Shana Leigh
My grandmother instilled photography in me at an early age. She passionately documented family memories with film photography at the same time my aunt was capture home video footage. It's no surprise I took an interest in storytelling, pursuing film in college and then photojournalism. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in visual communications, focused in multimedia, I set off to pursue a multitude of interests before I settled into my photography. Music photography was something that I found in time, as I found myself.
The pursuit of music photography and working with artists led me to shooting festivals like Bristol Rhythm & Roots, Pilgrimage, Floydfest and Boonerang where I made lasting connections with friends and artists in the industry. From there I began writing for Americana Highways and shooting shows that I wanted to document and write about, like Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Zach Bryan and Ray Lamontagne, to name a few. Music photography quickly became the heart of my photography journey as I craved connecting with the music, and the artists that make it. After receiving my first Rolling Stone photo credit, for my shot of Morgan Wade at Floydfest in 2022, I knew I was on the right path.
I moved to Nashville in January of 2023 and I'm booking artist portrait sessions, shooting backstage candid's and live performances around the city and beyond. I feel fortunate to tell the stories of the artists we admire. I'm creating a home here, with my two boys, two cats and Australian Shepherd. It's about balance and presence for me right now as I embrace this world of music and plant myself a part of it.