We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shelley Lynch . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shelley below.

Shelley , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

My husband suddenly passed away in March 2016. A year after he passed away he knew I wasn’t really living, that I was just going through the motion. He came to me in a dream and said, “I want to take you to the mall, I want you to have a Canon professional camera for Christmas.” I woke up feeling very excited for the first time in a long while.
It was April 2017, I waited 2 weeks and bought a camera. I haven’t stopped taking pictures since! I started by taking photos of sunrise and the various wildlife who came to take in the beautiful start to the day.
I shared the photos along with messages from the animals in a blog and on social media. The response from people around the world was positive that I have been doing that daily since I got the camera.
I taught myself how to take photos. I took 278,597 photos in 493 days. I know this because when my camera wasn’t working, I sent it camera to Canon for repair. They said I wore out my shutter and mirror taking so many photos.

A year later I had another dream, this time I was up to my waist taking photos of dolphins at sunset with a beautiful orange sky. I live across from the Indian River where dolphins come to eat and play, so the next night I thought I would get in the river and see what showed up. The dolphins came and I started snapping their photos. I was hooked! That was February 2018.
Over the last 5 years I have spent countless hours in the river with the various dolphin. Over time, they invited into their pods and now they swim around me just inches away, introducing their babies and tossing me fish. I know about 30 of them personally. It is truly amazing to be immersed in their world.
I shared the stories on my blog and social media and people responded positively.
During Covid I made a short documentary called My Invisible Husband, Echos of Healing. The film highlights the relationship with the dolphins and how Mother Nature held my hand helping me find my joy again after the death of my husband.
When the film premiered during covid, at a local film festival 300 people attended. It received a standing ovation and won the best cinematography award for the festival. What I remember most about that night is how unifying the film was. That is my ultimate goal, to bring people together, bridging the gap of separation.
I’m excited to announce a directors cut of the film with bonus features will be released soon.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Shelley Lynch. I have been a licensed mental health counselor with a Phd in Clinical Mental Health in private practice since 1998.
I started using CranioSacral therapy (CST) in my practice in 2004. CST is a hands on type of therapy that helps calm the nervous system and assist the body in releasing emotional and physical trauma. The therapist stays neutral to the client’s progress, has no attachment to an outcome and blends with the body allowing the body to let go at its own pace.
When I get in the water with the dolphins, I use these techniques to blend with the wildlife. This helps me let go of ‘getting’ the photo which opens up the possibility for things I can’t even imagine to show up. And they have!
When I share the wildlife stories I call it Tales from the Lagoon. The tales include various stories about the dolphins, their personalities and friendships along with manatees, turtles, birds and so much more.
I think what sets me apart is that I stand in the Indian River in New Smyrna Beach and dolphins swim around me, come over to say hello and show off for the camera.
Making it interesting is where I live is also called ‘The shark bite capital of the world.’ I have been approached by sharks and even warned by a dolphin about a nearby shark.
I sell my prints through my website. Have a yearly calendar(s) with wildlife and sunrises.
The cast of characters continues to grow as the years go on. In March 2022, a young pelican tried to eat a carcass of a sheepshead fish that a fisherman filleted and tossed back in the water. The filleted fish got stuck in the pelicans gullet.
It took 5 people to get the spiny fish out of the pelican. The bird hospital was closed for the year so they said to feed him. He couldn’t fly for several days so I sat with him and fed him. He’s come every day since that day, and our friendship grew as a result.
He showed me that pelicans can talk by giving a hard exhale. He would respond to me when I asked him questions, he chased sticks and and would bring them back like a dog, enjoyed going on walks and exploring together. Truly a very special relationship.
In May of 2022 he got sick, I was able to find a rehab place in St. Augustine 70 miles away.
When he got there, he ate and ate and ate until they released him. Once released he could have stayed and continued to be free and have food too. He chose to fly back to his home in New Smyrna Beach and we continued our friendship.
People on social media fell in love with him, his name is Pip. I have written his story as a children’s book, with messages of kindness, compassion and most importantly, home is where is where the heart is. I am currently looking into publishing options.
I am proud of how my photos bring people hope, joy, and even healing. When life can seem overwhelming and painful, it brings me great happiness to share the beauty and smiles. The comments from the people on social media let me know the images make a difference.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Bringing people together with beauty and positivity seems more important than ever to me.
Poor mental and emotional health has always been an issue and for many COVID added to their struggle. As a mental health counselor I was only reaching one person at a time.
The daily sunrise photos and messages from Mother Nature reaches many more, giving them hope and joy along with reminding them to get into nature to restore balance.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think when boaters go by and see a lady standing in the water surrounded by dolphin or pelicans it catches their attention and they get curious about what I’m doing.
Sharing the sunrise everyday and with messages from Mother Nature has definitely helped me grow my audience. People will share how the message is just what they needed to hear that day.
Dolphins flying out of the water with seaweed on their nose, or a baby dolphin popping up out of the water, seeing a new born dolphin with its mom, these sweet and incredible moments really speak to my audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shelleylynchphotos.com
• Instagram: shelleylynchphotos
• Facebook: Shelley Lynch Photography
• Youtube: Shelley Lynch Photography
• Other: www.drshelleylynch.com This is my therapy website, I float clients in the water, which helps them quiet the mind, release emotional and physical trauma and feel restored. It helps improve sleeping and remove stress.

Image Credits
The photo of me with the camera was taken by Mark Dickinson photography