Rising Stars: Shelby Horvath

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Horvath. 

Hi Shelby, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Of course! I started on my photography journey without realizing I was even on it. I grew up back and forth between Vermilion and Amherst, so right on the lake! From a really young age, I had an interest in the arts. And I really mean all of them. I really loved to sing, dance, act, draw, paint, play with clay, play instruments, mess around with cameras, and the list goes on. I took a huge interest in painting in drawing. A lot of this was because of my dad and my grandma who are both artists. I never really got the chance to mess with cameras, besides disposables, unless people brought them over for family events and cookouts. My mom and dad always loved photos. We had books upon books with old family pictures and film negatives. Every chance we got (usually when my mom cleaned her room lol), we would go through these photos and I remember just being in complete awe and being so happy that I could see people I never met or even people I knew in their younger times. Being able to bond over this with my family is so rememberable. Never did I realize that I would get a chance to be the person to capture these images for other people to cherish forever. Before I started high school, I knew that I wanted to be an artist but I didn’t want to pick what kind of artist either. I liked it all. Around this time my mother had been struggling with a long battle to breast cancer. It really took over my life. It was hard for everyone in my family. And at the end of my freshman year, my mom passed away. I think back upon that part of my life now and realized that it plays a huge part into building me into who I am and my mother really helped shaped me the best she could before going away. Growing up, she would brag to literally anyone about my art abilities. My dad did this too. Sure enough, this was annoying to my older siblings but I am thankful they did it. It showed me how much love and support I had behind me. My family has always made me believe that I could do anything I wanted to. 

During high school, I kept myself and my mind always busy. It helped a lot because as I got older, I realized I had a struggle with depression and anxiety. Along with that came a few freshly diagnosed medical issues that made things harder. Despite all of these unfortunate events, I tried my best to keep myself surrounded with people I loved and my art. I would stay up late in my room drawing, painting, and even looking through old photos. In this time, I discovered how much I wanted this artsy side of my life to be my future. In my senior year of school, I decided that I was going to be a school art teacher. It was a career where I could pursue many mediums of art at once. *Surprise* I didn’t become an art teacher! It’s okay to laugh! While in college, to follow this path, I took a lot of universal art classes. I loved them all so much! But I always found myself going back to my film photography classroom. I was sucked in completely. It was such a beautiful art from the basics of the camera to finally drying that perfect piece of paper with my very own image on it. I realized then that I wanted a digital camera. I graduated college with my Universal Arts Associates! After that, I decided to reach out for some help in the photography world. Thankfully, a family friend who happened to be really close with my mom had a photography business. I asked to shadow her on her sessions. She said yes, and it was the best thing that happened to me! There are some things that you have to just learn from experience, and she walked me through everything. I got my Nikon camera and started second shooting weddings with her for free. I made a Facebook page to post the images and soon, I had people reaching out to me for their own sessions. The support has been overwhelming and I am so grateful for everyone who has tagged along. I’ve only been doing this officially since early 2021, but I am so happy with what my journey has been so far and excited for what my future journey holds! 

Of course, I have to thank my family and friends for all of their support. My bestest friend and boyfriend, Cody for always being there for me. I love you! And to thank all of my supporters who I have met over the past year! 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Definitely not! I am very thankful for the easy parts of this journey, but there have been some setbacks. First off, I didn’t come from a wealthy family, I went off living with my boyfriend right after I turned 18, and boy, were we broke at the start. The equipment that goes into being in this business, or being a business at all, is not cheap. I’ve worked really hard to be able to purchase all of the equipment myself. Not to mention inflation and the pandemic. This is also making it difficult on my current search for a studio. Being in my early 20s has made this difficult as well because people may not take me as seriously as someone who’s been doing this for years. Or being a woman, at that. I also have a heart condition that can make overexerting myself difficult. It also is terrible for my sleeping habits, so I am often tired, I really have to take care of myself to be able to keep up. Which, of course, I try to keep up no matter what. And of course, there is imposter syndrome! With some of my mental health struggles, there are times where I feel like my work isn’t good enough. Thankfully, my supporters reassure me the opposite. And my boyfriend is a great help at keeping my head straight. There are also a lot of people in this industry in my area. Some I even knew before going into this and they aren’t that welcoming. Though I wish this could change, and community over competition was actually a thing of practice, I always try my best to be kind and continue to put out the best of my work that I can. Getting back up again of course, are what falls are for! 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At first, it was challenging for me to choose photography over being an art teacher, but now it feels like I’ve made the right decision! Especially since I can continue to my passion to teach through my Ambassador’s Program. I just love having my camera in hand! Honestly, I pretty much do it all! I have had requests anywhere from traditional to unique. I specifically love to photograph women empowerment and love. So, boudoir and maternity session are really some of my favorites. But I also love photographing weddings and couples for the pure happiness that comes with these sessions. Of course, creative sessions are a blast! I have always described myself at creative. I put a lot of work into what I do from snapping that picture to delivering galleries to clients. I think in general, I am known for how attentive and personable I am. I really pride myself in building strong relationships with my clients. I hope to truly be a part of my clients’ growing lives and stories. With all of the obstacles my life has had, I think this has made me relatable to many people and many ages. I’m often told I have an ‘old soul.’ I have an editing style that is pretty moody but soft which I think people enjoy. I love to learn, and I believe that is the key to being successful in this industry. I am proud of how far I’ve come for only being in this business for a little over a year! 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I know it sounds so cheesy but if you’re passionate about something, just keep doing it no matter what pops into your way. If you feel like you’re struggling, reach out to someone. And if you’re local, let’s shoot together!!! Let’s actually make community over competition a thing 🖤 Thanks for taking the time to read some about me! My website for more of me is below! 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shelbyspixelcorner.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelbyspixelcornerllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelbyspixelcornerllc
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRrxLw5e/