Meet Calhan & Morgan Shanks of Calhan Shanks Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Calhan & Morgan Shanks.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Calhan & Morgan. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I (Calhan) spent my whole life growing up thinking that I wasn’t creative; that I wasn’t an artist. When I met Morgan almost four years ago, she got me interested in iPhone photography while traveling. That quickly developed from an interest into a passion, and she ended up buying me my first DSLR as a birthday gift soon after, and from there, photography became my creative outlet!

It wasn’t long before I found myself looking for a new job, and so I began my journey as a freelance photographer. I am completely self-taught (Morgan and I both are). I would sit in Barnes & Noble for hours and hours reading every book I could get my hands on, and pouring through YouTube videos to learn and soak up as much knowledge and artistic insight as I possibly could!

Starting out, Morgan and I shot a lot of family sessions and senior portraits. Thankfully, that quickly turned into local weddings, and those local weddings turned into international trips and weddings, and then brand shoots and so on. We’ve been so blessed in this for the past three years. We are now full-time freelance photographers, and we’ve had some pretty phenomenal opportunities along the way.

From shooting at LA Fashion Week to being featured in PEOPLE Magazine + Beverly Hills Lifestyle Magazine, shooting brand content for luxury hotels, to projects in Paris and all over Europe, we can’t wait to see what’s still ahead.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has absolutely had struggles along the way and still does. That’s the cost of following your dreams – it’s never an entirely smooth road! Most of the time, in fact, it’s far from that.

Grinding is tough, and sometimes, especially as a freelancer, it’s hard to keep your head up and your eyes on the bright side when your calendar isn’t full. That’s facts. And Morgan and I have fought. A lot.

It’s been late nights and deadlines. It’s been crippling OCD and perfectionism (on my end), and lots of stress. But we wouldn’t change it for the world, because ultimately this is our dream and we’re going after it!

Calhan Shanks Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are full-time freelance Wedding, Travel, Fashion & Lifestyle photographers. I think we are known for our love for others, and our ability to connect with people while being open and vulnerable about our own lives and marriage. We have such big hearts for human beings. That’s why we’re in this industry.

We love making people feel loved. We are passionate about making them laugh and helping them to enjoy life with minimal stress, and ultimately to feel good about themselves.

I think that’s what we are most proud of, and what sets us apart from others. Our genuine joy in life, love for each other, and love for other people. And we’d like to think that if you asked the people we’ve worked with or the ones who know us best, they’d say the same thing.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We have two! haha! One would definitely be getting picked out of thousands of other talented artists to be flown out on an all-expense-paid trip to a luxury hotel in Guatemala, to then shoot brand and travel content while there.

Second would be when we were first published in a magazine! Having your work featured in a magazine is spectacular. So that felt incredible.

Contact Info:

• Website: calhanshanks.com
• Email: calhanshanks@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calhanshanks/?hl=en + https://www.instagram.com/morgan.shanks/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calhanshanksphotography/

Image Credit:
Calhan Shanks Photography

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.