The Camera Was Never Just for Me
Why I’m offering free senior portraits and what it really means to be seen.
If you're seeing this for the first time — hi. I'm Nakeshia Shannon.
I'm a media and communications nerd, but most people know me as a goofy and sometimes overly compassionate photographer.
Years ago, when I first started my career, I thought every business needed a tagline. Mine was:
"I'm just a girl with a camera, but I'm nothing without God."
The truth is, my faith and my community have always been my foundation.
I was raised in the church, where a servant’s heart was the standard, not the exception.
And while life has brought change, stronger boundaries, and a fair amount of creative chaos, one thing still remains true:
I'm just a girl with a camera.
Behind that camera, I have shared stories, captured memories, loved deeply, watched people grow, laughed, mourned loss, and simply observed life as it unfolded.
Like any creative, I have faced seasons of burnout and moments of questioning why I continue.
But the biggest creative blocks often crumble when I remember why I started in the first place.
For me, it was never about business or recognition. It was personal.
I picked up a camera because:
I wrote songs, lyrics, and poems but was too terrified to share them with the world.
I needed something to hide behind as an introverted teenager.
I lost someone I loved and realized I had no images to cherish.
As a high school senior from a single-parent home, I could not afford professional portraits, but I needed something to mark my graduation.
I wanted people to feel seen, loved, and remembered.
And truthfully, sometimes I picked up a camera because I had so much to say, and not everyone wanted to read my long-winded thoughts.
Even with all the heaviness in the world — fear, anxiety, stress, and uncertainty — one thing remains:
Joy is contagious.
And I want to spread that joy by ensuring that, despite it all, deserving high school seniors have portraits to celebrate their accomplishments.
It started as a simple post on social media. Other photographers reached out to volunteer their time. Some offered to help offset costs.
But despite how far a message can travel online, there are always students I cannot see, simply because my eyes are not everywhere.
That is where you come in.
If you know a senior who would benefit from a free portrait session — someone who deserves to be seen, celebrated, and honored — please send them my information or send me theirs. (Deadline May 31st)
I am just a woman with a camera, trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus, if He carried a camera too.
Whew. This hit me right in the heart. Thank you, Nakeshia, for letting us in. You didn’t just tell a story — you invited us into your why. I felt every word, every layer of it. You're meeting needs from what was your pain, your void. Keep being light. Keep being love. Keep being that girl with a camera who reminds people they matter. I'm cheering you on and grateful for the work you're doing — it’s holy.