Conversations with Shannon Aupperlee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Aupperlee. 

Hi Shannon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Shannon Aupperlee, I own Shannon’s Photography, LLC a Professional Photography Studio located in Battle Creek, MI. Looking back, I guess you could say I always had a passion for photography as I always took photos and taped them all over my bedroom walls. However, I never knew that I would grow up to be a photographer. My adult life took a little turn when I had identical twins prematurely (losing one) and needed a stay-at-home job to help raise my surviving son and attend to his needs. So, I opened an in-home daycare that I had for 10 years. Within that time, I occasionally took photos for friends, family and had done many Senior Portraits. So many people kept telling me I had a gift with photography and I should be a photographer not a hobbyist. I pondered on it and thought well maybe I will start charging and see about this whole photography thing. A couple years passed and my husband said to me one day, “Shannon, you are going to end up getting real sick if you continue to do daycare full-time, shoot photos, and edit till 2:00 am only to get back up at 6:00 am every day.” So, we looked at our finances, closed the daycare a couple months later, and decided I would give photography a shot for one year. The day I closed my daycare I prayed “God if this truly is the gift you have given me, please show me all there is that I need to know to fulfill your will and please provide for my family.” So, I jumped all in. I advertised session after session. I continued to buy books and teach myself how to edit. I bought several online courses and reached out to other photographer friends through groups on Facebook for constructive criticism. After 4 months we reevaluated the finances and as you can see, I never re-opened the daycare. Fast forward to 2015 when my heart changed a bit after a special newborn session for Huck. Huck’s parents had previously lost a baby too and asked to include baby Ford’s photo in their session. Having lost my Joshua, this one hit me hard. I honestly don’t know if I ever told them or anyone other than my husband how I had a breakdown after they left. I cried so hard and asked God “why, why did we have to lose our babies. I will never understand. I don’t know if I can do something like this again.” Then I heard him say “I am here with you. You can do this and I gave you this gift to work with newborns. Look at how these babies just fall asleep in your hands. It calms your heart and fills your soul each time you hold a newborn. They feel this. Your heartbeats connect. This will be healing for you. I got you in my arms Shannon and will walk this journey with you.” I then felt a huge wave of relief come over me. It was a feeling I just couldn’t explain. 

It was then that I knew in my heart God specifically wanted me to work with newborns. And even though I loved to do all kinds of photography, I decided to put all my energy and learning specifically into newborns. I started doing online newborn courses and then flew to Florida to do an in-person newborn workshop with one of the best in the industry. My newborn photography began to take off like crazy as well as the rest of the session bookings too. It got so busy. I had a hard time keeping up with the office part of the business that I hired Two-Dot- Marketing, LLC to help me develop a website that would be user-friendly for bookings to keep things more organized. 

Today, I am continuing to book sessions every day and booking out sometimes months in advance, especially during the Fall season. It has been wonderful having clients who come from all over Michigan to work with me as well as out of state. It was especially an honor this past year when I had 3 different families out of the state who flew back to Michigan just to do photos with me, one even came all the way from California. To me, that just speaks volumes about the relationships and friendships that I have developed with so many families. It is so important to me that I get to know my clients and that they feel like more than just a customer. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Thankfully, I have been very blessed with lots of client referrals and repeat clients. I think the only real struggle is that “I can’t do it all”. Learning to balance family life and work life was tricky. Three years ago, I started only taking sessions Monday-Friday unless it was a specific mini-session held on a weekend or a wedding. This balance helped greatly. It has allowed much more family time together. 

I would have to say my biggest struggle so far is right now. December 2, 2022, I fell in the studio off a 3 ft. ladder and broke my heel. This has been a very hard recovery and will be a very long one. I am determined and have the willpower to still run my business and create beautiful memories for years to come. I did have to slow down just a bit, by spacing out sessions. My clients have been wonderful and understanding of my situation and worked with me. I can’t wait though to be on both of my feet again sometime this year. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in Newborn Photography. In 2019, I was voted 1st Place by the City of Battle Creek at the Fall Into the Arts Show. I have a huge selection of props, outfits, backdrops, wraps, flowers, bonnets, knitted props, etc… Everyone that comes into the studio, including many other photographers, say they have never seen so much stuff in a studio. This is how I am able to make each newborn session one of a kind. It is very rare for me to re-do the same setup. I like to start each session off by choosing one item of clothing, backdrop, or quilt piece in the studio. From that one piece, I will then match up other items in the closet to put together a few setups that way it has a nice workflow to it. That is very important so that when clients are hanging images on their walls at home, it flows nicely. In the studio closet I mentioned, I have appx 60+ Maternity dresses sizes S-XXL. I also have clothing for girls from Newborn to Size 14 and boys from Newborn to 24 months. Right outside of my studio is just under 3 acres of beautiful woods of our very own property. This makes it nice to be able to do indoor and outdoor sessions during appointments. 

Something I like to do for fun, is I design a set once a month for a Mini-Session Special. This allows families to be able to get a chance to book with me on a weekend. Most of the Mini-Sessions are themed towards specific Holidays like Christmas, Valentine, Mommy & Me, Daddy & Me, Fall Family Sessions, and more. 

The one thing that does set my business apart from others is that I have built into my business a great Membership Subscription that to my knowledge no other photographer has. This is called Memory Membership. Being a member, you receive discount pricing, gifts with specific sessions, the opportunity to book minis before others, coupon codes, and more. If you would like to look into that, you can check that out here. https://shannons.photography/membership/ 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Ha that’s actually a funny one to me. I am great talking with new clients and getting to know people but if you put me on a stage, I would be the individual who would turn red in the face and speechless. 

Pricing:

• Baby Bundle BEST VALUE (inc. maternity, newborn, 4 mos., 8 mos., 12 mos., & cake smash) $1350
• Newborn Session & Children Sessions start at $250 +
• Maternity/Couples/Engagement/Family Session is $350 (Extended Family see website)
• High School Senior Session $600 +
• Weddings $1500+/Rehearsal Dinner $600+/Boudoir $500+

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shannons.photography/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonsphotographyllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shannonsphotographyllc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-aupperlee-5001b9189/ 

Image Credits
Shannon Aupperlee