Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Monnette.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am very thankful for my beginnings. Growing up, my parents would buy my sisters and I disposable cameras when we went on vacations. It gave me the opportunity to pause and look at things differently. I wanted to remember how I felt during these moments. It was our normal, and I didn’t think twice about it. Then in 2005, I was a student ambassador on a trip to Scotland and England. I brought a point-and-shoot canon camera with me, and I took over 400 photos (that was a LOT at the time, and I’ve never taken so many photos before this). On the trip, I enjoyed photographing details and my friends on the trip. When I got home, friends and family were so happy with the photos and encouraging about my photography skills. So, I took their compliments to heart and felt that I was actually good at this. Fast forward a few years I bought my first DSLR and immediately started bookings and photographed my first wedding within months. From that point, I told people I was a wedding photographer.
Thankfully when I was in college, I met other creatives, and my mind was blown with their talent and I knew I had so much more to learn. I took a film photography course as well as asking a guy online if he could be my photo mentor. That guy is now my husband and I am so thankful for him. He was so patient with me, helping me to understand editing software, introducing me to more in the wedding industry, up-leveling my gear, and letting me gain experience. We started photographing portraits and weddings together. With this, my passion and skill level grew. After Chance and I got married, I saw weddings in a new way. They are intimate, emotional, and have so many fleeting moments. I wanted to keep growing in my skills and give my clients the best experience I could to showcase their day in a way that brought them back to that moment. I kept upgrading my gear, made mistakes, made more photographer friends, learned from everyone around me, and kept gaining experience.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road. Yes, I was very fortunate to have supportive friends and family. However, I struggled with comparing my work to others, I struggled with understanding how to better use my camera at the beginning, had gear break, and photos lost. It was a journey with a lot of growth. I remember saving up to get a full-frame camera just to have it break on my first photoshoot with it and had to save my money again to buy a new camera. I so badly wanted to make it in the wedding industry, but the multiple cameras that broke felt like a sign that I should give up. I’m thankful I did not give up because I would have never imagined where I am today!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a wedding and lifestyle photographer. I definitely specialize in weddings, having photographed over 200 in my career. I think I am known for the experience I can bring my clients and the candid and true photos they receive. My editing style is more natural with some contrast. My client experience and myself is truly what sets me apart from others. There are so many amazing photographers out there, but there is only one ME. (Ok fun fact my last name is unique, and there is quite literally only one Shelby Monnette in the US – so Monnette Co is unique for you!) I have my own perspective that my clients receive when I deliver their gallery. I have my systems and emails, and backups that my clients can count on. I am proud of my business in general. The atmosphere of trust and love that my clients give back to me is unreal. I work at ensuring that I have their back, over-communicate expectations, and show up for my clients. I am proud of that trust I have built with my clients. A bonus moment I am really proud of is opening up my first studio! I am now able to offer studio sessions for my clients and have a private space I can call mine!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
My biggest piece of advice to someone just starting out is that education and experience is everything. I highly encourage everyone to humble themselves in the beginning and ask for help or mentorships from those further along in their career. I think everyone has learned something along the way, and asking for advice or help can help you move forward much smoother than going through every lesson alone along the way. Allow space to learn and grow and be humble (at least at the beginning) with prices because photography isn’t about the money, it’s about the moments you are capturing and letting your subjects know they are loved, and they are art. Seeing your clients as they are and not whatever fad or trend is going on will let you gain insight and experience to grow as a photographer. Along with that, whatever niche you want to get into, I highly encourage mentorship. Where you can shadow that person and learn from them. Gaining experience from watching and doing.
Also – always have a backup system. Backing up the photos to multiple places, having the extra batteries, backup memory cards. Everything. If people are trusting us to capture memories, we should be able to deliver on that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://monnette.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monnetteco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monnetteco
