Who are you? Shannon Kaple of Center Avenue Imaging, fine art photographer specializing in lifestyle and wedding photography, wife, friend, mommy & lover of the color orange!

Did you go to school to study photography? Yes, I have my BFA in photography and multi-media from Alfred University in NY, and later went on to get my master’s in Organizational Leadership.

How long have you been a wedding photographer? I’ve been photographing weddings for 9 years, but have been photographing for 14.

How would you describe your style? My style is a blend of fashion and photojournalism with a focus on capturing the moment in between a kiss, a glance or laughter. Most of all I just love people and enjoy photographing the relationships between them, whether it be between a husband & wife, siblings or a mom with her newborn baby.

How many weddings do you average per year? Now that I’m blessed with a beautiful baby girl I’ve cut back to 5-10 weddings per year, so that I have more time to spend with my family. With that said I’m taking on more lifestyle, children & maternity clients, which is awesome.

Where is your favorite Colorado location to take pictures? Ummm, that is a tough one, being from the East Coast just about every location is beautiful here. I don’t think I have a favorite one, just a favorite time of the day to shoot which is an hour before sunset. I love the yummy light just as it drops behind mountains. It makes for great bokeh & sun flare, which is a signature trait in my lifestyle sessions.

What sort of equipment and software do you use? I shoot Nikon and have an arsenal of lenses. I use lightroom 2.0 to edit in, along with Photoshop CS3.

What lighting equipment do you take on a shoot? I usually use natural lighting, but in the event I want something more dramatic I’ll take my Nikon Speed lights and do some off camera lighting. This is much easier when you have an assistant working with you, but tripods will work in a pinch.

What is your most used Photoshop tool, plug-in, action set etc.? I use Totally Rad actions on a regular basis & I’ve also made my own settings in Lightroom, which make editing a breeze.

What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such amazing imagery? I love watching a lot of classic 1930’s movies, such as “Bringing Up Baby” and “The Blue Angel” for inspirational lighting techniques. I’m a real movie buff, which contributes to my understanding of lighting concepts, framing and composition. Movies such as Kurusava’s Dreams, Amelie and I am Sam are great for better understanding such ideas. In addition, my clients are a huge inspiration to me. In the late 90’s I took two years documenting the idea of family in a small rural western New York town. This experience has carried over into my work as a lifestyle photographer, because I have the opportunity to explore the beginning stages and complexities of family dynamics through the lens of my camera. Each couple is unique in what they bring to a marriage and I’m honored to help capture this love that binds two people together and contributes to a healthy family. For example I photographed the most beautiful lifestyle family session at the end of last year, where the couple had struggled for years to become pregnant. The mother had always envisioned her daughter prior to having her, as a beautiful 4 year old with blonde curls. Fast forward to our shoot and you’ll see that 4 year old daughter running into her mother’s arms. Stories like this inspire me to photograph even more families! Needless to say they have two beautiful children now!

If you could shoot a wedding with someone who would it be and why? I would really enjoy photographing with Thomas Roma because his work involves situations where people are caught up in an emotional experience or private moment that makes them very vulnerable and this is clearly displayed in his work. I really love his quote in Sunset Park, which are photographs from his series at public pools. He states, “I’m fond of saying that being a photographer is a way to be in the presence of the things you desire.” Love is something I’ve always desired to share with someone and now that I have, I truly enjoy photographing this desire in others.

How many images do you average per wedding and how many do you usually present to your clients? Between myself and my second shooter we average about 4,000 images and give the client around 700-1200.

Have you ever had anything go wrong at a wedding and if so, how did you handle it? Yes, when I first started photographing weddings in 2002, a friend of mine flew me out here to CO to photograph his wedding at a private residents in Estes Park. I’m originally from Pittsburgh, so I was thrilled at the prospect of photographing in the Rocky Mountains. I was new to photographing weddings and this was my first solo one. I had brought 3 cameras, 2 SLR’s & a digital camera ( this is when digital cameras were just starting to become more popular.) My battery in my first SLR died and I didn’t have a back up, plus the nearest convenience store was 30 minutes away, then my second SLR broke and I forgot to format the card in my digital camera. Needless to say I was guessing at my exposures and erasing images on my digital camera as they walked down the aisle! Thankfully when it came to shoot the formals I grabbed one of their friends pro-camera who ended up shooting the wedding from a rock about a quarter a mile away. To this day they don’t know that happened and they loved the photographs. I swore that I would never again photograph weddings! A lot has changed since then, as I LOVE photographing weddings, and we no live in CO, and enjoy frequent trips to Estes to photograph weddings.

What do you feel is the most challenging thing about photographing weddings? Not having enough time to spend with the bride and groom.

Do you advertise? If so where? Do you advertise? If so where? Yes, I advertise on Photographik, mydenverwedding, but most of my work comes from referrals.

What advice do you have for somebody who wants to pursue wedding photography? I would advise other photographers to become actively involved in continuing their education as a photographer. I attend seminars and conferences regularly and would highly recommend attending WPPI, or seminars offered by amazing talents like Mike Colon’s, Zack Aria’s or David Bekstead. Also, become a premiere member of Mile High Photography. It’s a great way to meet other photographs, whom might be in need of a second shooter or meet new friends.

Which five words would your friends use to describe you? This was fun. I learned something about myself in asking friends this question. These are the words that came up most… Energetic, Passionate, Christian, Lover, Leader

And the last question, if you had one wish… To take the year off from working professionally and do a personal documentary project focusing on ideas of family and community both here and abroad in effort to build social awareness and provide funding for the less fortunate.