We’re looking forward to introducing you to Shannon O’Malley. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Shannon, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
Most people assume I just take photos for dating profiles. Technically, sure — but what I actually do is help people see themselves differently.
When someone books an online dating session with me, they’re rarely just looking for pictures; they’re looking for permission. Permission to take up space again after a breakup. To show up confidently after a tough season. To be seen — maybe for the first time in a long time — as the person they’ve become.
My work looks like photography on the surface, but it’s really about visibility and self-worth. I photograph confidence, not perfection. And that same mission has naturally expanded into new directions — like helping entrepreneurs and creatives make their brands discoverable by AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s new AI search.
Whether it’s a human or an algorithm, the same truth applies: you can’t be chosen if you’re not seen.
So as I expand my business from the Twin Cities to Dallas, that’s the heartbeat behind it all — helping real people show up boldly, both online and in life, with images (and words) that reflect who they truly are.
That approach — photographing confidence, not perfection — is what led to my CBS feature earlier this year, highlighting the emotional psychology behind modern dating photography.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Shannon O’Malley, the founder of Shannon Kathleen Photography — a Twin Cities-based portrait photographer and educator who helps people see themselves differently — on camera and online.
I specialize in online dating portraits, where I photograph confidence, not perfection. My clients are people who are stepping into new chapters — newly single, rediscovering themselves, or just ready to show up fully again. It’s deeply personal work — inspired by my own experience stepping into the world of online dating as a single mom in my 40s, when I learned firsthand how powerful it is to be seen through a kinder, truer lens.
Today, I’m expanding that mission in two directions: launching my work in Dallas, Texas, and helping other creatives grow their visibility through tools like my AI Discovery Checklist, which teaches entrepreneurs how to make their brand findable by AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s new AI search.
At the heart of everything I do — whether it’s a dating photo or a visibility strategy — is this belief: being seen isn’t about vanity; it’s about truth. And when you show up as your whole self, both humans and algorithms can finally recognize you.
My work was recently featured on CBS/WCCO, where I shared how intentional online dating photography helps people build confidence and attract more genuine connections.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a kid, I believed I had to stay small to be liked — quiet, agreeable, careful not to take up too much space. I thought confidence was something other people were born with, and that being humble meant dimming yourself a little.
It took me a long time — and a camera — to unlearn that. Photography became the mirror that helped me see myself differently. When I started taking self-portraits as a single mom in my 40s, I realized that confidence isn’t about changing how you look — it’s about changing how you see yourself.
That realization changed the entire direction of my life and my work. Today, when I photograph someone who’s stepping into a new chapter — after heartbreak, reinvention, or rediscovery — I see it as a small act of rebellion against the stories we were told about who we’re supposed to be. It’s not about posing perfectly. It’s about being fully seen.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me that stillness is productive. That clarity doesn’t always arrive with applause — sometimes it comes in silence, when you’re rebuilding quietly and no one’s watching.
There were chapters of my life that looked like loss from the outside — heartbreak, single motherhood, uncertainty about what came next. But those seasons taught me presence. They showed me that growth doesn’t always look like expansion; sometimes it’s just staying with yourself long enough to hear what you actually need.
Success gives you proof. Suffering gives you depth. And that depth has shaped everything about how I show up today — both as a person and as a photographer. Because when someone stands in front of my camera, often they’re in their own rebuilding season too. I recognize that look — the quiet hope under the nerves. That’s where the real magic begins.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Authenticity — but not the hashtag kind.
I protect the kind of authenticity that isn’t performative, the kind that comes from actually knowing yourself. In a world obsessed with polish and perception — both online and off — it’s easy to confuse visibility with validation. But they’re not the same thing.
The value I hold closest, in life and in business, is helping people show up as who they really are — not who they think will get the most likes, matches, or clicks. Whether I’m photographing someone for their dating profile or teaching entrepreneurs how to be found by AI search, the goal is the same: real connection starts when you stop performing and start being seen.
That’s what I want to protect — a culture of truth over polish, and depth over noise.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say I helped them see themselves differently — that through my camera, my words, or even a single conversation, they felt more confident, more alive, and more themselves.
I want to be remembered as someone who made visibility feel safe again — and even joyful. Not just the kind that happens online, but the kind that starts within: when someone decides they’re worthy of being seen exactly as they are.
If there’s a story people tell about me someday, I hope it’s this — that I used my own story, with all its heartbreaks, reinventions, and full-circle moments, to remind others that joy is always possible, even after the hardest seasons. That confidence can be rebuilt, love can return, and new beginnings can be even better than the ones we planned.
That’s the legacy I want to leave behind: not perfection, but permission — permission to shine, to hope, and to believe that your next chapter might just be your favorite one.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shannonkathleenphotography.com/twin-cities-dating-profile-photography
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannon_kathleenphotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonkathleenphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonkathleenphotography
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/uUeP7cRSOv
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@shannonkathleenphotography?si=7x49rUz7WSnicRTT
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Free Resource: AI Discovery Checklist – Make Your Brand Findable by AI Tools – https://shannonkathleenphotography.com/ai-discovery-checklist
Dallas Waitlist: https://shannonkathleenphotography.com/dallas-dating-profile-photography
Free Self-Love Workbook & Affirmations Audio: https://shannonkathleenphotography.com/free-self-love-guide-audio-for-photo-clients
Featured on CBS/WCCO News – https://shannonkathleenphotography.com/2025/06/25/online-dating-photography-minneapolis-cbs-news-feature/
Press Page: https://shannonkathleenphotography.com/press
Image Credits
Shannon O’Malley, Shannon Kathleen Photography
