Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel & Kendra St. John.
Lightshed Photography is comprised of the husband-wife team of Dan & Kendra.
Dan spent the majority of his earlier years penciling mini-masterpieces and, unlike most photo success stories, did not receive a “hand-me-down” camera from his great grandfather at the ripe age of two. The coming of Daniel’s photographic age came much more in his own style: when he realized that the click of a button produced an image much faster than a pencil ever would. Five years and two degrees later he re-located to the Boston area ready to tackle the industry. Specializing in commercial work and headshots, Dan can usually be found with a business professional or brand in front of his lens.
Kendra grew up in a small town in Indiana where she tackled everything from ceramics and sculpture to painting and drawing. She first heard about the Hallmark Institute of Photography from a high-school internship at a local photography studio and, upon graduating, moved to Massachusetts to attend. One year later she and Dan moved to the Northshore area and opened Lightshed Photography Studio. A wonder with children, Kendra can usually be found getting the perfect shot of a sleeping infant or giggling two-year old.
In downtown Salem, MA since 2010, Dan & Kendra have been essentially running two separate photography studios under one roof for the better part of a decade ( and with a husband/wife team, it’s good they’re not micro-managing each-other). Initially coming together with a joint interest in all things photography, it quickly became apparent that the local market was looking for a number of different things. Not wanting to lose out on a large influx of business, Kendra and Dan split their talents and played to their strengths – Kendra focused on the children and Dan focused on the adults.
Today Dan can be found running Lightshed Commercial, a division of Lightshed Photography that focuses on his client’s branding needs. His services include:
Headshots (Corporate as well as acting)
Cinemagraphs
Real Estate & Architectural Photography (land-based and drone)
Branding & Website-Focused work
3D Imaging for Commercial & Real-Estate Clients
Likewise, Kendra acts as the head of the family and children’s “department” (as it were) – she’s typically at the studio or on location photographing:
Newborns
Maternity Sessions
Families
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We certainly couldn’t draw a straight line to where we are today! Graduating in 2007, we just assumed we may as well start a business as opposed to working for someone else. After all – if you build it, they will come… right? Spoiler alert – it didn’t happen that way. Kendra and I immediately picked up second jobs (over the years those ranged from bartender to paralegal to nanny between the two of us) and started hustling up work when possible. We opened a studio space in downtown Peabody that rarely got used because we were too busy working all the time to pay for it or work on our craft. Fast forward ten years and the ends justify the means, but we definitely had some things to learn about working hard and working smart (we were never afraid of the former, but had to make a few errors to understand the latter).
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Lightshed Photography Studio – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We’re actually two separate entities that both make magic happen with a camera. Playing to our strengths, Kendra handles the kids while Dan handle the adults.
Kendra, naturally intuitive with children, decided to build her focus around working with kids from before they arrive (maternity sessions) all the way through their senior year of high school. During and after that time-frame she can be found photographing family sessions all over the north shore. Ultimately she is the business to consumer end of Lightshed Photography.
Dan, having a better acumen of adult situations, works primarily with businesses and brands. His ability to ease the anxiety and self-consciousness that naturally comes to most people when in front of the camera helps entrepreneurs sell themselves. He prides himself in the ability to keep adults laughing and talking while the photography happens, often forgetting how long they’ve been in front of the lens and helping generate authentic smiles and expressions.
The bottom line is that we’re harder on ourselves then any critic ever could be – the end result of that mentality is constantly improving results and a business model that has us striving to outdo our past imagery.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We’re starting a family very soon and are slowly but surely laying the groundwork for expansion; we’ve been fortunate enough to grow our reputation in a solid community of like-minded small-business owners and have learned a lot in regards to making the appropriate decisions to continue to grow. What we once envisioned as a mom and pop store has gradually involved into something more (not a huge company, but not one limited to what two people can produce on a daily basis).
Pricing:
- Headshots start at $275
- Real Estate & Architetural work starts at $225
- Maternity and Newborn sessions start at $150
- Family sessions start at $150
Contact Info:
- Address: 79 Washington St. Salem, MA 01970
- Website: www.lightshedphoto.com AND www.lightshedcommercial.com
- Phone: 978-854-5348
- Email: info@lightshedphoto.com
- Instagram: lightshedphoto AND lightshedlady
- Facebook: facebook.com/lightshedphoto AND facebook.com/lightshedcommercial
Image Credit:
All Images Copyright Lightshed Photography Studio except drone shot is copyright UAV Look ( subcontracted )
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
