Shannon is a professional photographer based in Chennai.She is an accomplished photojournalist with an array of credits to her name. She has a diverse portfolio spanning over ten years. She does not simply take photos. She looks for the stories and incidentals;The shy flower girl; the happy but tearful woman who cheers for her son, the quiet eyes of a father parting from his daughter;the corporate office whose wall holds a tiny but powerful poem. These are the kinds of stories Shannon tells through her camera. Happy to feature, Shannon Zirkle Photography as the Photography of the month.
Tell us about yourself.
I am a cat lover, tea drinker, photographer, teacher and world traveler. I love teaching, traveling and photography. I've been able to create a career using these three passions.
How did your passion for photography start?
My passion for photography started when I was little. I took pictures of everything growing up, documenting our family's history. In my senior year in high school, I had the opportunity to shadow a professional photographer from The Baltimore Sun, a major metropolitan newspaper in the US. Through that experience, I learnt that you could make photography a career. My family never held me back in doing what I liked to do. I always believed what you do in life should be something you love and it should be something you're passionate about.
What is Shannon Zirkle Photography all about?
We capture the moments of people in important events in their life. We do portraits, events and wedding photography as well. We also have a open-air photo booth called HappyBooth.
What would you say is your specialty?
I love documenting events and people. My specialty is capturing the moment, from portraits to special events in people's lives. Which they then cherish these moments through albums and framed prints.
What is Candid Photography according to you?
I don't like the word Candid. For me, it is about capturing a second in time that shows uninterrupted interaction between people. So it could be, a tear rolling down the father of the bride's face as he sees his daughter walk up the aisle for the first time. It's looking for those moments that are precious and capturing the events follow naturally. When you set up a photograph it doesn't have the same feel as opposed to capturing it naturally. When photographing, I don't interfere with what's happening and by doing this it allows the moment to happen naturally.
Your inspirations and influences?
I find it's very important to find your own passion and own style. By looking at other people's works and following someone else, you tend to follow that type of style. I'm quite fascinated with Vivian Maier and her life. She's a photographer who worked as a nanny. She took thousands of photos and never showed anyone. After she died, her photographs were then published. Those photos have become famous and her work is quite phenomenal. She captured rare moments in history which I find quite inspirational. I am also inspired by Annie Leibovitz.
