Meet Shane Brown | Family and Senior Photographer in Lakewood, Colorado

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shane Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shane, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I knew I wanted some sort of a career in photography as soon as Alexis Clements began speaking, she would quickly become one of my favorite instructors I’ve ever been taught by. I was taking an intro to digital photography class at Red Rocks Community College, planning on working towards a graphic design degree. It wasn’t long after the semester begin when Alexis introduced me to the works of Sally Mann and Annie Leibovitz. I was instantly mesmerized, infatuated, and in love with their portrait work! As I was experiencing life as a father for the first time Sally Mann’s documentary work absolutely resonated with me. I wanted to document my child in the same candid, honest, and hauntingly beautiful way, exploring existence, family, and mortality the way Mann was able to. Next enter Leibovitz, who until this day has the uncanny ability of revealing a person’s true soul to the camera. One of my favorite quotes from Annie is, “A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.” That is what it’s all about to me, being vulnerable as an artist, and letting my clients be vulnerable as well. Together we can then create special moments and memories that will produce beautiful archival family heirloom portraits for them to enjoy forever! I knew before the semester was over that I had found my path and passion. I soon started photographing everything and taking any jobs I could get. These jobs included, sports, events, branding, birthday parties. For any photographer this part of the process can be a curse and a blessing. Yes, the practice is invaluable, but I put myself in situations to fail a few times. The thought process was if I pass on a job, I’m a failure and I won’t receive another opportunity. With time I realized I was more valuable to my clients by being very skilled in a certain niche of photography, portraits. I felt like I could take what I had learned form Leibovitz and Mann, applying it especially to family and senior photography. S.D. Brown Photo as with any brand takes a while to build and create, but what a fun and rewarding way to invest my time and energy. I now have three children, a loving and supportive wife, and a furry companion to chase around with my camera. If life were measured in shutter clicks and memories, I’d be one of the richest fellas around!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Nothing is ever easy that’s for sure. It has taken me years to hone my craft and build a recognizable brand. My main goal every session is for my clients to have fun. I want them to know that we are going to respect and make valuable use of their time. We will create memories, along with an experience they will hopefully want to have again. Making that genuine connection with people is always my main priority. When my subject knows I really care about them as a person and not just a client, we’re headed in the right direction. I’ve always loved the song lyric by Bob Weir, “I’ll still write you love songs, written in the letters of your name.” That is the exact message I would like my portrait sessions and artwork to convey.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Oh, so much to do in Colorado. As an art fan I would defiantly start with some of the museums downtown. I’m a fan of them all, especially the Denver Art Museum, the Colorado Photographic Art Center, and the Colorado History Museum. A trip to Red Rocks to at least see the Rock n” Roll Museum is a non-compromise, you have to do it. I love fishing and I love the Deckers area. I have a couple nice fishing holes I’d like to visit and then maybe a quick trip to the Buck Snort Saloon to exaggerate some fishing stories. Heading up the mountain I would set my sights on Breckenridge. I don’t snowboard as much as I use to, but I still enjoy an occasional day on the slopes. There is no better mountain town to shop, eat, hike, and enjoy all the views than Breckenridge. Hit up the food stand “Reddz,” above the blue, you won’t be disappointed. I always enjoy a trip up battle mountain to visit historic and high altitude Leadville. There is plenty of hiking and fishing in this area as well. One of my other favorite mountain towns closer to Denver is Idaho Springs. If you like root beer and craft beer, Tommy Knocker brewery is the spot. Finally, you’ll have to see music in Denver. There are so many great venues around the city and live music every night of the week. Colorado really is the best, enjoy!

To see more of Shane’s work visit Sdbrownphoto.com and @mourningofyouth on Instagram

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My two biggest supporters are my mother and mother-in-law. Without these two ladies encouragement and support I’m not sure I would have stuck with photography. I can be pretty hard on myself, especially regarding my portrait work. Even when I’m tired, frustrated, and maybe don’t want to hear it, both mothers’ encouragement has always kept me going. I feel very special being able to document their grandchildren’s lives in artistic and archival way. It feels like a nice way to say thank you everything they have done for our family.

Website: https://sdbrownphoto.com

Instagram: @mourningofyouth