{fashion} chic pink & shea mcgrath photography

I'm so excited to blog about this fun photoshoot I did in Retiro Park last weekend with Shea from Shea McGrath Photography. I met Shea at a Madrid blogger meetup at the beginning of the month. While the rest of us talked about our (less than professional) blogging lives, Shea introduced herself not as a blogger, but as a photographer with a brand new company. She told us that she really wanted to expand her portraits portfolio, and we gladly agreed to help her out. After all, who doesn't like getting dolled up and spending a beautiful day outdoors taking pictures with friends? :)

I asked Shea to a few questions about herself and how she came to open up her very own photography business. Click through for more!

J: When did you become interested in photography?

S: My love and passion for photography first started when I was twelve and my Godmother gave me her old film SLR camera. Ever since, I've been taking pictures everywhere I go. But my passion really grew when I studied abroad in Spain in 2011. I received a lot of compliments on my travel blog about my photos and thought, maybe I really do have an eye for photography.

J: You definitely do! So I'm guessing that you decided to pursue it more after coming home from studying abroad?

S: Yes, when I came back I bought my first DSLR - a used Canon Rebel on Amazon. I learned the basics and mainly used my younger sister as the subject for when I wanted to practice.

J: Have you received any formal training in photography or is it all trial and error?

S: A few months after moving back home I began working for an incredible wedding photographer in Ames, Iowa. She taught me almost everything I needed to know  from how to operate a camera and editing photos to running a business. I did a lot of second shooting for D&orfs Photography, as well as a few engagement sessions on my own.

J: When did you decide to open your own photography business?

S: When I was home for Christmas break, I photographed my first wedding on my own. That's when I knew I wanted to start my own business. So last month I created my website & it's just taken off from there!

Shea is not only an incredibly talented photographer, she is also a lovely person. We had a lot of fun wandering around the park, dodging people and finding the best backdrops. I highly recommend that you contact her for a session if you are living in the Madrid area!

Can I just talk for a moment about how much I love this top? I found it while window shopping at Sfera the night before my photoshoot with Shea. I am typically on a strict {NO SHOPPING ALLOWED} budget, but once I saw and tried on this top it was all over from there. It looks really great dressed down with jeans and flats, and also dressed up with a skirt and heels. 30 euros spent on this top meant eating in all week, but when it's worth it... it's worth it. ;)

PS. Blog friends, meet Courtney. She came along for my photoshoot so that she could learn some portrait photography tips from Shea. She is also an English teaching assistant in Madrid, but I actually met her through the wonderful world of blogging. You should 100% check out her blog, Adelante, for beautiful photographs of Madrid and her travels. We met for the first time over a glass of wine at a local wine bar & instantly became friends. You'll be seeing a lot of her pretty face on this blog in July because we're going to Greece together for 11 days! Woooo!

Thank you so much for taking my picture Shea! I can't wait to watch your photography business grow. :)

Follow along with Shea's business:

Website

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Blog 

xx, Jen