Shannon Castaneda | Financial Client Associate; Founder, Shannon Castaneda Photography
As an operations assistant to three very successful advisors at a top financial firm, Shannon’s days are filled with onboarding new clients, trading and money movement, appointment setting, paperwork, and submitting expenses. Outside of the office, her not-so-side hustle as an equine photographer keeps her busy on nights, weekends and lunch breaks—and she’s currently working toward making it her full-time gig. Shannon’s lifelong love of horses combined with her dedication to her work + commitment to her goals are helping her build the career of her dreams—and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
The Basics:
Hometown: Winter Springs, F
Current city: Jacksonville, FL
Alma mater: UNF
Degree: MBA with a concentration in e-business
Very first job: Brusters Ice Cream
Hustle: Registered Client Associate; Photographer, Shannon Castaneda Photography
The Interests:
Babe you admire and why?
Katie Damon. She is a incredible equine photographer with outstanding photoshop skills
What's the best book that’s been recommended to you?
I am not a big reader, but when I was working on my MBA we read Too Big To Fail, which explained what led to the financial crisis in 2008. This was a very eye opening read because I was in high school when the country was affected, and never really understood what happened before reading the book.
Wild night out or quiet night in?
Every once in a while I enjoy a wild night out, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to enjoy quiet nights in a whole lot more.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Do the best you can for yourself and those around you everyday, and all good things will come.
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
I work as operations assistant to three very successful financial advisors. We are one of the top teams in our department, and just celebrated hitting $1B in assets under management. My days are filled with onboarding new clients, trading and money movement, appointment setting, paperwork completion, and submitting expenses. What’s becoming nearly a second full-time job is running my equine photography business, Shannon Castaneda Photography. I registered my business on my birthday in February 2019 and am currently working towards transitioning to being a full-time equine photographer within the next three years. I grew up horseback riding and competing at horse shows, and also enjoyed photographing all of the horses. I’m so thankful that my work at Wells Fargo put me in a great financial position that allowed me to start my business.
I am the official photographer for two horse shows in Florida: the Sunshine State Open Pleasure Show in Ocala and the LAJUF Show in Brooksville. I photograph all of the riders and organize the photos by rider number to present on my website for sale after the show. I also offer two styles of portrait sessions: Horse & Rider sessions, where I photograph the horse and its owner together around the property, and Equine Portrait sessions, where I photograph the horse by itself in the barn. I absolutely love everything involved in running the business, from taking and editing the photos to staying active on social media, keeping my website up-to-date, managing the finances, and networking with the horse community. I always say the day I transition to becoming a full time equine photographer is the day I will never work again in my life.
What have some of your most memorable (or favorite) projects and collaborations looked like? What kinds of projects do you hope to take on in the future?
I was recently supposed to attend the equine photography retreat down in Wellington, FL—a networking event where several equine photographers from around the world come together to teach classes and hold styled sessions. While it was cancelled due to COVID, some of the photographers still got together and allowed a small group of us to go. They put together several amazing sessions that allowed us to practice things such as shooting in hard lighting conditions and black and white background photography. We even got to take two beautiful Andalusian horses to the beach and photograph them and their owners at sunset. It was so much fun to learn from other successful photographers in the industry, and I built connections that will forever benefit my business.
In the near future, I plan to officially introduce a business branding package. I did my first business branding session with an equine massage therapist, and fell in love with creating images for another small business owner like me. We had so much fun bringing her vision to life and it is so heartwarming to see my images all over her website and social media.
How do you balance your finance career with your entrepreneurial journey in the photography industry?
A lot of the balance came from transitioning to working from home a year and a half ago. It’s so nice to be able to catch up on photography when I’m on break at the office, and not having a 25 minute commute to and from work has put a ton of time back in my pocket. We’re supposed to go back into the office in September, so I’m definitely going to have to reevaluate my schedule and possibly cut back on the number of horse shows I do each year. During the week I work at the office, ride horses, and then spend the rest of the night editing before bed. On the weekends I travel to different cities around the state to take photos of the horses and their owners.
When did your passion for photography begin? What inspired you to pursue it professionally?
My passion for photography began as soon as I could figure out how to work my mom’s camera. She would consistently get onto me for using all of the film because I loved taking photos of our pets and my sister and I being silly around the house. She enrolled me in a photography class one summer where I learned about photo composition and developing images in a dark room. It was not long before digital took over, and my mom got me my first Sony Cybershot. Around 12 years-old, I started taking it to the barn to photograph the horses. I did this as a hobby until I went off to college and didn't have the time to practice or money to upgrade to a new camera. After graduating in December 2013, I started thinking about getting back into photography, and in December 2015 my mom and husband got me my first DSLR camera for Christmas.
In the summer of 2016, a friend of mine introduced me to a horse show manager named Susan who was looking for a photographer for the new circuit she started up. This is the opportunity that sparked the idea of owning an equine photography business. After discussing the opportunity, my mom was kind enough to give me a loan for gear. And after 11 months, my mom was paid back and I was officially the sole investor in the business.
When were you first introduced to the equestrian lifestyle?
I started riding horses when I was five years-old. It is definitely in my blood as my mom also grew up riding and owned several horses. I took lessons at the barn until I was 11, when my mom and dad bought me my first horse named Dolly. She was an Appaloosa Thoroughbred cross, and we rode English and competed at the local hunter/jumper shows. Two years later, my Mamaw and Papaw took me on a trip to Wyoming to stay on their friend's ranch and ended up buying me my second horse named Lakota.
What advice would you give to those trying to take photography from a hobby to a career?
I would choose a niche that really fuels your soul and try to stick to it. In the beginning, you’ll be tempted to do any type of session that comes your way because it's hard to turn down business. I chose to focus on horses but have also been hired for other things, like maternity and baby announcement photos. What I realized after a few non-horse related sessions is that I wasn’t getting the same burning desire to take and edit the photos as I would get when I have a horse in front of my lens. I decided from that moment I would only take on clients in the horse industry.
How has being a woman impacted your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
Most women in the financial industry are organized, can multitask, and have a strong attention to detail. I learned these skills from working in the restaurant industry, and know they are one reason I am so successful at my job today. While I have not had these issues myself, I do know harassment and pay differences are common issues women have dealt with in the industry. I think it is important to speak out if you feel there is something unfair going on in the workplace.
What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
Doubled my profits after one year in business. My goal is to do this for the next two years so I am ready to go full time in the third year.
Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
Katie Damon, Giana Terranova, Kirstie Marie, Bethany Pastorial, and Erica Hills.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Being a full time equine photographer and hopefully living on a farm. My husband and I are actively looking for land so we can have horses on the property. We also just made an executive decision to start a new horse flipping business, where we will buy young horses to train and resell.
Career and/or life advice for other babes?
If an opportunity comes your way and the thought of taking it makes you happy and excited, don't pass it up. Even if it seems unrealistic, impossible, or too far fetched, please take it from me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Now I am not saying it will be easy because good things never come easy. But if you are putting your time and energy towards something that you love and it fuels your soul every single day, I can promise you whatever you are doing will never feel like work. And that is the beauty I found in photographing horses and the indescribable bond they share with their owners and riders.
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