Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawna Real.
Hi Shawna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Going to car shows at a young age brought me to appreciate these classic cars. I fell in love with the 1950s era of Chevys, but I can appreciate all the eras of these cars and trucks. My grandpa had a 77′ Ford F150 I grew up riding around in as he took me on little joy rides around town. I also grew up riding on the back of my dad’s 1978 Kawasaki 650 Custom, which led me to my love of motorcycles. Between my dad and my grandpa, they grew up riding motorcycles, had classic cars, and were also in an off-road club for their lifted Ford trucks. This drove me to emerge myself into this world a little more. Over the years, I had a variety of different point-and-shoot cameras I would use to take pictures at different car shows. I accumulated a Nikon D3300 eight years ago to take my photography seriously. I became a self-taught photographer, figured out my niche, and made Glazed Chrome a staple in the industry.
I needed a brand name to set me apart from my photography; I wanted my photos to speak for themselves without people knowing it was a female photographer. With that, every car and motorcycle I had pictures of always had chrome, and I wanted to implement that into the name. At that time my dad was consistently adding chrome to his 08′ anniversary edition Harley Davidson. Between his chromed-out bike and the numerous classics of chromed details, Glazed Chrome photography emerged.
An articulate eye and love of classics and motorcycles has driven me to show detailed shots through my lens. I express my photos as art pieces, a story… rather than just a photo itself. To me, anyone can take a picture, but the ones that can capture the essence of that moment in time, are the ones that truly are artists themselves.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The transition from admiring these classics to becoming a photographer of classics, has always given me a hesitation with my art knowing that some people will not like your style is part of the gamble. As a photographer, you are ever evolving, changing, and learning new ways to showcase your work for you! I started with taking photos of cars and motorcycles as a whole cause that is what everyone wanted from me. I didn’t bring any sense of personal creativity to my pictures, and things needed to change. I needed to set myself apart from everyone and figure out my own niche, which led me to detailed shots through my lens. I can now appreciate my work, the classics, the motorcycles and how much amount of work goes into these owners’ prized possessions.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Glazed Chrome photography is known for the detailed shots that most people overlook. When photographing the cars, the trucks, the motorcycles I take a thorough look before I place my camera in front of it. I set myself apart from other photographers in the industry with this specific style. It’s becoming more popular now, but it will always be my bread and butter. A change I made this past year has been capturing those candid shots of the club members, pinup babes with the classics, and the essence of the overall events. I want to show that I can be a versatile photographer in the industry.
I had a vision for Glazed Chrome to implement more woman into my photography. I want to showcase them in their own collection and aim to turn this into an ongoing series called Biker Babe. I want to feature babes and their bikes, ones that just ride, ones that built their own bikes, and so much more. It’s important to me being a female photographer and able to work with other females is empowering!
What does success mean to you?
To me personally, success isn’t handed to you but can be created by you. Take the risk, embrace the failures, and grow from the outcome. Your ambitions, positive attitude, hard work, and dedication will get you to that ultimate goal. However, achieving a goal is not just success but making an impact in what you’re creating will set you apart from anyone else in that industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.glazedchrome.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/glazedchrome/
- Other: tiktok.com/@glazedchrome
