59. Visibility and Influence From Behind The Camera with Shannon Collins
The Courage to Be Visible
The decision to show up and be visible requires courage.
And when we make that decision as business owners, entrepreneurs, industry professionals, many times we are bringing people into our sphere to support that visibility.
Professionals like makeup artists, hair stylist, consultants, wardrobe stylists, and photographers are there to support you in crafting what your public image is going to be witnessed as, and how you'll be perceived.
But many times when we talk about visibility, we don't think about the people behind the camera and the level of courage that it requires for them to take that camera down and say, I'm here and I'm ready to be witnessed.
Photographer Shannon Collins joins India for a conversation about making the decision to get out from behind the camera, using their platform to address what matters, and how that has changed their life, their business and the lives of those around them.
Listen on your favorite podcast player or keep reading to learn:
The photography industry’s issues with marginalized groups, past and present
How power shows up in photography, and who has an opportunity to tell their story
Why capturing joy is an act of rebellion and resistance
How Shannon mixes visibility and vulnerability with their business
Joy As Resistance
Shannon Collins has been aiming to capture joy as resistance for 12 years as the owner of Shannon Collins Photography. They connect clients with affirming vendors and advocate for safer, more diverse, inclusive, and accessible industry standards.
In the past year, Shannon came out publicly as nonbinary, queer, and disabled. Shannon recently founded Youthphoria, a project dedicated to celebrating and photographing trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming youth in the Philadelphia area at no cost. Shannon volunteers for The Trevor Project every week as a crisis counselor.
Shannon lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with their partner, two children, chinchilla, dachshund, and 38 patient houseplants.
Shannon credits being a member of Pause On The Play® The Community with India for encouraging them to put themselves out there and be visible in ways that aren’t always comfortable.
A Difficult Industry
On the Flaunt Your Fire podcast, Shannon starts by saying that they do love photography, but “it’s kind of like a parent when you’re talking poorly on your kid and at the end of the conversation you’re like, but I love them.”
They say that the photography industry can be difficult financially, especially at the beginning, and that it tends to also be highly competitive, despite hashtags like #CommunityOverCompetition.
The industry also harbors people who prey on novices with get-rich-quick workshops and other abuses, and they say industry leaders often convey, implicitly or explicitly, that you have to be “a thin white cis person” to get booked for jobs.
Shannon says they have also witnessed a lot of issues with race in photography groups on Facebook and in other professional forums.
“I saw a lot of like white admins in these groups basically silencing conversations and deleting posts and comments and things like that whenever any topics would pop up around tangible things that are important, like racism or anti-LGBTQIA+ plus bigotry in the industry. There's so much silence and complicity in the industry that needs to kind of have the rug pulled out...but it's covered up with a lot of nicety.”
India says that she saw many of the same issues working in commercial photography, as well as sexism and sexual exploitation of teenaged models by older male photographers.
“It's interesting for me to hear that the experiences are kind of similar, even though the specifics of it are different.”
India adds that she does feel like a lot has changed on the commercial side of the industry in recent years.
Visual Biases
For Shannon, the interpersonal and industry dynamics haven’t changed much in the course of their professional career. They are seeing some progress on the technical side of photography.
When color film was introduced, film and printers were calibrated for white skin. And while photographers and consumers complained about poor exposures and color balance for dark skin tones, Kodak only changed their processes when pressed by a chocolate company and a furniture maker who needed the brown tones of the film to have more range.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that Kodak introduced a multiracial color reference card.
Shannon knows that now they can get proper exposures of multiracial couples from their camera. But, they says, “those biases, I feel like are still sneaky and in there, and that they show up in the presets and filters we use.”
India agrees and cautions that many filters and presets that are used by white influencers or sold as add-ons to applications like Adobe Lightroom are designed for skin tones that have pink or neutral undertones and rarely work well for darker skin tones.
And major publications are only just barely starting to hire non-white photographers to shoot their covers and features.
Celebrity photographer Annie Liebovitz last year received widespread criticism for her portrait of gymnast Simone Biles on the cover of Vogue. Shannon says, “maybe Annie Leibovitz was like, I can still use my same lighting techniques that I use on all these famous white women. And it's like, no, you have to change things.”
India says the photography industry’s race issues filter down as far as how lighting is referred to as “master” for the main light source, and “slaves” for additional fill lights that are triggered by the main light.
“I feel like this is the way the industry has been for so long, but people just weren't aware of it. They didn't even think twice about it, or they just were choosing not to talk about it. And now it's coming up in conversation.”
The Visual Power Balance
India asks Shannon how they think about photography’s power to change people’s lives.
Shannon responds that they have thought a lot in the last few years about how photography’s power depends on whose hands it is in.
“A story can be told in so many different ways, depending on who’s telling it…[It’s] empowering to see it done the right way with the people who should be telling the story.”
As an example, they say that local non-black photographers were shooting photos at Black Lives Matter protests and not being mindful of protecting the anonymity of protestors by not showing things like identifying tattoos in the photos.
And also in the Youthphoria sessions they do, “I’ve been really shocked by how much positive change can happen through photography. I've had people tell me that they were bawling at seeing themselves in an affirming way, or that they never felt beautiful until the project. And someone told me that it was like the most euphoric, best day of their life.”
Joy As Rebellion
And that is ultimately the reason Shannon sees their work as capturing joy as resistance or rebellion.
“It can be hard to find joy in the new, especially if you’re marginalized...I think it’s important to honor tragedy, but it’s rare to see things like trans joy being celebrated. So finding ways to capture joy, whether it’s through photographing weddings, for me, or these Youthphoria shoots I’ve been doing, have been really healing for me and for my clients...It feels like an act of rebellion to kind of embrace our differences and put them on full display through photography when it feels safe enough for us to be able to do that.”
India adds that these expressions of joy are particularly powerful in a social media landscape that is designed on the premise that humans are attracted to negativity and oppression. “To spread images that are joyful and captions that are positive is rebelling against even that type of system or that type of algorithm.”
Shannon says there is a line between joy and positivity and inspiration porn, which particularly shows up for disabled communities. “Finding that middle ground is like chef’s kiss.”
From Behind the Camera
For photographers, having something hiding their face is part of the job description, but India asks Shannon how that level of invisibility impacts their work and life.
Shannon says hiding behind a camera is “pretty intentional for me, because I’m really shy and anxious and it’s my safe space to be on that side of it...I’ve been trying to push myself out there and be more visible, since I am so invisible behind the camera.”
To do that, they’ve been taking self-portraits and posting them to Instagram with personal, vulnerable captions.
They say the advice to keep your personal and professional photography completely separate on social media has never worked for them. “I’ve always wanted to blend both of them because they’re so connected and linked with who I am.”
India asks Shannon what shifted that pushed them to be more visible and vulnerable in their work.
Shannon credits India’s book club within Pause on the Play® the Community for that shift. Even though they didn’t actually read the book, Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You, Shannon says that seeing the discussions happen around and showing up in a way that scares you impacted them, and now they are trying to do one thing every day that kind of scares them.
“It’s been energizing and amplifying me to just keep going. And yeah, the risks, they’re not so bad. I just have to break out in a rash occasionally, it’s fine.”
After working with India and Erica in From Implicit to Explicit, Shannon has also clarified their values and how those values show up and are highlighted on their website.
They say that the change has impacted how people show up in their inbox with inquiries, and that they frequently get comments on how appreciated it is that those values and commitments are explicit on the website.
That appreciation immediately creates a connection that might have taken longer to develop, or may not have developed at all with clients.
“Like 99% of my clients turn into friends...These people are my support and I am theirs.”
When Shannon finds people adhering to the advice to keep everything potentially controversial or personal out of their business, “that makes me sad for them. I can’t imagine what their shoots must look like.”
Getting beyond small talk makes for better photos, they say. “As soon as you get to actually know each other, they can be more intimate in front of you for the camera and for photos, and your work is just going to improve.”
For Shannon, weddings and photography are about more than capturing a pretty picture.
“For me, it's more about really capturing things as they happen, having things happen organically...We’ll figure it out and capture the awkwardness along the way. Because that can be some of the best photos.”
Take Action
Shannon’s advice to novice or amateur photographers who want to have more impact with their work is to focus on what makes you excited to be a photographer.
For them, that’s the relationship building aspect of being a photographer and discussing consent, body image, accessibility and representation with their clients, and easing the anxiety they know all too well for their clients.
Shannon also recommends finding and following photographers who don’t look like you on social media and to use your follow as a starting point for relationship building, not as passive observation or performance.
“As a photographer, there's so many ways and, and opportunities for me to amplify other people's voices, whether it's through sending along referrals or just facilitating connections with other vendors.”
And they urge everyone to use what privileges they have to make professional spaces safer and more inclusive so that your referral connections are stronger and more diverse.
For people who are being photographed, they say show up as yourself and your photos will be so much better. “When people get all glitzy and glamorous when that’s not who they are as a person...it can really affect the photos.”
India agrees, especially for special events like milestone birthdays and weddings. “You get these moments photographed most likely that one time. And so you want to be able to look back on those photos...and feel like the person you’re looking at was you.”
Shannon says, “you can really feel when it’s off and yeah, just do what you normally do. You’ll be great.”
How Shannon Flaunts Their Fire:
“I feel like it means being a disruptor and kind of leading by example, but also showing my imperfections, which is something I feel like has been encouraged in the Pause on the Play® Community….And just promoting myself and taking on more leadership roles has been a goal of mine.”
Loved This Episode?:
Shannon joins Erica Courdae on Pause on the Play® to discuss the absence of love from the love industry, inspiring you to reconsider what you think is normal within the wedding industrial complex, along with ideas of actions that you can take today to bring love and inclusivity to this industry that so desperately needs it.
Learn more about Pause on the Play® the Community and join to get access to community conversations, monthly workshops and Q&As with India Jackson and Erica Courdae, and on-demand replays of prior workshops and masterclasses.