We were lucky to catch up with Cheyanne Stamper recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cheyanne, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
So the name for my company is a funny one. I was trying to figure out a name for a Youtube channel that hadn’t been taken, and to try to come up with one that is clever and memorable that is still original was pretty difficult. I ended up writing down different words that described the work I was creating or wanted to create, but I knew I would want film incorporated into the name somehow since many of the other “influencers” I followed in this community didn’t have that in their online persona. I thought how “Linusandhiscamera” created his name was clever but how could I do something with a name like “Cheyanne”, my name wasn’t normal or catchy so I tried to think of nicknames friends and family gave to me growing up. Thankfully when I was in my teen years I had a friend Devon from North Carolina with a pretty thick accent, he told me he wasn’t even going to try saying my name so he said “your Shay”. Devon along with a plethora of other skater kids were actually the first people I decided to point a camera at, if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have had that Canon Powershot in my pocket everyday from the age of 13-21. Out of everyone he was the only person who ever called me Shay but in my journey to come up with a brand identity Devon came back into play. So I had two components for the name Shay and Film, so what do you do when you’re a photographer? You shoot the film! So there it was ShayShootsFilm was born. This was a way that I could incorporate not only analog photography but also video into a title for myself and my company.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As someone who always enjoyed anything in the creative side of life I started out as an artist with drawing and painting, doodling on all of my school work. I was the kid that when there was a project that had “artistic” choices they all stared at me. Starting in high school though I stole my mothers Canon Powershot and constantly took photos. There was not a day that went by that I did not take a photo, whether it was at school or days I spent home sick there was always a click of that button. After High school I didn’t think too much more about photography other than a way to document my friends and family, the only other big highlight of photography at that time was at the skatepark. My family was pretty much Rocket Power and we had an obsession with Toy Machine, a skateboard company that is still kicking today. The creator of Toy Machine, Ed Templeton is probably where my known love of photography began. Ed is an artist, but also photographer and skateboarder, basically a jack of all trades, master of none, something I always strived to be.
I spent days and nights hanging out with friends and family at the local skateparks now with a “fancy” DSLR while skateboards flew over me inches away. This lasted a few years and as times changed, gears shifted and so did my focus. Pun intended.
A few years had gone by and I was done with the career path I was on, so I enrolled in college for Photography, because no one will take you seriously with a fine art degree so photography was my next best option. Prior to enrollment I had self taught with my partner how to process and develop film at home. I fell in love with the craft of using the chemical reaction to create images and all the slight changes that you could cause either in development or how you shot the film. Having free time in college and being one of the older students of the class gave me more and more time to experiment. Not to mention I had an entire darkroom to myself! Able to develop 50 rolls of film within a day and have them dry and cut ready to scan when I went home, those were the days. From landscape shots to double exposures nothing was going to stop me.
So fast forward to today, I have evolved from Cheyanne to Shay and hey I shoot film! The hands on experience with shooting analog formats and having my personal touch on every step of the process is something I truly pride myself in. When digital must be involved for video work I try to add the nostalgic feeling into it to give it a sense of the film aesthetic.
I would say that fine art photographer would be a title for me but I love working with other creatives such as bands to bring their visions to life. I am grateful to work with rising artists such as Sunset Station and Dean Batten, and I don’t think if you asked the girl who was doodling on her homework that it would bring me to where I am now she would not believe you.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative boils down to when the audience experiences your work and the exact feeling you were intending is translated. There is nothing like knowing I communicated my ideas clearly enough for someone else to make sense of the jumbled mess I call my brain!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The main fuel that’s running my creative journey is the urge to keep creating. The idea of losing momentum is terrifying to me, so I try everyday to sneak something creative into my workflow. Even if it’s during my day job as a photo editor I will find a way to fulfill the artistic need within me. I have watched my grandmother who was a very influential creative person from when I was a young age deteriorate with prescription drugs, so seeing that first hand and watching her talent wisp away day after day it pushes me to always follow my passion whether it’s art, photography, or even one day maybe music. I will force myself even on the worst of days to keep my creative juices going because I would be devastated to watch them wither away.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shayshootsfilm.myportfolio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shayshootsfilm/