Film By Shauna: Capturing the Feeling You'll Want to Remember

A Charlotte photographer who proves that the best family photos aren't always the ones where everyone's smiling at the camera

Sometimes the photos you treasure most aren't the perfectly posed ones. They're the ones that bring you back to a feeling: laughter mid-motion, genuine wonder, even the tears. The ones that capture your family exactly as you are.

That's what Shauna Bellissimo delivers through Film By Shauna, her Charlotte-based film photography business that's redefining what family photos can be.

The College Course That Changed Everything

"Film Photography was both the most challenging and fun college course I  took," Shauna says. She fell in love with the craft—not just the technical process, but the way film forces you to be intentional, to slow down, to really see.

For years, she kept her camera close, documenting friends and family through life's milestones and mundane moments alike. The big celebrations, yes, but also the ordinary Tuesday afternoons that become precious in hindsight.

When a Friend Finally Said "Just Do It"

It took her friend's gentle nudging in September 2024 to turn this passion into something more. "She finally convinced me to create an Instagram to share my photos just to see what happened."

Shauna set up @filmbyshauna, started posting, and discovered something wonderful: people wanted exactly what she was offering. Photos that feel honest. Intimate. Real.

All Mine

With a toddler—Conway, who'll be 2 in March—Shauna understands the reality of early motherhood: "The amount of brain space one tiny human takes up!"

Mom brain is real. "We're not dumb, we're just experts in things only other moms understand."

Which is exactly why Film By Shauna matters so much to her. "When you have a little human around, everything you have is theirs (at least in their minds). But Film By Shauna is all mine! Just mine!! It's a really grounding creative outlet for me."

Her own space. A place to create something beautiful that's separate from the beautiful chaos of raising a tiny human.

The Sessions Kids Actually Enjoy

Shauna’s proudest business moment? When a 7-year-old walked away from a session, looked at his mom, and said, "Wait, that was like, fun."

That's the magic. She's figured out how to make family photo sessions feel less like an ordeal and more like... life.

"As parents, we do enough of the hard stuff—setting expectations, holding boundaries, discipline. To me, a family photoshoot shouldn't add to or exhaust those things. It should be a space for your family to simply be...in a comfortable place where everyone can explore and engage at their own pace."

The Gift You're Giving Yourself

The photos Shauna creates aren't just for your kids. They're for you.

"As moms, we often see ourselves very differently than the people around us do, particularly our kiddos. Allowing me to document your family, with you in front of the camera, creates the opportunity for you to see the goodness in your life and yourself in a new and revealing light."

It's permission to be in the frame. To stop disappearing behind the camera. To let someone else capture you loving your people exactly as you are.

Right Now

These days, Shauna's celebrating something that makes the whole juggling act possible: her dad has become Conway's part-time caregiver. Watching her son light up when his “Pops”  walks through the door? That's the kind of village moment every parent dreams about.

Find Film By Shauna: Instagram: @filmbyshauna Website: filmbyshauna.com (coming soon!)