About the Artist

Shawn Malone is a landscape photographer and visual artist having made Marquette, Michigan her home for nearly 25 years. Guided to the region by the alluring forces of Lake Superior, it was a natural evolution for Shawn to develop a niche in the world of landscape photography of the region. 

Shawn just completed her 10th year of business with an art gallery storefront of her own work in downtown Marquette. 

Beginning in 2005, Shawn toured on the juried art fair circuit around the country and continues to exhibit at a select few shows each summer such as the Ann Arbor Art Fair, where she has exhibited since 2008.  Shawn's landscape photographic art of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Lake Superior region is displayed on the walls of businesses, medical centers, offices, hotels, restaurants, and homes around the country. 

Artist profile features on Shawn's work include Under the Radar Michigan, Great Lakes Now, Michigan Country Lines, and John McGivern's Main Street.   Shawn is internationally published with her extensive aurora and night sky photography and videography work which also has been recognized and awarded most notably by the Smithsonian, among others.  

Shawn's immersive night sky aurora time lapse work captured entirely in Upper Michigan has received numerous awards and has appeared in national television shows and movie documentaries, most recently in National Geographic's "America's National Parks". 

Shawn's interest in the night sky and aurora began with her first aurora photo on negative film in the late 90's. It was a different time back them with no instant results such as digital cameras now, (digital also greatly aids in the learning process now!) and waiting for and finally seeing the results on a paper print was frustrating, but magically unforgettable!

Shawn enjoys helping others experience that exhilaration of capturing the aurora and Milky Way in a photograph, as well as guiding seasoned astrophotographers to optimal locations in the region for artistic nightscapes.  

In the past few years, Shawn has been studying wet plate collodion, one of the first photographic processes invented in the 1850's. This is a logical progression for her, as her focus has always been about creating photography  with minimal post processing that is authentic and true to the subject being photographed. 

Shawn enjoys presenting on the aurora and night sky and has been speaking for over 10 years at theaters, schools, libraries, camera clubs, state and national parks, dark sky parks, just about anywhere. 

She enjoys educating and inspiring others about the night sky and motivating them to get outside under a calm sparkling night sky and contemplate the cosmos.    

Shawn has a new program premiering this summer 2024 that dives deeper into all things aurora and night sky.   Check back for dates of this immersive event! 

Shawn has over two decades of experience photographing the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Lake Superior region and enjoys sharing her insights, helping aspiring photographers be in the right place at the right time to discover and capture the natural beauty of this region's wonders. She has been leading workshops in the Upper Peninsula for over 10 years.   

There's nothing better than seeing the success of participants after having learned something that they always wanted to and grow to become successful at capturing stunning photographs! 

Memories and friends are made during these workshops; it is truly gratifying the number of old and new friends that return year after year for a new photographic reunion!