Shawn Tomkinson Photography

I highly recommend Shawn Tomkinson Photography! Other than making AMAZING photographs, Shawn Tomkinson Photography stood out to me for many reasons. First, Shawn has over 20 years of professional experience as a photographer and she has photographed hundreds of unique and beautiful events up and down the East Coast. Shawn is a well-​seasoned photographer that you can trust to capture your most important memories with beautiful, timeless photos that you and your loved ones will cherish for years to come. I simply ADORE the priceless photos she took for me!
Second, Shawn is a full-​time photographer and business owner. These days, most photographers have other jobs and use photography as a part-​time or weekend gig to make some extra money. Photography is Shawn’s ONLY business and her greatest PASSION, so all of her attention can be devoted to YOU!
Third, Shawn completes ALL work herself, start to finish! This really sets Shawn apart from other photographers because nowadays many photographers outsource their editing (and sometimes even their shooting!). After she shoots an event like a wedding, Shawn probably spends at least 20 hours color correcting, retouching and editing the photos. Images are delivered to her clients only after they meet Shawn’s high standards.
Fourth, Shawn is known for her unique photojournalistic style. She is an expert at shooting candid photos that look natural and mirror how people look in real life. Her forte is capturing those tender moments that tell the story of people connecting with others, getting swept away by emotions, experiencing wonder and excitement, or just having fun!
Fifth, Shawn is the perfect combination of professionalism and warmth! Her genuine kindness, sensitivity, sense of humor, and flexibility all culminate in creating a calming effect on her subjects. Suffice it to say that working with Shawn is a pure delight!
Last but not least, ALL of Shawn’s packages include your high resolution files! A photographer who is willing to give you electronic copies of all the photographs is a rare find indeed! Imagine having the high resolution files of all of your photos to modify, print, and create with as often and as long as you’d like! What FUN! The possibilities are limitless!

We interviewed several photographers who specialize in a photojournalist style for our wedding before hiring Shawn and ultimately went with her because we liked her online albums (minimal editing because the photos speak for themselves!), and her prices were quite competitive. She was also willing to travel to our venue, and lived conveniently close by for meetings! She moved to Durham from the NE (where she still books a lot of events), but told us she was trying to transfer a lot of her gigs to this area. I think we were only the third couple she shot in the Triangle.
We did an engagement shoot a few months before the wedding day. We did love many of the shots Shawn took — although, at that time, it was up to us to scout out some scenery since she wasn’t yet really familiar with the area. Also, bear in mind that Shawn is very: much: a photojournalist. Capturing a live-​in-​action moment is where she excels. Portraiture is a little different, and I personally would have done better with a little more direction. I felt our engagement, ‘first look,’ and solo photos lacked a little creativity — the poses and angles are rather repetitive. But Shawn has a real talent for in-​the-​moment shots. There are some very nice emotional captures of my grandparents at the rehearsal dinner, and of my parents during the ceremony. Shawn was even at the ready when a gust of wind blew my dress up Monroe-​style during our ‘first look’ shots, and we have some wonderful quirky takes from that.
My only real disappointment with our resulting photos was that somehow my husband’s entire family was excluded! It’s true that my family dominated in numbers, and his family mostly kept to their tables during the reception… but it seems an oversight to not have included them at all. And then my first wifely duty was to handle my brand new in-​laws being upset about their lack of clan representation!
I should also note that we had an ‘associate photographer’ built into our package. But this person was chosen only a couple weeks prior to the wedding. He wound up being a bit more of a hobbyist photographer (he’s been shooting for decades, but doesn’t appear to have a for-​hire website). While he was extremely sweet — I feel terrible even saying something negative about him because he came in a tux and was just the nicest guy ever, raving about our first dance and congratulating us over and over — and took a lot of pictures; unfortunately, his were just decidedly not up to par with Shawn’s — eg, the color on our ring shots was incredibly skewed, the shot not innovative, and it failed to capture (though requested) the inscription on my husband’s ring, or even my stone setting.
Ultimately, I found Shawn to be very pleasant to work with and I do have many shots that highlight our big day beautifully. But if you work with her, I would suggest getting the associate photog on the contract in advance.