“I fell in love with photography at the age of 12, after all the boxes had been shipped, the goodbyes had been said, and the 1981 station wagon had been packed. As I took one last look around my childhood home before moving to Maryland with my family, my parents gave me a disposable camera to take some photos of whatever I wanted to remember. I took photos of the house, the woods where I used to play with my brothers and sisters, the tree house etc. When I got the photos back, there was one image that really stood out. It was a photo of the trees. What was unique was that it looked like a painting! ‘This is not the photo I took,’ I thought. What turned out to be a shutter that got stuck and motion blur from the breeze blowing through the leaves, was exactly what sparked my initial interest in photography. It was this one little photo where I realized that I could create something that wasn’t there with my camera. I could ‘see’ differently with a camera. As a child, this seemed amazing! It still does if you really think about it. But it wouldn’t be for another ten years before I would really understand the significance that one image would make on my life.”
In 2002, Shannon moved to Boston and attended The New England School of Photography. She graduated with a major in portrait and editorial photography. With an overwhelming love for the fashion industry, Shannon then started shooting runway in NYC during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. After shooting a Carmen Marc Valvo show on her first day, Shannon was hooked. “I still get so excited!!! Every time the lights go down and the music comes on! …the hair, the make up, the models, the clothes…I love it all!” This September will be Shannon’s 7th season inside the tents and she has turned that passion into a business by the name of FFW. You can view a small portion of her runway images at http://www.fashionfotowire.com.
Although Shannon loves working in the fashion industry, she also really enjoys working with everyday people. When she’s not in New York, Shannon runs a successful photography business out of Boston, MA. She specializes in boudoir photography but also does model portfolios, creative portraits and corporate headshots.
“What separates me from other boudoir photographers, is that my background is editorial photography and I approach each boudoir session as if I’m shooting for an editor or art director. Lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography and I custom light each client, in each pose to ensure they look their best. Just as you can make someone look better with lighting, you can also make them look worse. So understanding how to work on set with this style of lighting is essential.” Going back to that photo she took when she was 12 years old, Shannon understands that you can change what you see with your camera and really excels at doing that for her boudoir clients. Shannon is amazing at “sculpting” her client’s figure with lighting, posing and camera angles.
This is from an email that I got from a client. This is why I do what I do…
“Holy cow! It’s amazing! She cried! Thank you so much Shannon. It’s awesome. She’s never had this much faith in her body as she does now and sees what I see when I look at her…Thank you!” – Jason
Shannon was a TA for a couple of terms at The New England School of Photography. She then went on to create and teach an after school program for middle schoolers who wanted to learn photography. Shannon has returned as a guest speaker to NESOP and has given her own boudoir seminars/workshops. She has also written many articles for professional photography forums and newsletters, is on the Miller’s Lab sponsored speaker list and appeared on MTV’s MADE. Shannon is the author of (boo.dwah).
You can view Shannon’s work at http://www.shannon-michelle.com.
