334: Creating Storytelling Heirloom Portraits with Shawna Pearce

Nov 4, 2025

This week, I had the pleasure of talking with Shawna Pearce, a fine art photographer who creates charming heirloom portraits that weave together storytelling, history, and emotion. She also love love loves teaching other creatives how to master the art of editing and storytelling so they, too, can create their own legacy images.

Shawna started her career about 15 years ago photographing newborns and soon discovered her passion for creating children’s fine art portraits that truly celebrate each family’s story. She describes an heirloom as something that represents who you are — a story within a story — and her portraits are designed to become part of a family’s legacy.

We talk about:
The meaning of heirloom portraits — how Shawna blends storytelling with art so the photograph itself becomes an heirloom
Her award-winning portrait of a mother and four daughters— the planning, inspiration, and how 90% of that image was captured in-camera
Her creative process — including clothing tips and props to bring her artistic vision to life

You can feel the heart in everything she creates, and her approach is such a wonderful reminder that portraits can hold layers of meaning that last for generations.

Grab Shawna’s gift of a fun collection of composite elements at shawnapearcestudios.com/luci

shawna@shawnapearcestudios.com

Check out my gifts on marketing at www.lucidumascoaching.com

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