THE SHALOM IMAGINATIVE DOCUMENTARY MEDIA
Our Story and Our Team
What started over a decade ago with just two of us has grown into a beautiful collective of artist who share a vision of telling stories of love in an honest way. We are a photo and video team capturing real life celebrations and love in a candid, documentary style.
Hello. We are the Howards
We are Nate and Amanda, founders and creative directors of The Shalom Imaginative. Living in Los Angeles with our daughter. We are inspired by human connection and emotion and passionate about capturing real stories of love around the globe.
Meet our Team
A collective of artists
Nate (he/him)
Founder, Creative director, Lead photographer & Videographer
Lead photographer and Videographer, Nate has captured weddings with a documentary and editorial style on film, digital, and video over the past 13 years. Documenting weddings all across the globe, some favorites include Hong Kong, Mexico City, Paris, San Miguel De Allende, the English countryside, and Loch Lomond Scotland. His photographs can be seen in print in Stone Fox Bride, Cherry Bombe, Destination Wedding Magazine, and The New York Times. His work has also been featured digitally on Anti-Bride, Hello May, 100 layer Cake, and more.
Sci-fi nerd, drinks cold brew unless there’s snow, energized by people, loves finding his way in a new city, most at peace hiking and being silent in nature.
Amanda (she/her)
Founder, Creative Director, Lead photo & Video Editor
Co-founded The Shalom Imaginative with Nate over ten years ago. Started as lead photographer, videographer, and editor. After welcoming daughter, Frankie, into the family and as the team grew, Amanda transitioned into our full-time, in-house editor. With 13 years of photo and video editing, she is an expert at color grading and specializing in creating a consistent and natural look for the whole team. Amanda also runs our marketing and social media.
Loves neighborhood walks and family bike rides, AOC for president, reality TV and big gulps, sitting in the sunshine is her happy place, organic bakery and independent bookstore connoisseur, thrifting fanatic, and loves to travel and document it on film.
Igor (he/him)
Lead Photographer
Igor has been on the team for six years, photographing weddings in both film and digitally, with a documentary style. He laid back and happy, ready to laugh with you all day. He specializes in catching a high volume of imagery that highlights all of the fun, candid moments of you and your guest enjoying your celebration. His work has been featured on Over the Moon.
Coffee and street food enthusiast. Loves to travel and get familiar with new cultures. Views human kindness as a gift and tries to follow this path and bring happiness to every single moment and person he meets. Wants to be friends with his couples, helping them feel comfortable and enjoy all the moments full of happiness and silliness together.
Vanessa (she/her)
Lead photographer - Weddings, Families, Maternity
Vanessa has been on the team for three years and documents weddings, both on film and digitally, in a documentary style with an editorial twist. She is down to earth, intentional and observant of all the little and big moments with a number one goal of capturing all the details, the environment and making you feel seen and beautiful. Her work is featured on 100 layer cake.
Would love to know your entire astrology chart. Happiest when outdoors, camping in her VW Westfalia. Coffee first, music always. Cat person that loves to practice hobbies like gardening, sewing and cooking. Always making an effort to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Feminist with a deep passion for equality for all people.
Keren (She/Her)
Lead Videographer
Keren is our lead videographer and captures weddings in a documentary style. She specializes in capturing the essence of your wedding day and lets the real candid moments tell the story. Calm and present. All about the interactions, big and small moments, all the details and the energy of the day. Will go with the flow with a smile on her face.
Started as a LA “valley girl”, moved to Israel in high school, lived in NYC for film school and then traveled the world with camera in hand. Loves the excitement and cultural diversity of the city, the stillness of nature, especially in dappled light. Seeker of deep connection, enjoys obscure documentaries and drawing botanicals. Loves a good flea market and found photos. A wanna-be homesteader, lives on the edge of the wilderness with her family and 14 chickens.
"On the day empire comes crashing down, the sun will wake to crumbling border walls, prison doors will swing open, the skies will cheer, lands will be returned to indigenous peoples, colonial institutions will rot and nation states will decay, landlords will be evicted and vacant homes will be filled, genders will be as varied as the flowers, and the oceans will breathe a sigh of relief. Abundant days are on their way." - Vienna Rye, @vrye
OUR NAME
Shalom is an ancient Hebrew word meaning peace. Nothing missing. Nothing broken. Wholeness. Beauty. Fullness. Life. Laughter. Rest. Love. Everything as it was intended to be.
There are glimpses of shalom all around, yet life is still full of pain, oppression, systemic inequality & injustices. In our photography, we hope to capture the signs of shalom that are springing up all around us & showing themselves to the world.
We believe it is found in wedding vows, cultural traditions, gender diversity, crushing the patriarchy, celebrations with family, nonconformity, communities of friends, connection to nature, anti-capitalism, caring for the earth, & in the messy, ordinary lives of you & me.
& we plan to fight for it, search for it, & imagine it when it cannot as easily be found.