Rising Stars: Meet Shanice Edwards

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanice Edwards.

Hi Shanice, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory. 
My name is Shanice, I’m a 24-year-old photographer from Toronto, Canada. I was raised in a town outside of the city, Brampton, Ontario. Biologically an only child, I grew up watching my parents capture my childhood on film. My love for photography grew as I got older. I began wanting to take pictures of people everywhere I went. I used to volunteer to take pictures for local sports teams and my high school teams, just to see where I wanted to focus my talents. I eventually decided I wanted to focus on portraiture, but trying to find what avenue fit me best was where I struggled. 

I took a break from photography for some time, as I felt I had lost my love for my passion. I was very focused on working a day-to-day job, just to make ends meet, and taking pictures sometimes felt like that job. After going to post-secondary for a year and practically flunking everything, I decided to pick up my camera again. It felt like I was finding myself again, and I began to love photography as more than a hobby; I wanted to make it my career. So, I decided to follow my dreams and expand my learning on what I loved to do. I attended college for a Creative Photography program, graduated, and officially started my photography business. In March of 2023, I was accepted to The Remix Project for Photography. The Remix Project is a program that mentors and guides creatives in their respective disciplines. I attended multiple panels, workshops, and classes that contributed to my learning and skill set. 

Alright, 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’s never a smooth road. Majority of the time, I was working 2 jobs while juggling photography. For the first few years of my career, I was also in school. So sometimes, my personal life with school included, would impede on everything else I had going on, photography included. After graduating, I struggled to find a stable full-time job, especially something in the photography field. I had to bounce from full-time job to full-time job, and it was giving me no time to focus on my craft. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Professional Photographer, and although I specialize mostly in Portraiture, my work is also comprised of some editorial and creative portraiture, a lot of behind-the-scenes for video productions, as well as some event photography, as of recently. 

I can say that I’m known for my “eye” and my unique style when capturing portraits. I’m the type of photographer that will remove hazards or fix anything fixable prior to taking a photo to prevent extra work in post-production. I pay very high attention to detail and do my best to make sure everything is coordinated well within frame. 

I’m most proud of the growth I’ve had as an artist and overall as a person within the last few years. I’ve changed my perspective on a lot of things but the biggest being life. Life is so short, and we live every day on this earth without knowing what time we have left. I try my best to live life unapologetically and put every shred of effort I have into things and people that I love. 

I think what sets me apart from others is that I’m a “one-man army”. I started my business by myself and have had little to no help keeping it together. I have an extensive background in customer service and sales, so marketing, fulfillment, and customer/client interaction have never been a hurdle for me. I’ve also recently taken a hand in creative direction and some set design for creative shoots I plan. Some photographers really just photograph and nothing more. 

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being alive. It’s a very vague answer; however, it holds weight. 

There’s so many reasons to not take life for granted, especially because we only have 1. We don’t get to go back in time and re-do things that we messed up on or re-live opportunities we once embarked on. In life, we usually only get 1 chance. Growing up, you come to realize that life is really short. Time flies, and before you know it, it’s your birthday again. Being able to wake up every day and breathe freely is a blessing. I’m grateful for life and for every experience. I’ll never take it for granted. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/visualsbyshan

Image Credits
@totefvcreator
@spokenbyt
@hopkiiins
@lensoflicia
@twxll
@sawankmusic
@rahiimbray