Unleash your inner strength through a Powerful Portrait Session

Hello everyone,

I’m so excited to share this gorgeous session with Tayler! If you follow any local makeup artists online, you most likely follow Tayler and the team over at The Artist Edit. Of course I was beyond excited that she came in for her first session with me a few months ago.

She came in so excited and down to do anything! I knew we were going to go glam but also have some playful images as well (obsessed with the image of her laughing).

Here are some favorites from her session.

Looking for a way to capture your true essence and power? Look no further than a transformative portrait session! We can’t wait to celebrate you!

-Shannon

Throwback Portrait Photoshoot!

Hello friends,

Happy Monday! I’m starting the week off by sharing one of my favorite portrait photoshoots from last year. Okay, I love every photoshoot we do so call me biased.

This beautiful lady reached out to me to celebrate herself and her hard work in college. She is doing some incredible things in the medical community and loved hearing all about her schooling and what she was doing in her next chapter in life.

During her session, we really had a blast and laughed… a lot! It really was the most amazing energy that day!

Her image reveal was just as special and same amazing energy. She purchased prints, wall art, and digitals to enjoy her images everyday!

I cannot wait until her next session. Here is her testimonial about her photoshoot experience :

“Working with Shannon was such an incredible, heartwarming experience! Just looking at her portfolio photos, it’s easy to see how talented of an artist she is, but behind the scenes, Shannon also provides unparalleled warmth, comfort, and guidance to her clients during their shoots. It is her words and energy that let you know you’re in a safe, body-affirming space—one that makes you feel strong and beautiful. To say the least, I’m thrilled to have worked with Shannon and am already planning our next session!”

Until next time,

Shannon

Frequently asked Question

Hello friends,

I’m going to answer one of the frequently asked questions I get from clients about posing.

“I don't know how to pose! What do I do?!”

It’s a simple answer… I’ll help you the whole way with posing! You don’t have to have any experience in modeling or being in front of the camera at all. I truly enjoy helping with posing and direction!

No matter the pose, I will demonstrate it before we get to taking the beautiful photographs ( often the client is much more elegant than I am as I demo the poses)!

I totally understand, its intimidating to walk into a photo studio and feel you aren’t ready because you aren’t sure how to pose or if you’ll look relaxed. Again, I am here the whole way to help, couch, and motivate everyone in front of my camera.

Ready for your session?

Contact me at info@shannonkdougherty.com or through the website at www.shannonkdougherty.com

Here are some favorites from this beautiful session and her testimonial:

“Such an empowering experience. Shooting with Shannon was incredible she is amazing, her professionalism, and coaching put me at ease. I wouldn’t say I’m a natural infront of the camera but with her vision and some coaching she captured some stunning images! Her portfolio is stunning and I couldn’t recommend her more!”

Studio Wardrobe

Hello friends,

One frequently asked question I get from clients is, “What do I do for wardrobe?! What do I wear?”

It definitely can feel super stressful to decide what to bring in for your photoshoot but that’s where I come in!

First, during your consultation, I go over all of the details on what I best to bring for your photoshoot. Plus, you don’t have to go spend a lot of money. We also have a second wardrobe consultation to go over more details on what you have to bring.

The best part is there is an extensive studio wardrobe for clients to use for their session. If you want to go glam, I have gowns, long dresses, full tulle robes, and many things with sequins to give that luxe touch to your session. There are also tons of lingerie, corsets, bodysuits to name a few options (I’m personally a fan of vintage lingerie so there is a lot of that in the wardrobe). There are also a few more daring pieces with leather and lace.

For this blog post, I wanted to share a few client favorites and a sneak peek of a few of the items in the studio wardrobe. I definitely plan on doing an extensive catalog of the pieces in the future!

Until next time,

Shannon

New Year, New Personal Branding

Hello everyone!

With a new year on the horizon and so many amazing things coming up for Noelle, we decided to do some updated Personal Branding images for her business.

During our consultation, I asked her what 3 words would she use to describe how she wants to feel and come off in her images.

Badass

Boss

Powerful

I would definitely say we accomplished that! I’m so excited to help other businesses with their Personal Branding and watch their business grow and thrive!

Here are a few favorites and behind the scenes from Noelle’s Personal Branding photoshoot.

Here’s to an amazing 2022!!

Let's chat about boudoir

I call myself a boudoir photographer but I don’t really even like that word. By definition a boudoir is a bedroom or private dressing room. While that does translate to calling it Boudoir photography, I feel its so much more than that. I prefer to say I shoot intimate portraiture. Why don’t I just say that? I do! If we think about it though the word ‘boudoir’ is much more recognizable when we are searching for photographers.

When I speak to my clients, I want them to know that this experience goes beyond just “sexy” posing in lingerie. It’s so much more. I want my client to connect to themselves on an emotional level. It’s a brave thing to put yourself out there (especially in front of someones camera) and that should be celebrated.

Everyone has a different definition of what they think “sexy” is. I could have a client walk in and want to be completely nude the whole time or have one that wants to be mostly covered. There is no wrong answer here. The proper boudoir/intimate portrait experience can happen no matter what you aren’t or are wearing. There should be a bit of YOUR story in your images.

It’s incredibly important to me to always listen to my client and give them images they can walk away and be proud to have for many years to come. If you booked with me then you know thats why we have a phone chat long before your session date, I want to know you and what would make you excited with your images.

I would like to throw the idea out the window that boudoir photography has to be one way or look a certain way. This is another reason I will mix it up and focus on portraiture as well during a session.

The images in this post are a storytelling boudoir/intimate portrait session I did for a close friend.

Cheers!

Shannon

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone!

We did it! We made it through the most wild year…2020 ( I don’t even want to type that year any more).

I haven’t shared any client work in a while, so today I’m going to brag about Rachel!

Rachel came in for her session to gift her significant other with a portrait and boudoir session. When she left, I could definitely tell that the session was just as much for her. One of my favorite things to hear a client say is how much their photoshoot experience meant to them.

I picked out some favorites from her session. We did a lot of black & white images ( if you follow my work then you know I am OBSESSED with a b&w session).

I say time and time again that I have the best job in the world. I get to meet so many amazing clients, capture their beauty and really show them how stunning they truly are.

Cheers!

Shannon

Wardrobe Favorites - The Long Gown

Hello to Everyone,

I’ve been keeping busy with photoshoots and tons of exciting projects coming up that I can’t wait to share!

As I was going through images today, I noticed a common theme in the wardrobe on some recent shoots : the Long Gown has been a favorite. The top is little sequins beads and the bottom is long and whimsical. The funny thing is that I’ve had this gown in my client closet for years but I never did photoshoots with it a ton. I’ve been switching it up too by either photographing the gown as is or switching up the top to make it new.

It was important for me to think outside the box instead of just buying new wardrobe in the client closet. That way I can still keep what I love for clients but have a new spin!

Cheers!

Shannon

We moved!

Hello lovely humans!

Phew, a lot has been happening the past few months. I guess we can all mark off on our life checklist about living through a pandemic. During the quarantine and lockdown, I’ve been keeping busy with my head down and working on next steps for the business. Also, I moved! I’m still located in St. Louis but in a new space and LOVING it!

This year is the year of change, right? I didn’t really plan to move during a pandemic but it worked out that way. I slowly started to book limited sessions starting in June for all the parts of my business (portraits, fashion, and boudoir). I have to say all of these sessions are a breath of fresh air. I’ve been loving the new space!

I can’t wait to have more of you in front of my camera soon!

Cheers!

Shannon

Behind the Scenes!

Hello Everyone!

This is one of my favorite things to share and its been too long since I’ve shared… behind the scenes! I get to share the final product but often don’t get to share the process of the day.

When I shoot in a studio in St. Louis, I actually shoot out of my home! We have alot of fun during our shoots! Makeup, wardrobe, and resident studio cat make the photoshoot days glamorous and fun!

(Unfortunately, for this shoot I didn’t take any images of the studio cat. I’ll be sure to include her next time.)

Here are a few favorites from our video shoot this year!

Scroll for more :)

Cheers!

Shannon

Finishing touches on styling and makeup

Wide shot of the studio for the video shoot

A sneak peak of the back of the camera!

Photoshoot credits:

Makeup- Sami Demas

Video- Jessica Weidhaas

Model- Simon Liston