Shannon Collins, a “queer, awkward, anxious wedding photographer” based in Abington Township, was featured in The New York Times on Saturday, April 20 in an article titled “Capturing Special Moments, While Creating Inclusive Weddings”.
The article discusses Collins’ recent career and life trajectory, starting with a craniotomy surgery in 2019, the addition of a nonbinary identity (Collins goes by “Mx. Collins” and uses they/them pronouns) in 2021, and an autism diagnosis in 2022.
“These major transitions were life-affirming and healing, and reminded me to celebrate myself and those around me,” Collins told The Times.
Collins founded Shannon Collins Photography in 2010 and co-founded and co-hosts Rainbow Connections, a monthly, virtual meetup for LGBTQIA+ kids and allies in K-5 in partnership with the Abington Township Public Library.
From Collins’ website:
I’ve been photographing weddings and families in the Philadelphia area for +14 years. Philadelphia Magazine recently 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 a twenty-year-old chinchilla named Maude. Weddings, elopements, and co-creating with marginalized marriers make me excited to wake up in the morning.
Collins said the ideal wedding clients are neurodivergent, disabled, and autistic “so I don’t need to mask or hide my disabilities.”
Collins, now 39, is married to Peter Schuster, a software engineer at the outdoor sporting company REI, and has two children, Adelaide, 9, and Cameron, 5, The Times said.
The article concludes with a transcribed interview. An excerpt:
How did you start your career in the wedding industry?
After college I was the editor in chief for a local paper in Philadelphia that no longer exists, and then I was a content manager at Generocity, a local, social impact media outlet, also in Philadelphia. From 2007 to 2008, weddings became a special interest of mine when I was a blogger for a popular wedding website, Weddingbee. Photography has always been a passion. I started photographing weddings as a side job in 2009 by reaching out to local engaged couples on the blog. I built my portfolio, invested in gear, increased my rates and pursued wedding photography full-time in 2013.
For the full story, you can click here. For more on Shannon Collins Photography, you can visit their website. You can also watch the Instagram video below:
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Photo: Shannon Collins Photography