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
Born and raised in LA and I had never witnessed any of the Day of the Dead parades on Olvera Street. This year I set the date on my calendar and headed out with my Canon AE1 and a roll of Porta 400 film. Oh what a sight it was to behold…
xoxo
Shannon
http://smwimages.com | info@smwimages.com
She was due late May but her bebe decided he wanted to see the world sooner…May 5th! My birthday too! I was so very excited that we share birthdays. Luckily we were able to get in this photo session before he made his unexpected entrance. We had a lot of fun exploring Arlington Gardens, take a look…
Message me to set up your summer photo session!
Shannon
Follow along on instagram – @smwimages
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
This little guy had never touched grass before. I was so honored to capture this first experience, even if it was hard to get him to look up after he discovered it! I understand, grass is pretty cool. We had such a beautiful shoot with the vibrant cherry blossoms and newly green trees, New York in Spring is magical. Keep scrolling for some travel updates at the end!
This was my second to last shoot in NYC! I am back in Los Angeles now with my good friend the sun. NYC, I will see you in August.
Shannon
info@smwimages.com
They were running late from a weekend trip, we almost ended up rescheduling but I’m so glad we didn’t! With 20 minutes left of sun we had a fun little mini session :)
Travel Updates:
Available dates in Brooklyn – April 22nd/23rd (contact me for available time slots)
Los Angeles dates – April 29th and then booked until mid May
In summary – Brooklyn folks, contact me soon! Los Angeles folks, the 29th is up for grabs.
Cheers!
Shannon
info@smwimages.com
Valentines Day themed adventure with one of my favorite families!
Love love love,
Shannon
info@smwimages.com
I’ve shot with these lovelies for years and every shoot day has been filled with bright blue skies and perfect weather. Last week we met up at the Griffith Observatory to TOTAL cloud coverage…but we embraced it! Why not something new, eh? Playing in the clouds turned out pretty amazing if you ask me…
This might be my last blog post for a bit, holidays and travel plans soon to come.
I will be in Brooklyn next year from the end of January to the end of April, message me to set up a snow shoot! Or if you have any tips for surviving winter in NYC!
Lots of love,
Shannon
info@smwimages.com
This was my first time capturing a soccer game and I absolutely loved it! The intensity and focus of these girls was so inspiring, it reminded me of my soccer days and that one time I was hit so hard in the face by the ball that I thought my nose didn’t exist anymore. Luckily everyone kept their noses in this game.
So much love :)
Shannon
info@smwimages.com
Get ready for some ridiculously fashionable suspenders, girls disappearing in orange trees, and adorable moments backed by yellow leaves. Ready? GO!
And it ended like all great shoots end…..nap time.
Contact me to set up a shoot for yourself!
Shannon
info@smwimages.com
instagram – @smwimages
Los Angeles Documentary Family and Portrait Photographer | Shannon M West Photography 