Meet Shilan Ahmad | Newborn & Maternity Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shilan Ahmad and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shilan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As a child, growing up I was always attracted to art. I loved painting, drawing and then later on photography. When I was gifted my first DSLR camera as a teenager, by my dad, I was over the moon! I would take pictures of my friends or just random landscapes, come home and edit it in photoshop. Looking back at it now, I can admit that I was completely clueless and didn’t really know what I was doing. It wasn’t later on, as an adult, I’d take my teenage passion, refine it and find the perfect niche to pursue as a career. In 2013, I was a young mom who had just given birth to my second child. Newborn photography wasn’t as big or well known as it is today and I wasn’t able to find an affordable photographer in my area. I thought to myself that I could probably DIY it, and so I did. My baby was my first ever newborn photography “client”. Those photos turned out hilariously horrible, but I had finally found a creative outlet and something I was eager to learn more about. I spent the next year doing model calls, traveling to clients homes, and enrolling in various newborn photography workshops to expand my knowledge and really master the field. It’s been over 10 years now, and I have photographed hundreds of sweet babies! Snuggling babies for a living? It really is the best job ever 🙂

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a newborn and maternity photographer here in the north Dallas area. I have been doing newborn photography for over 10 years and have had the absolute pleasure to photograph and work with hundreds of families. My studio is located in Frisco, TX. I really do see newborn photography as an art form. It looks easier than it is but most of these newborn sessions can run up to 4 hours. That’s 4 hours of soothing crying babies, taking frequent feeding breaks and dealing with some cranky toddlers to the best of my ability. The work doesn’t end after a session is over and the family goes home. The real work really starts once I’ve transferred the photos to my computer and into photoshop for refinement.
It’s definitely not as easy as it looks 🙂 Being a mom of 5, just balancing the workload has been challenging in the past. And I do still struggle sometimes, but I’ve got a smooth workflow down for the most part. When it comes down to it, I love what I do. I love all the beautiful babies who enter my studio and the art work I present to their families in the form of their final gallery. Photos by Shilan, my company name, is my baby and has been a labor of love. I’m very proud of where I am with my photographic art, today.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My best friend is obviously a mom, just like me, and we’d hit up all the kid friendly spots around Frisco! We’d have breakfast at Barney’s, their pancakes are amazing! Then, we’d probably go to the Frisco library, which is more of a tourist spot than anything else. We’d also go next door to the discovery center for all kinds of fun for kids.
Next, we’d head over to Legacy West for some retail therapy and have lunch at North Italia. Frisco/Plano has so much to offer and something for everyone.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe a lot of my success and where I am today with my business, Photos by Shilan, to my husband. He’s been so extremely supportive and without his support, love and belief in me, I wouldn’t have been where I am today.

Website: www.photosbyshilan.com

Instagram: instagram.com/photosbyshilan

Facebook: Facebook.com/photosbyshilan

Image Credits
Shilan Ahmad