Los Angeles Documentary Family and Portrait Photographer | Shannon M West Photography
day in the life family sessions | maternity and engagement portraits | 35mm film photography | kids portraits | documentary wedding photography
Magic hour with these lovelies! We ventured to the South Bay to catch the sunset and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Lila loved the beach and the film camera loved Lila (she takes after her mama). Shot with Porta 400 + Ilford HP5 400.
Enjoy!
xo
Shannon
www.smwimages.com | info@smwimages.com
I bought some kaleidoscope sunglasses last year and I can’t stop taking pictures through them. Not like the poppy fields need any more color added to them…oh well I did it anyways…
We woke up bright and early to drive out to the Antelope Valley poppy fields for sunrise and it was SO WORTH IT! Sunrise was magical, orange is my favorite color, everything was just perfect I couldn’t contain my excitement. Here are just a few of my favorites, a mixture of digital and 35mm…
xo
Shannon
info@smwimages.com | www.smwimages.com
This place is a dream! Amy from Stay Rewilded created the most vibrant little paradise in the depths of DTLA. She has lived and travelled all over the globe and found this cozy cubby to fill with her treasures. When she’s not staying in the loft and traveling (which is a lot) she rents it out as a shoppable airbnb…yes you can try on all the glorious clothes, feel the textiles on your skin and actually go home with them! This was such an inspiring place to shoot, every inch is thoughtfully designed and visually bewitching. Thanks to the team for filling this already crazy positive place with more joy:
space: @stay.rewilded
styling: @amy.rewilded
models: @karlacheers & @sidneynicolerogers
makeup: @katelynn_jean_artistry
airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/25262984
(I mostly shot digital for this but there is one 35mm shot in the mix, can you guess which one?)
I can’t wait to return someday!
xo
Shannon
http://www.smwimages.com | info@smwimages.com
Wow, what a trip! One week traveling in Jordan and I can’t believe how much we experienced. I brought along two rolls of Fuji 400h and one b&w Ilford 3200 (not yet developed, haven’t finished off the roll yet). Here’s a glimpse of our magical mystical trip…
What a crazy lovely trip :)
Shannon
www.smwimages.com | info@smwimages.com
It was my 30th birthday at the beginning of May! I decided to get out of town to celebrate and visit this little mountain town I had been hearing so much about. San Miguel de Allende, the magic is real.
I just loved this town and these beautiful people I got to experience it with. We didn’t have time to visit Guanajuato, that’s #1 on the list for next time. Also…blog post on the Chapel of Jimmy Ray coming soon!!
Shannon @smwimages
http://www.smwimages.com | info@smwimages.com
I was so excited to try out my new film camera with FIRE HOOPING! Katie Rose is a serious superstar when it comes to all things flow. Oh, and ridiculously brave. I don’t know how she dances with hot flames that close to her body and keeps her cool. Do you see her expressions? Not even a trace of unease. Such a fun shoot, thanks for sharing your evening and art with me Katie!
I highly recommend following her on instagram for some gorgeous hoop flows, whimsical paintings, and all sorts of creative endeavors – @tippytoes_flows
Camera: Canon AE1
Film: Kodak Porta 400
First things first…puppy.
Ok, now on to the hooping spectacular:
xoxo
Shannon
http://smwimages.com | info@smwimages.com
I keep ending up in NY! One of my favorite people lives there (hi Sarah) and it was her birthday last weekend. We had a big campout celebration at her cabin with two other friends with close birthdays plus maybe 15 more people from Brooklyn and Albany. We were all forced to unplug from our devices – no service for miles and it was kind of awesome! Here is what my camera saw…
Film: Porta 400
T H E E N D
Back in Los Angeles and feeling refreshed….
xoxo
Shannon
http://smwimages.com | info@smwimages.com
It’s hard to know how to start this post. This day was just spectacular. The love and beauty present was overwhelming, I’m not usually a crier but oh man the tears were flying. It was my very first time being a bridesmaid for my very first close friend tying the knot. I knew I wanted to take pictures but also wanted to be present and not inside my camera the whole day (I tend to get swallowed up by my viewfinder). I decided to bring my new 35mm camera along and limit myself to 2 rolls of film – Kodak Porta 400 + Holga 400
Some lessons I’ve learned from these two rolls – BE PATIENT. I jumped the gun so many times worrying I would miss the perfect shot. Better to wait, get a feel for the moment, listen so you will know if someone is about to change their expression. 2 – If you know you missed the shot, and you really think it’s a solid shot, try again. It feels like you only have one chance with film but it doesn’t have to be that way!
I know they will have millions of perfect images of this day from their photographers, here are a few imperfect ones…
Melissa and Nathan – I LOVE YOU GUYS! HAVE FUN IN PORTUGAL!
Shannon
info@smwimages.com
Love to connect on instagram – @smwimages
This is the very first roll of film I took on my Canon AE1! I haven’t shot film since high school (has it really been more than 10 years!?) and I feel this excitement in my bones for it. This first roll was hard for me, every click of that shutter felt like such a huge deal for someone who is used to shooting thousands of frames a day. My perfectionism definitely got in the way of me shooting anything for a while. I’m slowly getting over that barrier and can’t wait to shoot more and more! Film just feels so special.
Film – Kodak Porta 400
Location – Brooklyn + Sarah’s cabin in upstate NY
(any ideas why this first photo turned out like this? I kind of love it.)
(behind the scenes of http://www.shopwoolly.com, go check out her glorious rugs!)
Next stop – Melissa’s wedding! I will practice restraint and shoot one roll. We’ll see how that goes.
Cheers!
Shannon
info@smwimages.com
To celebrate the bride to be we drove up from Los Angeles to Sonoma County for a wine tasting adventure!
I have this idea stirring in my head – something along the lines of the “Imperfect Portrait Session”. I’m really inspired by the look and feel of film. You may be blinking or out of focus but that is what was captured and that image is what you will treasure forever. I am someone who takes a million photos to capture that perfect moment but lately I’m more and more drawn to those dreamy imperfections that film so beautifully creates. So, who is into this idea? I’m ready to make it happen.
Shannon
info@smwimages.com
Los Angeles Documentary Family and Portrait Photographer | Shannon M West Photography 