Shaina has photographed wild lions in Kenya, street dogs in Peru, and stray cats in Jerusalem but dreams of photographing penguins in Antarctica. Behind the lens from a young age, she used the family pets as her subjects: dogs, cats, hamsters, a salamander, and even a hawk. She studied commercial photography at Syracuse University and went on to work with some of the best fashion photographers in the industry. For 10 years she traveled the world working as Peter Lindbergh's digital tech. Her time in fashion photography still influences her work today.
Her transition from fashion to animals sparked when she began photographing her dog and others at the Madison Square dog run after long days on fashion sets. Using a graphic and modern approach Shaina’s images are known for being playful, humorous, and personifying the animal subjects. Shaina has experience in productions of all sizes -- from advertising to packaging to pro bono animal rescue projects.
For Shaina, pets are more than companions who get the slippers... Although, she wishes her dog got her slippers. Animals, wild and domesticated, give her happiness, loads of inspiration, and allow her to unleash her creative side (pun intended!). Whether in the studio or on location Shaina enjoys the challenges of working with animals and their handlers while creating a fun, creative, collaborative, and rewarding shoot. And to answer your question, yes, she has tons of patience.
Shaina lives in New York City with her husband, two daughters, and rescue dog, Maple.
