tech for plays and musicals

My best friends are Wes, Elizabeth, Grace, and Norma

Something that most people don’t know about me is……. I’m a huge animal lover.

Three words that best describe me are Random, Fun, and Laid back

One of my favorite high school memories is the “you’re not funny girl” incident (inside joke)

After high school, I plan on going to cosmetology school.
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Full view slideshow here

Posted in Peoria IL senior photographers | Tags: , , ,

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Sean - Perhaps some of your best photography I've seen, Cindy! I really like the posing in all of these, nice attention to little details! Plus, the light is just remarkable! Fourth from the bottom for the win!

Rose - Beautiful treatment you ave to these photos! Love the background, the light and the colors and textures are amazing! Not to mention a beautiful model ans interesting props. I will go with no.7 as a total fav! Just love the magic in it!

Christine Pobke - What a pretty pretty girl, Cindy - love how you captured so many different looks... she must be SO SO SO thrilled! :) xoxo

Michelle Kane - Ditto what Sean said. Some of my favorites of your so far! The 5th down is my favorite.

Nicole Haley - Gorgeous light in there! Happy new year!

Susan Solo - These are PERFECT, Cindy! I love everything about the whole set, and she must totally love these.

Kiara (5) + Mekaya (2) | Peoria IL photographers

Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 10:19pm

I have been so LUCKY to have the BEST clients this year! I know I have said it over and over again but seriously….. take a look at these two little girls!! And you can see for yourself. Kiara is five and Mekaya is two – They were simply adorable and I LOVED LOVED interacting with them and taking their pics.

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Posted in children's lifestyle session | Tags: , ,

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Sean - Where do they little ones learn to work a camera like that?! Wow! And really Cindy, that first photograph is easily one of your finest I've ever seen. Gorgeousness!

Alisha - OMG!!! They are amazing! Love my little girls and this just captured everything about them!!

Rose - Such amazing colors and light! Loved this series so much!:D Look at those little vests with butterflies and hearts... Awww... so so sweet!! No. 125, with the corn is stunning!

Renee - These kids are totally adorable. Wonderful captures!

Brianna Phelan - Gorgeous shots Cindy. I love the lighting in them and the sweet little smiles and faces you've captured. Beautiful session :)

Kendall and Malone | Peoria IL children’s photographer

Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 7:21pm

Warning*Warning*Warning*Warning* Major cuteness ahead………

Meet Kendall and Malone….. two of the cutest and sweetest little girls I have ever met! I was completely smitten by these adorable girls. They started off quiet but quickly warmed up and gave me everything from lovely smiles to silly grins and playfulness. They are beautiful like their mommy. Check out these sweet little girls!
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Posted in children's lifestyle session | Tags: , ,

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Michelle Kane - Yep, seriously cute. Love their colorful little outfits and joyous faces.

Sean - Oh my GOODNESS! Cute! And do they ever know how to work it for your camera! You rock, Cindy! The colours in these are brilliant!

Rose - Ok, you should have warned us much much more!!! They are adorable! Loooooove them! So cute and fun and fresh! I have to ask you again, where do you find these amazing kids?? :D no.#94! What a cuuuute pose! Made me giggle!