Shannon Collins
Philadelphia Wedding Photographer
Photographing joy as resistance.
HI, I’M SHANNON. MY PRONOUNS ARE THEY/THEM.
I’ve been photographing weddings and families in the Philadelphia area for +13 years. Philadelphia Magazine just named me Best Photographer for Best of Philly 2022, for my work as Founder and photographer of Youthphoria. When I’m not documenting milestones, editing photos, or watching an obscene amount of Bravo programming, I’m hanging out with my two children and my partner. We also live with a nervous dachshund and an eighteen-year-old chinchilla named Maude. Elopements, intimate weddings (aka microweddings), and LGBTQIA+ weddings make me excited to wake up in the morning.
More about me? I co-founded and co-host a monthly, virtual meetup for LGBTQIA+ kids and allies in K-5 in partnership with Abington Township Public Library—Rainbow Connections. My glasses fog up all the time. I love listening to podcasts about gender identity and disability justice. I like trying to keep plants alive. I wish Moira Rose was my friend. I wish David Rose was my sweater provider. I apologize too much. I firmly believe Black Lives Matter. I identify as nonbinary, queer, Autistic, and disabled and diversify my media feed to reflect these identities and learn more about how I can better serve the wider community, through intersectionality and the amplification of BIPOC voices.
I’m the founder of Youthphoria, a Philadelphia-based project dedicated to photographing trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming youth in the Philadelphia area at no cost, while providing an affirming experience that celebrates them along the way.
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER FOR MY FELLOW AWKWARD AND ANXIOUS PEOPLE.
So many people reach out to me to let me know they’re awkward or shy in front of the camera. If you break out in a rash from nervousness, you are not alone. Or if you’re neurodivergent like me, things like forced eye contact or sensory overload might have led to traumatic photo experiences in the past. I’m here to make you more at ease and ideally forget that I’m tucked away behind a bush somewhere while you spend time with your partner(s). I won’t force poses that don’t seem organic to who you are as individuals. Instead, I allow moments to happen naturally, while letting you lead the way and subtly guiding you — with your permission — into the best light and backdrops.
I want you to be as comfortable as possible on your wedding day, so we’ll make sure the timeline flows smoothly and you feel prepared. Weddings are incredibly personal, so I feel really privileged that I get to call this my profession. Photographing celebrations while focusing on color, composition, and getting to really know the people whose story I’m telling is what makes me thrive.
It’s okay and absolutely valid if emotions are high and you need to take breaks or want additional support to get through the day. Whether that looks like doing a mindfulness breathing exercise together or asking loved ones for some space for a few minutes, honor what your body and heart are telling you. I’ll be there to get your back (and snacks).
I WELCOME YOU FOR YOU, COMPLETELY.
Planning a photo session should evoke excitement, not fear, but that is not always the case for those who are marginalized. My intentions as an affirming photographer are to reduce the amount of labor that my clients have to engage in. As someone who is disabled, I try to be really mindful when working with clients and putting accessibility to the forefront.
Something I don’t see enough in the wedding and family photography industries is the normalization of polyamorous love. I feel energized when collaborating with queer, trans, and polyamorous folks, and people of all identities. That’s why I try to use language like “marriers” rather than “couple,” in an effort to be more inclusive and intentional.
An oppressed group can’t simply stop being oppressed, we all need to fix it. I connect LGBTQIA+ clients with affirming vendors and by advocating for safer, more diverse, more inclusive, and more accessible industry standards. I want to honor your experience by letting you lead the way in terms of how you identify and how you’d like to be addressed.
As a side note, I’m fully vaccinated and mask up indoors and outdoors when unable to socially distance, due to COVID-19.
![It’s been about two years since I reached out to @susanpadron_stylist to ask if she’d be interested in being the Wardrobe Stylist for @youthphoria_org (shout out to @ltc.artist for introducing us). We’ve since developed a friendship that I treasure immensely.
It’s been an honor to observe Susan working her magic with Youthphoria participants–helping them uncover their gender expression, while tapping into their emotions and becoming more aligned with their values along the way.
I was invited to join Susan in conversation on her new podcast, The Susan Padron podcast, where we discussed:
• Youthphoria’s origin story
• Why trans visibility is so important and central to our work
• How Youthphoria has grown since we started and where we’d like to see it go
• The connections our participants make to certain characters and my relationship with photographing them as they tap into their inspirations
• How coming out as queer and non-binary impacted my personal style
• What I mean when I describe my personal style as “muppets aesthetic”
I hope you’ll check it out and subscribe–the link can be found in my bio or on Youthphoria’s website under our Press & Media page.
Thanks again to Susan for having me and making this project possible.
[Image descriptions: (1): A graphic with a navy background including two photos of myself smiling and wearing glasses. Text reads: “Episode 5: The Need for Queer Visibility, Featuring Shannon Collins. A bulleted list includes the text: • Why Shannon started Youthphoria • The journey to an impactful partnership • The beauty around acceptance and support • Shannon’s road to finding their personal style • Personal style modifications based on your situation • Shifts and changes with personal expression • Sources of community” (2): Another image of me is displayed on the upper left of the graphic, with a quote that reads, “I wanted to find a way to uplift the community and be able to tap into joy and work with queer vendors.” - Shannon Collins. (3): A graphic of The Susan Padron Podcast cover artwork with the title of the podcast episode.”]](https://www.shannoncollins.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)