Lorien Shannon: “I feel like I’ve found my place”

Lorien Shannon is exactly where she’s “meant to be”, immersed in the world of Photography Studies College (PSC) where she is currently undertaking the second half of her Bachelor in Photography as a full-time student.

With a lifelong involvement in photography stemming from her experience as a fashion and property stylist and inspired by her grandfather, Lorien’s journey into study was a natural next step.

Although she briefly attended PSC over two decades ago before life led her to Sydney and motherhood, the need to return came as an obvious sign when an ad for PSC appeared on her Instagram.

“I love everything about this place; I love the teachers, I love the learning, I love having access to this incredible studio,” Lorien told Southbank News.

“I feel like I’ve found my place. I’m 50, so it’s taken me a while to get there but I feel like I found my thing.”

While Lorien’s photographic style varies, portraiture is often at the forefront.

“I love the stories of people, I’m right into psychology and sociology so anything that attaches itself to that I really love,” she said.

The project she is currently working on explores a more “artistic side” to her work.

“What I’m doing at the moment is in regard to conspiracy theories and the decay that they cause when you have a family member that’s fallen into those rabbit holes, and the decay that it causes to relationships,” Lorien said.

I’m destroying images with chemicals, fire, and water, layering archival images over photos that I’ve taken, and loads of layering on Photoshop. It’s a pretty emotional ride, but also quite cathartic doing this to images and seeing what I can make from them – it’s different than anything I’ve ever done before.

Through her association with PSC, Lorien has not only honed her technical skills but also cultivated the confidence to share her creations with the world.

“I won an award at the CCP Summer Salon, which was pretty surprising – I was not expecting that at all,” she said.

“I’m just trying to get the courage up really to enter competitions.” •