About Me
I'm so glad you stopped by!
I can't wait to meet you and get you know you....but first, let me tell you a little bit about myself....
I'm a native Texan, born and raised in the panhandle in the small town of Levelland, located near Lubbock.
From an early age, I enjoyed photography. My first camera, in the early 80's, was a Polaroid and from there I had several point & shoot cameras. I don't know how many rolls of film I went through and trips to the 1 hour photo processing booth my mom made! (If you're over the age of 35 you probably remember film)
I was pretty much just taking pictures of my family & friends, sunsets, cat and stuffed animals!
Once I got to high school, I decided to take photo journalism as an elective and absolutely fell in love with it! So much as changed since then....we used darkrooms, developed our own film and made our own prints. Photography was so technical and you had to get it right the first time, through the camera because there were no filters, apps, editing software or any other tool to fix the "ooops!". I'm so grateful that I jumped into photography then because I really feel like it forced me to really learn the technical, mechanical and artistic sides of photography rather than just pick up a camera, snap some pictures & edit the files.
Once I graduated from college with my BA in Communications, I took a job at an Austin photography studio and soon after, in 2003, I opened Shannon Prothro Photography. Over the years I have been fortunate to capture some amazing moments for people with my photography. Newborn photos, birthday parties, anniversary parties, nearing the end of life session, weddings, engagements, family, seniors and several pretty amazing events....I feel like I've done it all!
While I have enjoyed all of my sessions, events, seniors & family photography are my passion
and those are my main focus today.
I shoot everything on location & in natural light because I've found that it's my favorite and, honestly, I am just not a fan of artificial light & flashes.
Q&A
- Prints or digital files? I provide my clients with digital files so that they can use the images as they wish - makes prints, share online, use for gifts etc. But I love prints and strongly recommend that my clients make prints of their favorite images to hang onto. Someday those prints are what people can easily look back at without digging through files or computers.
- Color or B&W photos? I really love both! I prefer candid & photojournalistic type images to be in B&W but it depends on the setting. I usually show a few images in B&W for my clients but it's up to them to choose the final finish.
- Favorite drink? Sparkling water with fresh lemon or lime. And coffee!
- Favorite season? I really love Fall in the hill country because of the colors and the break from the heat of summer.
- Chocolate or vanilla? Always chocolate.
- Coffee hot or iced? Hot...if it's cold outside.
- 5 favorite foods? Gosh....only 5? ha! Grapefruit, cheese, guacamole, pizza &
rice. And chocolate!
- Tips or suggestions for clients before their photo session?
Yes! I have a few suggestions.....
- My main suggestion is to dress comfortably & in a way that looks like you. (If you never wear a tie, don't wear a tie....if you hate dresses, wear pants!)
- For a session with more than 1 person, avoid multiple patterns because it's very distracting. We want YOU to be the focus, not your clothes. If one person is wearing plaid, three are people in stripes, one in polka dots and someone else is in floral, it's WAY too much. KEEP IT SIMPLE. Pick 1 similar pattern (plaid, stripes) for 1 or 2 people and let everyone else wear solids in coordinating colors.
- If you have small children, feel free to bring a couple of their favorite small toys (dolls, cars, blankets, ball etc) that may or may not show up in a few pictures. I love catching kiddos in their element, whether they're looking at a bug, daydreaming or playing.
- Favorite places to do outdoor photos? I have so many and it really depends on the look we're going for or the style of the person/family. I LOVE sunset photos in a field of golden grasses with some amazing clouds in the background. But urban alleyways with some fun brick walls and bright colors or old stone are also fun! I've done sessions in alleyways, fields, streams, barns and everything in between!
- Have you photographed animals? Yep... Pigs, cows, dogs & horses all with their respective humans! So much fun! If you have a well-behaved animal you would like to join you, please let me know.
I'm excited to meet you and get to know you!