Recently I was given the pleasure of doing an interview for 901life.com ! I was so thrilled.  Hope you guys enjoy!
 
This week I welcome my good friend Chanell Shorter. Chanell is an outstanding wedding photographer based in Memphis, TN. You can see her work at www.cshorter.com
 

Enjoy the interview.

Hi Chanell,

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m just the geeky kid from Mississippi. *giggles* And I love being nerdy. I like being called by my last

name—Shorter. It somehow became cool in college. Not to mention I’m only 5’2” tall, which is an

added bonus. I love being short, well most of the time. I …more

Hi everyone! Things are really starting to get crazy. Its that time of year again! My schedule is quickly filling up with everyone wanting to take advantage of the great weather and take pictures. I’m loving it. With that being said the other day I had the pleasure of shooting Alycia. One of my beautiful sorors, Tara, recommended me to her. She needed a pretty quick turnaround and I’m glad that my schedule is flexible enough to be able to help her out. She was an amazing subject to shoot. I really had a blast getting to know her while …more

So last weekend my family was pleased to welcome the newest edition to our family. I had all these great shots I wanted to get but unfortunately the hospital staff was very strict and I had to basically just take a few shots before they whisked the baby girl away again. I didn’t think I got much until i got home and looked at the pictures!!! I was literally jumping for joy! Hope you enjoy!

I shot this picture during one of my destination weddings in Pensacola, FL. This was my first wedding that I had to travel extensively. I like to refer to it as my boot camp for wedding photography. I learned a LOT and I had a great time as well. I love this photo because you can tell just how happy this family is.

So I was going through old photos and such an came across the images I shot on my very first trip to good ole Nu Awlins. My friend Senedra, who’s the owner of Price of Popularity–a limited edition clothing and apparel line, was an awesome tour guide. I had the best time ever! They have such great food. I always seem to go overboard with eating when I go on vacation and this time was no exception. New Orleans is a great place for street photography so I gave it a shot.

 
Living in the city you pretty much get used to seeing accidents. They happen DAILY. Every hour on the K97 Morning Show, Big Sue does an accident report. They are usually the worst in the mornings and late afternoon and a lot of it depends on the weather.  I generally try and stay off the interstate if I can help it in bad weather. This particular accident happened on Elvis Presley near Graceland on my way home. I was just thankful I had my camera in the car. At first I passed it up but then once I thought about …more

 
I’m from the Delta. Home of wide open flat spaces. No exciting scenery, no tall buildings, subways, or buses. Heck we don’t even have cabs. If you are not fortunate enough to have a car you are pretty much screwed and have to pay friends to get from place to place or walk. So I was in my hometown of Clarksdale, MS this weekend and came up with this crazy idea to shoot this street at the break of dawn. I’ve been passing by it for a few weeks now thinking man this would be an amazing photograph. I’d gone thru …more

So I finally made it to one of my boss’ basketball team’s games. He coaches for the Memphis Pharaohs here in Memphis. They are a relatively new time that came together November of last year but they have been doing very well on the court.  They always welcome new talent so if you know any good players check out The Memphis Pharaohs fan page on Facebook here.This was one of my first times shooting at a sporting event (I’ve shot football before) and it is like a whole different ball park in comparison to what I’m used to. …more

I’m such a sucker for black and white photography. Its just something about that nice rich black that is just so visually pleasing to me.  The simplicity and purity of it lures people from far an wide to marvel at it. Most people can’t help but to stop and stare. I think that’s what keeps it around considering it has to compete with its opposite–color photography.

I don’t have much experience photographing animals. They never can seem to sit still for me!  Once I wanted to get this amazingly awesome shot of an ape but he insisted on keeping his back …more

“Learn your craft, shoot what you really care about, and don’t give up.”

As a African American growing up, I really didn’t have a lot influences when it came to the arts. My parents weren’t really  into art or knew a lot about it. I didn’t have more many people telling me that art was cool or something to go into. Even when I decided to take it seriously and make it a career there was still a lack of African Americans in the field. In college there were maybe 10 of us in the whole department and I can’t say …more

 
 
“I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.” —Elbert Hubbard
 
 
So every year for Thanksgiving I’m the appointed family photographer. I can pretty much give up trying spend Thanksgiving elsewhere lol. I’ve been shooting my family professionally for Thanksgiving for three years now and I think I enjoy it more than they do.
 
I like looking back on the pictures and seeing how my family has changed these past couple of years. Also taking family portraits is the best way to get the family together. We usually spend a …more

 
“Winning is like shaving – you do it every day or you wind up looking like a bum. ”
Jack Kemp
 
 
Often times at work I feel like such a failure. As a graphic designer with demanding clients, you have very little time to think. Hours are like days and minutes are like hours. I wish that I was prepared for this while attaining my degree. I can remember having weeks to finish one project. One can only dream now. I have to remind myself that I’m still relatively new to the field or “green” as my boss would say and …more

 
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”–Albert Camus
 
Anyone that knows me remotely well can tell you that my absolute favorite time of the year is the fall! As a artist and all-around creative person, why wouldn’t I love the fall. It is my favorite time of the year mainly because it’s so full of rich color! That’s enough for any artist to really appreciate it. The vibrant reds, illustrious oranges, and rich browns and greens keep me on a natural high for the duration for the season.
 
Recently I’ve gotten into running. I’ve been mostly running on …more

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. 
Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality . Wake Up and Live!” —–Bob Marley
 
I always seem to get the best pictures when I’m wandering aimlessly in a new place. This time I landed in downtown Memphis, an area I really hadn’t had much of an opportunity to explore with my camera. Although I thoroughly enjoy living in the city, I really hate parking. Its almost never free and …more

 
I was on my way back to Memphis last Sunday afternoon, when I noticed the cotton fields were in bloom. Fresh, beautiful cotton was everywhere. On the occasions when something catches my eye, I rarely ever stop to actually take a picture of it. I still don’t know what made me stop that day, but I’m really glad I did. At first glance I didn’t think I got very much after reviewing the pictures I shot. I once heard that if your pictures aren’t good then you’re probably not close enough. Whoever said that is more right than …more