Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

Today feels like the perfect moment to slow down, breathe deeply, and reflect on everything I’m grateful for, especially when it comes to this wild, beautiful journey of building Simply Shalyn Photography.


When I picked up my first “big girl” camera back in 2019, I had no expectations. Photography was something I loved as a kid, something that always grounded me. I started out photographing wildlife, convinced I’d spend my life capturing animals, nature, and the quiet beauty of the outdoors. I wanted to be a wildlife photographer, traveling the world taking photos of different creatures and scenery. Then, as I grew, so did my vision. I found myself drawn to the eerie, the spooky, the abandoned. What others saw as an eyesore, I saw as art. It shocked me when people started to see it the way I did, interesting, and beautifully different. Posting those images publicly was a leap of faith. Honestly, I expected some backlash. Instead, people gave me something I didn’t see coming. I was met with encouragement, support, curiosity, and community.

Industrial venue interior with colorful hanging prayer flags and vintage clock.
Colorful graffiti-covered speedboat abandoned under a bridge in urban setting.
Vibrant graffiti murals covering walls of an overgrown abandoned building exterior.
Abandoned theater with colorful graffiti murals on stage wall, debris on floor.

Before I knew it, I was being asked to take people’s photos. Something completely outside of my comfort zone. I had never photographed people professionally, let alone for money. But I took another leap… and it changed my life. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with capturing people, their relationships, their energy, their confidence, their love stories, and their most meaningful moments. From boudoir sessions that remind people how beautiful they are, to weddings full of intricate little moments that deserve to be preserved forever, every session has shaped me into the photographer I am today.

Photographer taking bride and grooms portrait in Metamora Michigan
Photographer capturing details photos on the ground

And today, on Thanksgiving, I want to say thank you. ♥️


Thank you to my past clients, who trusted me from the very beginning, even when I was still learning how to turn my techniques into the style I now proudly call my own.

Thank you to my future clients, for choosing me to document the moments you hold closest.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me since 2019, whether you booked a session, shared my posts, cheered me on, or simply believed in me.

Thank you to my circle, the ones who promote me in everyday conversations, who hype me up, who keep my name moving in rooms I’m not even in.

Thank you to my friends and my daughters, who let me be creative, give me space to explore the eerie and spooky, and help keep my creative spark alive.

Woman with butterfly face paint and teal butterfly crown on dark background.
Woman in blood-splattered white wedding dress with red hair on white backdrop.
Woman in bloody Halloween costume holding barbed wire bat toward camera.
Two girls in matching black dresses in dark forest with pink smoke.

I’m grateful for the growth I’ve seen these last few years. I am proud—so proud—of how far I’ve come. I hustle, I grind, I practice, I learn, and I dream big every single day. And it’s all because of the people who believed in me before I believed in myself.


Simply Shalyn Photography is still growing, and evolving. I’m excited for every step ahead.


From the bottom of my heart,

Thank you for being part of this journey && Happy Thanksgiving.


Shalyn <3