We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannon Coen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with important influences in our lives. Is there a historical figure you look up to?

Picking a topic for this section was difficult, but I think when it comes to my photography, one photographer has influenced and inspired me more than anyone else. Her name is Diane Arbus. If you are familiar with the photography greats, you perhaps have come across her name before. She was an American photographer who photographed a wide range of subjects including strippers, carnival performers, nudists, people with dwarfism, children, mothers, couples, elderly people, and middle-class families. She was one hell of a woman, and not at least a little bit on the strange side. Most notably, and most important to me and my work, she is noted for expanding notions of acceptable subject matter. She photographed the people that, at the time, no one else wanted to photograph. No one wanted to give those people space, or show that they existed. By creating a personal relationship with her subjects and making them friends and not just objects, she changed the portrait photography landscape forever. These ideas are something I carry with me in my work every day. I want to make everyone feel seen and appreciated – not just the “models”. I firmly believe anyone can be a “model” and everyone deserves to have captured what makes them beautiful and unique. You can even see her quoted on the front page of my website: “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.” Photography should be inclusive and should strive to capture things as they are and not just create a narrative of the societally deemed “perfect.” I want to share the photographic process and foster a healthy community of support. Since photography has always been the way I have expressed myself for as long as I can remember, I like to get to know my clients on a personal level so that I may capture their essence without strict direction or posing. My aim is to capture the moments in between moments, because these are the moments that are real.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I honestly can’t remember how I got started in photography, because it has always been a part of me. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in it – or doing it. If you look back at photographs of me over the years you can pretty much always find me with a camera in hand (or more than one, which still isn’t uncommon today).

I got my start towards my journey as a “professional” in high school. That is where I took my first photography class and also got my first photography job. This is the point at which I really started photographing models, building a website and learning how to handle clients and do full shoots.

I carried on pursuing photography through college. I was a Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design major, where I spent lots of time doing shoots for others for their various fashion projects. From that I learned that I love bringing other peoples’ visions to life and creating with others. I also moved to exclusively shooting people as I was now well aware that was my passion.

After college, I worked for about two years and then decided to go to law school. During this time I pretty much gave up on photography. I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t want to do it and that it was unrealistic to pursuit it in an adult world where bills have to be paid and it isn’t really my “job”. However, about a year into law school, I decided if I give up on it now I’ll probably give up on it forever and I simply couldn’t live with that. I dove into the nitty-gritty of photography as a business more than ever before and I have to say that having the creative outlet while in law school was a blessing.

In 2021 I knew I would be out of law school and thus I wanted to set myself a photography goal for the year to try and help myself continue my journey and growth in photography. I set a new goal for 2021, which I surpassed and did more shoots than I have ever done in one year. I’ve never stopped pursuing trying to become a better version of my photographer self and I can’t wait to see where the next 20 years take me.

As for what sets me apart from others, I think it’s my personality. As a photographer, I don’t feel I fall under the extreme energy extroverted category or in the extremely introverted gives no direction category. I’m easy to talk to, I’m easy to meet and work with no matter your experience level. As I often tell clients, if you are ever nervous about being photographed because you aren’t a “model” or you are “awkward” – don’t fret. I will in fact be the wackadoodaliest looking person at this shoot so you should have no fear. We’ll get it done and it will be a silly fun, easygoing experience with results that you’ll love.

What I want my clients or potential clients, fans, followers, photographers, and the whole world to know is Don’t be afraid of photography! Either to get your photo taken or to get involved.

If you’ve been on the fence about getting your photograph taken or about diving into photography as an art form don’t be afraid to take that plunge. Don’t be afraid to give it a try. Consider this as a reminder for those who want or need to hear it from a photographer to just go for it! Don’t hold back!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think, for me, the most rewarding aspect of being a photographer is changing the way people see themselves. So many – really too many – people feel they are unworthy of being photographed, which is something I think you can probably see I whole heartedly disagree with. I want to show people how unique they are and how much they shine, and when I can accomplish that and someone gets their photos back and feels that sense of being seen, there is truly nothing more rewarding for me.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In my second year of law school, I had the misfortune of falling and breaking my elbow and hand quite badly. Two and a half surgeries and a lot of crying later, I thought my photography career was over.

I could barely bend or extend my left arm, and unfortunately, cameras are heavy and next to impossible to balance using only one hand. How could I get crisp shots if I literally had only one arm with which to do it? I think I cried more over that than anything else. I didn’t want the choice to be taken away from me. I had already made the decision once that I wasn’t going to let photography go no matter what, but this time it looked like it might be beyond me.

It was a long road of recovery and I’ll never have a perfectly normal arm again, but I’ve learned to get by. It has been an amazing experience to see what the human body is capable of doing!

This has been a huge part of my journey over the past few years and has shown me that truly, where there is a will – there is a way. I’ll never give up on this, and as I once told another photographer friend of mine, “I’m pretty sure if I can’t do photography, I’ll simply shrivel up and die”.

As soon as I felt like I could, I went out and did a session again. My BFF was kind enough to be my model for the day and as soon as I saw I could do it again, it was off to the races. I did have to do a lot of coping for a year and still worried about if I should continue taking on clients, but ultimately I think it has made me a better person and a better photographer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shannoncoenphoto.com/
• Instagram: @shannoncoenphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannoncoenphoto

Image Credits
Photograph of myself was taken by Lola Scott Art