shannablog

Congrats Mike & Tomoko!

2011-10-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

After 10+ years I finally get to photograph friends getting hitched! Mike was my first friend when I moved back to Philly after graduating art school in NY. Mike was also my #1 photo fan when I was just starting out - what an honor to give him these photos! Honestly, this has been my most favorite session. Mike and Tomoko put up with me making them wait until sunset, squatting, jumping and balancing on the edge of heights - and still talk to me! Looking forward to the wedding. Lots of love xoxo Shanna!!!

Berkshires Wedding 2008

2011-10-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

Asbury Park

2011-09-04T23:55:00.000-07:00

This is not posed. I found them this way in nature.

Mazel Tov Tobie!

2011-06-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

New Years Nuptuals for Lisa & Dan!

2011-01-05T16:01:00.001-08:00

Natalia & Steve

2010-09-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Michelle & Greg

2010-08-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Michelle and Greg were good sports as we traipsed around the city getting lots of fun shots. Not only do I get to have fun photographing weddings, but I get fed very well! Pod was yummy, always meant to check it out. What a great group, thanks for sharing your celebration with me.

my big brother got engaged!

2010-06-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, after photographing so many weddings, it really makes a difference when I get to photograph my own family. I also like photographing new cultures as much as the next photographer and now that this is a part of my new family, I feel even more privileged to get this kind of intimate view.

Devalina, I know you're not fashion-focused, but you were born to wear that sari:-)

My newest niece, 8 months, debuted her new crawling skills

Her big sister can get away with not getting into her pretty outfit because she's 2 and we have no other choice!

Love this shot of everyone laughing.

Bollywood - holla!

Mazel Tov Andrea!

2010-01-13T22:16:00.000-08:00

from the archives

2009-12-09T22:10:00.001-08:00

view from home of architectural photographer I assisted for 1.5 years in Mt. Airy

insane cat, but beautiful

little brother

1st trip to SF in 2000

woke up this morning, got yourself a gun, this shot on the schuykill made me think of the beginng of the sopranos back when I took it

ah, santa marta belize where i lived for a month in 1994

ironically kitchy art in soho hotel

1st year of mummers living in deep south philly

mccoy tyner

one of my first citypaper shoots

cousin Michael's apartment in Haifa, Israel

file under "C"

another citypaper shoot "families are victims too"

summer after art school graduation - confused as a camp counselor in upstate NY

another belize moment

hiking the AT on the NY/CT border solo

random photo of Alex in London

naughty Naudain

the '78 nova, bought for me, made cool by big brother

cute girls

2009-11-17T22:09:00.001-08:00

my adorable nieces and their parents

halloween goes unnoticed in new york

2009-11-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

malibu maternity

2009-10-15T00:46:00.000-07:00

sunset, malibu, reunion with high school friend on the verge of motherhood - amazing

more nachas for Emily

2009-10-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Nachas, yiddish for joy - especially from one's children, is a great word to describe the warmth I witness around this family. Mom, Dad and brother all had great smiles to support Emily for the continued celebration of her bat mitzvah. Not only were they patient with me as I tried different poses and lighting, they actually enjoyed it!

Mazel Tov Emily!

2009-10-03T20:58:00.001-07:00

archive p. 3

2009-09-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

archive p. 2

2009-09-24T09:14:00.001-07:00

I warned you folks, totally random - just as I sift through a pile of prints they get scanned and go up!

I was wandering through manhattan for some reason and came upon a valentines day window installation at saks.

mermaid parade at coney island

lisa again with austin

labor day weekend 2001

hidden city - access to a part of girard college that has been closed to the public for years

archive p. 1

2009-09-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

this is an incredibly random assortment of images I started scanning as a part of my archive project. I'm starting with ones from school and figured I'd post as I go.

fabio

lisa

jen and joe

me with incredibly short hair

my elbow after failing an attempt to jump a curb on my bike - haven't tried since

patience

2009-09-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

I like the instant gratification of digital photography as much as the next gal, however I still love film and my boxy old camera that was incredibly awkward as I waded through the rock-embedded waters of yosemite. Here are the film versions of my california photos from July.

My friend's sunny girls were about to burst with energy, but having a photographer for a mom gave them the patience to sit tight while I got this shot.

danny

2009-08-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

another saturday, another wedding, another tropical storm - danny
how much fun did these kids have?
beautiful day, nonetheless

bill

2009-08-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

tropical storm bill, that is

thanks bill for the stormy clouds that made Jason and Julie glow against the foreboding sky

- and holding off the rain until we got under the tent for the reception

anna & andrew

2009-08-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

I would like to set the record straight: yes, photography is cool, but so much work. The actual photography is only a fraction of what it takes to do it. Marketing, bookkeeping, post-production, filing taxes - it's all photography, not just clicking away at smiling brides, cute babies and sunsets.

Having cleared that, I will proceed to gush about the honor of sharing weddings with people - especially a minister.

I was touched to be asked to photograph the wedding for the associate minister of Chestnut Hill Presbyterian. Andrew and Anna radiate joy and their family and friends don't take them for granted. I love walking into a family/community as a stranger, having no idea how the day will go and inevitably finding myself bonding with the guests.

I clicked with a fellow photographer (ooh, bad pun not intended) and ate dinner with the church's lead minister, Cindy Jarvis. She and I discussed the church getting involved with healthcare and I realized that your community is a place where good health can start.

I love catching people in a genuine laugh or sweet gaze - I wish I could do this with my own family but the lighting is never right or I'm too busy laughing myself. Makes me appreciate why I am crashing other people's moments.

california

2009-07-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

a case of folly

2009-06-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Founder's Hall is an example of absurdity funded with too much money.

Long story short - Stephen Girard, the richest man in the country at the time (1831) left a boatload of money in his will for a school for orphans. White orphans. Eventually the court ruled that it could be opened up to all races (and chicks).

Founder's Hall was commissioned to look like a Grecian temple. There was no allowance in the will for repairs and boy, was this building pricey to repair (ever seen a floating staircase made of marble?). Alas, it was abandoned and new buildings were created and still exist today as the active school. Founder's Hall was the second most expensive building in the country in 1848 (topped only by the US Capital building).

It is bitter sweet to gain access to an amazing space in Philadelphia that has been abandoned, not to mention the neighborhood in which it is situated. I had the same experience when I went on the mural arts tour of West Philly. It's sad to go through the hull of what once was.

column dressings added as a part of a movie being shot here

what rain?

2009-06-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

Emily is a vision of calm before her wedding starts under torrential downpour.

brilliant flowers by Robertson's brightened the day

those are some serious cupcake faces

gotta move fast to get 'em before they're gone

phew! even cuter ones arrive

on business or pleasure?

2009-06-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is when my line of work gets blurred. Last minute wedding request coincided with a pre-existing desire to spend a few days in New York anyway.

it looks like I lit this but it's just a street lamp. How Woody Allen of me.

the cloisters - now I can blame someone for my unicorn obsession at age 8

de Chirico self-portrait @ the Met

central park - who knew?

brilliant haze

2009-05-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

It was so humid on Sunday before memorial day it rained just out of spite. Lauren was so sweet and calm it put me at ease. Then I got amazing images through the thick of the hot air. Everyone was so happy and kind I made friends along the way.

Lauren's mom is an artist and appreciated my "acrobatics to get the shot". Lauren's uncle is a fellow Pratt grad, so I felt right at home. Especially at Bolingbroke, which I enjoy shooting from every angle. Leigh connects me with couples spring, summer and fall. There is always something in bloom and plenty of magical nooks so my images look different every time. Happy dancing thanks to Tom Barrett - check out the cute baby promo shot! The bold move to make seafood the main attraction was a winner - salmon, swordfish and scallops - what a treat from Perfect Setting.

Lauren and John were incredibly patient while I juggled several cameras - payoff! I love this image with the medium format camera, it has the ethereal light that makes you feel the love.

that was then

2009-05-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

dumbo (down under the manhattan bridge...overpass - redundant)
circa 1997

I first came upon this place on a bike ride when I was still living in ft. greene and had no idea where I was. That summer I had the fortune of staying in the Heights for 2 weeks while I looked for a new apt. I found a sign on a wall for a roommate needed.

looking out from our roof to an empty lot now filled with fancy condos where busta rhymes lives (according to a source). I used to cool off up here on hot summer nights and listen to the din of distant traffic before passing out in my room on the second story of our huge space with no windows or a/c

probably a yoga studio where tires once lay

heidi came to live with me (and mike who was rarely in shared spaces) and brought a retro kitchen table and chairs from a "tag sale" (she was from massachusettes). I miss Heidi, she disappeared into boston...

have roof access, will make art

***

in 2009, 65 jay street is too rich for my blood

new york

2009-05-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

text only

2009-05-18T01:15:00.000-07:00

I had a fun and heartwarming weekend in New York for a self-directed 10 year reunion for Pratt Institute. Some kind of magic came together so that I could see all of my friends within the same weekend and take long walks in charming weather. Thanks for the drinks, meals, special discount, and best of all - lodging! I laughed so hard at Alex's stories of the freshman dorm that my eyes teared and my stomach ached.

The $1 bus dropped me off in chinatown, close to the brooklyn bridge. There are so many helpful signs now to direct you to the bridge, which probably explains the dense foot traffic I don't remember from the past. Or, it could be that I was the nut job flying by in the bike lane chastising meandering tourists to stay on their side of the line.

My first shock upon descending the bridge to dumbo was seeing a friendly map of the area. And people walking the streets. I used to be able to stuff all my laundry into the duffel bag I got as a high school graduation present, sling it over my back and bike up hill to the laundromat in the heights. Now it takes an hour to get into the unmarked posh restaurant of the moment.

This was only the second year of the dumbo photo fest, so they're still working out the kinks, but it was still impressive to descend upon new york's new photo district. Soho and later Chelsea, never appealed to me - especially b/c the photo exhibits were few and far between. In fact, once I got through the photo exhibit at MOMA today, Lynda and I used the other exhibit spaces for portrait sessions - I knew she wanted her photo in front of the pink wall and I had to get her next to a sculpture with fluorescent lights that made a reflection on the shellacked gallery floor (the guard didn't notice I backed into "art" by accident as I was framing Lynda in the camera).

After one of the artist talks on Friday, Carey and I took in the late day glow over the river. As a student and resident of new york, I never walked around with a camera. a) I thought I'd get mugged b) I was too shy to do anything. As a visitor, I gleefully accepted my role and in shooting around the park came upon the cutest red heads. One was 5, swinging from a tree, and the other was 3, wishing he could do everything his big brother could do. Their mom was gracious (and flattered) as I egged them on to goof off for the camera.

As I like to remind Alex, long gone are the days we walked these ghost-like streets only to be approached by a lone merchant selling stolen cds in a small cardboard box. This is certainly a better reality, however it could not prepare me for finding a reclaimed-wood furniture showroom where the entrance to my old warehouse used to be. It used to have a shaftway with a dangling cord to operate the crude pulley system. On late nights I'd toss my bike in the wooden crate on a chain so I wouldn't have to haul it up four flights on my shoulder. In 1997 I paid $300/month. Those were the good old days.

I even got an unsolicited critique of my blog over dinner from my friend Rick (excuse me, Professor Richard) so I'm trying his suggestion of all text or all photography, rather than mixing the two. I agree that words and images should be separate, especially since the photography should speak on its own. It seems easier to take a photo than write a story; however, come to think of it - viewers go off in their own directions when they look at a photograph, whereas words give an author more control to direct the audience. Rebuttals welcomed.

The following evening, Alex and I took in the sunset over the bridge while exchanging our processes for coping with the realities of putting one's artwork out in the world. We push ourselves too hard, doubt too much and feel exhausted, but in rare moments of clarity, appreciate how far we've come, how much we are able to offer.

After the MOMA and before I had to catch the bus back to Philly today, Lynda and I walked south on broadway looking down, not up at the buildings. After last night's rain we were determined to find a decent puddle w/o trash and motor oil to shoot reflections of city life. And just as my first night in Manhattan as a freshman with the whole world in front of me, I walked and walked until I found the empire state building. I didn't go up this time, but I hope I got a good shot. Shooting film again means waiting to see what happens.

I finished off my film back in Philly while I waited for the local train to get me home to Mt. Airy. I didn't have time to wind the film and remove it from the camera so I hurried to the station and pulled it out once I was seated. A man sitting across the aisle was so excited to talk about my medium format camera I gave in. I could tell he was a real fan, not just trying to impress me. But he did - turns out he met Avedon at a party in '77. The photos he showed me on his pocket-sized digital camera included cloudscapes in a parking lot. I always want to photograph the sky in parking lots because it's the only open space in the city, but it seems too sad. Now I'll have to keep my pocket digital with me for those moments. I tend to only goof around with the little digital or lug around the "tank" but I think I'll start doing both because you can't go hiking with the heavy artilery, but why not take it on the way to the grocery store?

longwood gardens

2009-05-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

it's the return of the film camera - we're all revolting against digital back to our love of the mystery. my particular return includes the additional limitation of only 12 frames on a roll of square film, the requirement of a hand-held light meter and awkwardness of a heavy box with images that show up backwards in the glass. i love it.

2009-04-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

This spring I celebrate ten years of professional photography and graduation from Pratt Institute.

Before you join me on a stroll down memory lane or realize you have to get back to work, I want to articulate my gratitude to family, friends, colleagues and clients who supported me along the way. Whether you entrusted me with an important event of your life, recommended me to new clients or just said a kind word of encouragement, I value it all.
My journey was charmed at the onset with a gig at Citypaper as a photojournalist. I was getting published weekly within months of graduation. I met Jill Scott, ate some very photogenic meals at new restaurants and spent two days at a dog park for my first cover story.

I also came upon wedding photography at a time when couples started to embrace a fine art and documentary approach. Yes, I have fun and love what I do even if it does kick my butt and subject me to the absurdity of Philadelphia business taxes.

309 photo shoots later, I continue to see each opportunity with fresh eyes. Speaking of fresh eyes, I have had the joy of photographing my new niece this past year. Feel free to share your cuties with me and I will find all of their funny expressions.

I look forward to seeing you around town, hearing that the bar mitzvah boy is heading to college or meeting new additions to the family.

Keep smiling,
Shoshanna