The Commissioned Eye

I’m Shantel, and nothing about my life or my work has ever fit neatly inside a box. I live on 21 acres in Central Arkansas with my husband, our boys, and Athena—my German Shepherd, my protector, and my shadow. Together with our cows, chickens, and sheep, we live as close to the earth as possible: eating what we and local farmers grow, avoiding what’s processed, and finding healing in what God’s creation provides.

I was raised to know and serve Christ, and I still do—but I find Him less in walls and pews and more in children’s laughter, in the loyalty of animals, in the quiet holiness of creation. I homeschool my boys, guard their innocence fiercely, and believe both children and animals are God’s greatest gifts to us.

That same spirit—free, intentional, untamed—is what I bring into my photography. My work has been published many times over, commissioned by brides who wanted more than what was fleeting. Each image is created to stand alone as a timeless work of photojournalistic art—editorial in style, enduring in meaning. I don’t chase social media trends or edit for what’s popular. My brides don’t just hire me as a photographer; they gain a devoted friend by their side, someone who will protect their memories as fiercely as I protect the people and creatures I love.