Capturing Emotions Through Unique Photography | Shelley Paulson Photography

2. Shelley Paulson Shelley runs Shelley Paulson Photography in Buffalo, Minnesota. She takes photo’s for weddings, portraits, large events and wild horses. Her influences are Cheryl Jacobs and David Williams. Her work appears on sites such as Mpix.com, weddingwire.com, weddingbee.com, shelleypaulson.com, and on Pintrest. She is known for capturing unique photos, rather than the posed, traditional images, along with being able to capture the emotions in the image. Shelley has Grapheme-color Synesthesia. (She defines everything in terms of color.) She says she thinks it contributes to her photography in some way. Shelley also has a degree in vocal performances from the University of MN. She was studying to be a opera singer.

3. This image was taken at Cavalia, which Is a show similar to a Cirque De Soleil, in 2014. The lighting come from a spotlight, making it a artificially lit photograph. The direction of the lighting appears to be coming in from the upper left corner. It’s a very well lit photo, with the correct amount of lighting needed. The main subject is the horse bowing, as you can see the rider is cut off, along with a bit of the horse, taking away from the quality of the image, but the horse is the main subject nonetheless. The horse and rider are n clear, sharp focus, and stand out against the blue lit background. To capture a horse bowing and having come out as clear and focused as this is a very difficult task Shelley managed well. You can almost feel the slick, clean coat of the horse and the wavy soft feel of his mane, along with feeling the soft dirt beneath them. This photograph is a image that is very unique to capture, not only because of the pose but because its from such a active event. It tells a story of ease and beauty, simply by how relaxed and at ease the horse and rider is.

5. This image was taken at a wedding in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2012. The lighting comes from the left side of the image, but due to a lack of background, I can only assume it’s a artificially lit image. It is a very well balanced amount of light and dark in the image, only adding to the main subject. The main subject is the two woman in the image. Seeing as this is the only part of the image, but it’s a bit more specific then that. The focus is the emotions, how the bride is happy and excited, while the older woman behind her is happy, and sad at the same time. The image has such a clear and fine focus that it feels like you are there in the room, frozen in time as you look at the two. The story of the image is one that defines what’s expected at a wedding. Happiness and sadness that the parents are seeing their children finally truly grow up. This image captures what a wedding is like, and how it is, and I love the emotion.

7. This image had no specified date offered, but I’d assume it was taken in 2014, in Minnesota. The lighting is clearly natural, as the sun offers its light from the upper right corner. The main subject is horse and owner, standing under the tree. The photo is well lit and the background only adds to the image. The entire image is clear and in focus, which is always a plus. It seems to capture the quiet stillness of the moment. Shelley managed to capture the feeling of a hello in the middle of a goodbye. The photo was taken while the girl in the image was selling her horse, while she was taking in the horse in the image. The relaxed calm and expression on the girl’s face shows sadness, though it remains calm and can easily show happiness for her new addition. This photo is one of my favorites because of the emotion in the image, along with the background, the lighting and the main subject in a whole.

9. This image was taken March 28th, assumed in 2014. The photo was taken in Minnesota. The lighting is natural, coming in mostly from the upper left corner. The lighting is perfect, adding shimmer to the horse’s coat, while there’s not too much light where it doesn’t have to be. The main subject is the eye of the horse. Its reflecting the background, and is the only part of the horse that is in complete focus. The main subject of the image is in clear, perfect focus, allowing the image to make it feel as if you were standing before the horse, looking at his eye in person. The eye is said to be the window to the soul, and looking at the eye and calm mood it offers, you can see the horse is a kind horse, with a story of a long life to be told. This photo was one that caught my attention because it can be hard to capture a image that still tells a story while keeping it in black and white. Shelley managed to do that and it impressed me.

11. This image was taken sometime in 2013, I assume. It was taken in Minnesota, also only assumption. The lighting is a natural light, coming in from the upper right corner of the image. The lighting is very good, but the woman’s neck is a bit absorbed by the light. Shelley’s main subject in this image was certainly the couple against the tree. There is a good amount of background, and the main focus of the image is clearly focused in. The image was taken during a engagement shoot, so the story seems to be one of a new beginning. The couple are looking out into the distance, as if taking one last look at the past before heading towards the new beginning. This photo stood out to me because of the story I got from it when I looked at it. The story is something that everybody has to do at some point. They have to say goodbye to the past and hello to the future. In a whole, that’s what made this image stand out and what made the photo so beautiful.

13. This image was taken in 2013, or so I assume. The photo was taken in Minnesota, while the woman in the image (Beka) was visiting Shelley. The lighting is very natural, coming in the right center. In this image Shelley used a 1/50th shutter speed, which enabled her to keep some of the image in focus while capturing motion. The main subject of the image is Beka and the motion she’s in. It’s a very playful kind of motion, though her face remains solid. The image is, for the most part, in focus, though motion is captured in various places, such as Beka’s arm behind her. I could only pull one story from the image, and that would be a story of discovery. Almost as if Shelley was capturing a child spinning and playing, only to turn and discover the real world surrounding her. This photo popped out to me because of the fabric Beka is spinning with. It was a separate color from the rest of the image, which made my eyes focus on it more then the other images.

15. Citations • http://www.mpix.com/ShelleyPaulson/ • http://blog.shelleypaulson.com/2011/12/more-photos-from-cavalia-and-photographers-notes/ • http://www.ispwp.com/contests/ispwp-wedding-photography-contest-gallery-winter-2012-family-love • http://blog.shelleypaulson.com/2011/08/alli-and-her-horses-dora-and-buddy/ • http://blog.shelleypaulson.com/2012/03/equine-remember-sessions-for-two-beautiful-souls/ • http://blog.shelleypaulson.com/2010/10/matthew-jennifer-engagement-wedding/ • http://blog.shelleypaulson.com/2010/07/beka-portraits/ • http://www.shelleypaulson.com/images/logo_entry.gif