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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest installment in a series of stories looking at local photographers as their businesses boom during the prom, graduation, and wedding seasons.
MANSFIELD — Shay Harris has been interested in photography since before she can remember.
The local freelance photographer earned the money for her first professional-quality digital camera in 2015, shortly after she graduated from Mansfield Senior High School. But her passion for photography started much earlier.
“I was in about fifth grade when I got my first point-and-shoot digital camera, which I bought myself with my birthday money,” Harris said. “I would take pictures with my friends, which they were so horrible now that I look at the memories, but I fell in love with photography.”
These days, Harris is busy making a name for herself as a jack-of-all-trades photographer in the Mansfield area. She has never turned down a new challenge, and now has experience with senior portraits, family photography, fashion photography, and even weddings.
“Every time I shoot I get a little better, and I make sure to put my work out there,” Harris said. “Weddings in particular, I get some great shots but oh my God the work afterward is a long process. But they’re happy every time.”
At only 20 years old, Harris is still building her brand in the Mansfield area. She is a member of TogLoft Photography, and is working on creating her own LLC. Currently her work can be found on her personal Facebook page, and relies on word-of-mouth for new referrals.
“The more I work, the more people recognize me,” she said. “The more I post and people see I do photography, they’ll contact me. I want to open my own photography studio really badly, so I’m taking this extremely serious.”
As a freelancer, Harris works through Spectrum Photo & Digital Services in Ashland to provide prints for her customers. However, the desire for physical prints these days depends on the client.
“Older people want the prints, but younger people want the CD so they can put them on Facebook and Instagram,” Harris said. “I just had someone the other day ask me to send them pictures so they could post them right away; they love to post them on social media as soon as they get them.”
Most of Harris’ photography skills are self-taught through trial and error, tutorials, and lots of practice. She hones her craft through classes at TogLoft Photography as well as photography classes in Cleveland.
“I feel like creativity is just in you,” Harris said. “You’ve got to have a vision in your head, and no one can teach you to have that vision. It’s got to come from your heart. You can learn technical things, but the creativity is in your heart.”
At one time, Harris planned on attending The Art Institute of Pittsburgh to further her creative education, but financial restrictions have kept her in Mansfield. Not that she minds.
“I’m very involved in the community, and I want Mansfield to have more,” she said. “I don’t think this is a place where you can get big like you would in New York or Los Angeles, but I do want to give this city some light.”
Contact local freelance photographer Shay Harris at 567-303-6462 or at shayharris615@gmail.com. Examples of Shay’s work can be found on her personal Facebook page.
