Sean Flanigan
Wedding | Last Updated: April 4, 2024
Hello, I’m Sean Flanigan and I’m a wedding photographer from Tacoma, Washington. I’m 32 years old. A husband and a dad.
Not many things in my life have felt natural. In school, I was restless, uninspired, & bored. For as long as I can remember, I craved a creative outlet.
I finally discovered something I was passionate about when I started playing music as a teenager. Playing music was natural to me and I pursued that in my late teens and early twenties. I really believed music was going to be my career after we were picked up by a record label. I left high school to go on tour and never looked back. When the record label decided to not opt for a sophomore record- my dreams of being a rockstar dissolved- and thus, rocketed me into the world of photography, where I ultimately hit my stride.
At 21 years old I didn’t have my high school diploma or a clue what I was going to do with my life- so, I decided to do what everyone else does- go to college. For the first time in my life I was conforming, and it didn’t feel good. In the midst of a full time college load and pulling coffee shots for business people, I found photography and picked up a camera again for the first time since my junior year of high school.
I finished up my AA degree in a year and went off to art school in Seattle, with a focus on commercial photography. I excelled so fast in photography because I was devouring any info on the subject I could find. Three things stand out from my experience at the Art Institute: 01. I don’t like commercial photography. 02. I love portrait and documentary photography. 03. When you think you’re close enough to your subject- take one giant step closer.
I took my love for portrait and documentary photography and started pursuing photojournalism while I was in my last year of college. I was interning at local papers with the rarely paid assignment here and there. I eventually went on to work for major American news outlets like the Wall Street Journal and having photos published in the Huffington Post.
I quickly found out that I thrive on my own ambition and when my heart isn’t in something, I will produce a mediocre product. I found myself doing this in my photojournalism assignments and turned down a full time staff job at a Seattle based newspaper to pursue what I had been doing all along; weddings.
Wedding photography comes easy to me. I love it. I love the importance of what I do as a wedding photographer and I love that I am free to be creative without boundaries. Most importantly, the collaboration I get with my clients is what has made me successful. All the good images I’ve been able to make are born out of some sort of relationship.
I’m in my 9th wedding season and ready to start the next chapter of my wedding photography. I, along with my wife, will be launching A Fist Full of Bolts soon. It’s a rebrand, but more than that it’s an attitude. Look out.
I get to travel the world with my beautiful wife taking photos of people in love. I’m happy.
Leica M6 – This is my personal favorite for personal and professional work. For when I can be slow and deliberate.
Leica 35mm f/2.5 Summarit -It’s not a lux or a cron- but it gets the job done.
Canon 5D Mark III – The workhorse. The lightweight. The speed of focus, and the silent shutter. Love this camera.
Fuji Instax Mini 90 – I bring this to shoots so I can send clients away with a few instant prints from our time together- it’s nice to give something tangible.
Canon 85mm f/1.2L – Great lens when I need the length.
Canon 24mm f/3.5L TSE – Super fun wide tilt/shift
Canon 35mm f/1.4L – Could and have shot entire wedding days with just this lens. The ultimate utility lens. My favorite for sure.
Canon 24mm f/1.4L – This lens has shaped me as a photographer and continues to force me in close- my favorite place to be when it comes to documenting.
Other lenses and cameras not pictured.
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L
Canon 50mm f/1.2L
Canon 135mm f/2L
Canon 45mm f/2.8 TSE
Canon 5d Mark II
Canon 5d
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