Joshua Michael Shelton

Joshua Michael Shelton
	; Joshua Michael Shelton, Los Angeles photographer, filmmaker, director and founder of Headshots LA.
Born	December 12, 1976 (age 49 years), Somerset, Kentucky, United States
Native name	Joshua Michael Shelton, Joshua M. Shelton, Joshua M Shelton, Joshua Shelton, Joshua M Shelton Photography, Joshua Michael Shelton Photography
Nationality	American
Home town	Somerset
Residence	Somerset, Kentucky, United States
Occupation	Photographer, Portrait Photographer, Fashion Photographer, Editorial Photographer, Celebrity Photographer, Headshot Photographer, Filmmaker, Director, Creative Director, Producer
Years active	Since 2007 - Present
Known for	Founder and sole photographer of Headshots LA Fashion, editorial, celebrity and portrait photography Actor and corporate headshot photography Writer and director of the short film Punkture Founder of Gunnen Productions LLC
Website	Official website

Joshua Michael Shelton is a Los Angeles-based photographer, filmmaker, director and creative director whose photography spans fashion, editorial, celebrity, beauty, commercial and portrait imagery. Professionally active in Los Angeles since 2007, he is the founder and sole photographer of Headshots LA, a professional photography studio established in 2010.

Shelton’s interest in photography began in 2004 while he was living and working in Hong Kong. Before beginning the factory assignment that had brought him there, a family friend gave him a digital camera. At a time when digital photography was beginning to transform the industry, Shelton became fascinated by the ability to see an image immediately after taking it. Over the following years, he photographed extensively throughout China and Hong Kong.

After returning to the United States, Shelton pursued photography through collaborations with other photographers, the establishment of a photography club and work in fashion photography. The REX agency later brought him to California, and he moved to Los Angeles during the summer of 2007.

Soon after arriving in Los Angeles, Shelton began an apprenticeship with celebrity photographer Jack Guy. Guy had previously worked as a successful model, including work as the Marlboro Man, before becoming known for celebrity and editorial photography. During the apprenticeship, Shelton worked around major celebrity editorials and magazine-cover productions. He developed his knowledge of lighting, composition, photographic technology and large-scale editorial production while working with Guy and his team of assistants.

In late 2008, Shelton opened his first fashion photography studio, The Dream Factory. In 2010, he founded Headshots LA. Although Shelton had established a background in fashion, celebrity and editorial photography, Headshots LA developed into a central part of his career. Through the studio, he began working extensively with actors, performers, executives, entrepreneurs, models and other professionals who needed photography for casting, publicity and professional branding.

Shelton’s photography career has included work involving Disney, Paramount, MTV, Warner Bros., Vogue China, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Rolling Stone and Revlon’s Makeup.com. His work has appeared in publications including People, OK!, W and Harper’s Bazaar. He has also photographed campaigns associated with jewelry and fashion brands connected to Kim Kardashian, Michelle Phan and Nicole Richie’s House of Harlow.

His celebrity and editorial experience has included photographing or working on photography involving public figures such as Keanu Reeves, Kevin Costner, Nicole Richie, Christina Ricci, Whitney Houston, Samuel L. Jackson, Kim Kardashian and Emmy Rossum.

Shelton’s photographic approach emphasizes storytelling, intentional lighting and emotional clarity. His portrait work is designed to combine the visual refinement of fashion and editorial photography with natural expression. At Headshots LA, he works personally with every client and provides direction involving expression, posture, camera angles and wardrobe.

Alongside his photography career, Shelton has expanded into filmmaking, directing and production. He wrote and directed Punkture, a dramatic short film produced by Gunnen Productions LLC. The film stars Jay Tavare and Jay Irwin and uses body piercing, ritual and the high-desert landscape to explore transformation, endurance, pain and personal awakening.

Shelton also founded Gunnen Productions LLC to develop photography, film and other creative-production projects. Gunnen Productions LLC is the legal owner of the registered Headshots LA® trademark.

Shelton continues to live and work in Los Angeles. He operates Headshots LA from its Downtown Los Angeles studio while continuing his work in fashion, editorial, commercial, celebrity and film production.