Coming across the most amazingly colourful house by chance one day, wedding photographer Shannon Collins dreamed of being able to do a shoot there. Well fate stepped in, making it a possibility, so she knew she had to make it extra magical!
“Last year, I was photographing a couple in Philadelphia for an engagement shoot”, wrote Shannon. “On my way home, a few minutes from the location, I drove past a lovely yellow house with tons of pink flamingos scattered across the lawn. I screeched my brakes and drove in reverse so I could capture a quick snapshot of the house. It instantly reminded me of the John Waters film, ‘Pink Flamingos’ and made me smile.”
“I posted the photo to Instagram, thinking nothing of it. A few hours later, a friend of mine responded saying that one of her close friends grew up in the house. Then, the close friend commented, saying her parents still live there and she’d let them know I liked it. I reached out to her, asking if she thought her parents might be open to the idea of having a styled shoot at their house. The home-owners were incredibly gracious and although they were out of town for the day of the shoot, they allowed us to use their home as our backdrop.”
“As a nod to John Waters, I wanted to advocate LGBT rights by incorporating a same-sex couple for my first ever styled shoot”, she continued. “I felt strongly about this because I’ve noticed a lack of representation for same-sex couples on popular wedding blogs (not Rock n Roll Bride obviously!) It’s nearly impossible to stumble across a same-sex styled shoot, so I wanted to change that. Baby steps.”
“I knew I wanted the mood to promote a winter look because I loved the idea of having a brightly colored house contrasted by the chilly season. I’m always refreshed by seeing a pop of color in the winter to remind me that spring isn’t that far away. Since the house is mostly yellow, pink, and bright teal, I wanted to work with those colors in softer, more subtle hues and neutrals. I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing, supportive team of vendors and talent. I’m happy to call these guys my friends… And our models – swoon. They are the sweetest together.”
