Yes, Shawn Roche is a photographer (and this is Illustration Friday). But this blog is about what/who inspires us, so I’m blogging about him. I met Shawn, oh, six years ago or so (?). I was an art director at the time and he was this photographer in town who rode around in a beat-up brown truck, and I kept bumping into him at various places. He showed me his book on the sidewalk one day (a hand-bound black book) and I nearly fell over dead it wow-ed me so much. (Of course, I tried to act all cool, but when he left I ran it up to my fellow art directors to show it off.) Later that year I even had the good fortune to work with Shawn on a project, which, thanks to him, turned out great. (Am I doting here?)

Anyway, the way he looks at things amazes me. And the way he’s able to capture things and people amazes me even more. It’s pure, raw, undefined talent. It’s like he made a deal with the devil and can now use light like magic.

He’s worked for some great clients (like W) and just started a new blog in Sept.

(Shawn is also one of the people who encouraged me and advised me to go freelance, which I publicly thank him for now.)