ARTIST STATEMENT

My work seeks to capture emotion and expression in order to foster a visceral connection between the viewer and subject. My interest is in exploring cultures, traditions, ceremonies and people in order to promote a deeper understanding of our unique humanistic tendencies, behaviors and histories.

BIOGRAPHY

Shelly R. Sessions was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and spent her childhood summers in rural Florida and eastern North Carolina. She was an attorney in private practice before becoming a photographer. Her portrait work has been published in Country Roads Magazine. She was a 2017 Rangefinder Photography Annual Competition winner. She has also been exhibited as part of the Women Street Photographers' group shows in New York City in 2018 and internationally at the 2019 Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival in Malaysia. Her images of New Orleans street life are on permanent public exhibition in the French Market as part of the Tricentennial Celebration. She has been mentored by Gulnara Samoilova, a former AP photographer and editor, and participated in immersive workshops with Maggie Steber, Peter Turnley, Zack Smith, and Sam Abell. Her future work will focus on documentary stories, portraiture, and personal projects.