About Matt & Shea Photography
Built by family.
Shaped by story.
What began as Image Photography in a Chattanooga garage in 2004 has grown into a fully guided portrait studio built on family, second chances, craftsmanship and the belief that every person deserves to be seen as they truly are.
From Image Photography to Matt & Shea
A graduation gift became the next chapter.
In 2004, Matt started Image Photography in a garage with a camera, a growing craft and the determination to build something meaningful one family at a time.
Years later, Shea was being homeschooled and going to work with her father every day. At first, she was there to complete her schoolwork and keep him company. Then she began watching. She started learning. Curiosity became skill, and skill became the same love for photography that had shaped Matt's life.
In 2022, Matt gave Shea a graduation gift that could not be wrapped: he retired the Image Photography name and rebranded the studio as Matt & Shea Photography. It was more than a new logo. It was a father making room for his daughter's name, talent and future in the business they had grown together.
Today, Matt and Shea create the portraits while Chrissy keeps the calendar, communication and client experience moving. The studio may have more space, more experience and more awards than the garage days, but it is still built the old-fashioned way: on family, work, trust and keeping your word.
Image Photography begins.
Matt starts the studio in a garage and begins serving Chattanooga families.
Matt & Shea is born.
Matt rebrands the studio as Shea's graduation gift and welcomes her into its future.
Best of the Best winner.
The studio wins the Chattanooga Times Free Press readers' choice honor.
Still family owned.
Matt, Shea and Chrissy guide every client from the first call to finished artwork.
Chattanooga Recognition
Seven recognitions. One 2024 win. One studio story.
Across both Image Photography and Matt & Shea Photography, the studio has been recognized by the Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of the Best seven times and won in 2024. That is more Best of the Best recognition than any other photography studio or photographer in Chattanooga.
Husband · Father · Photographer
Matt
Owner, Lead Photographer & Digital Artist
Matt built the studio from the ground up, but the titles he values most are husband and father.
Matt attended Lee University and has spent more than two decades photographing families, newborns, seniors, weddings, athletes, pets and businesses throughout Chattanooga and beyond. His style blends careful lighting, expressive portraiture and detailed digital finishing to create artwork that feels polished without losing the person inside it.
Matt and Kristin's family includes seven children. Five joined their family through adoption, and Shea, Justin, Kaylee and Khloe were adopted from foster care. That family story does not sit separately from the studio. It shapes the patience, humor and respect Matt brings into sessions with children, teenagers and families whose stories may be complicated.
His work has been published in magazines including OK!, Chattanooga Living, Us and Today's Parent. Matt and his Image Photography studio were also featured on the reality series Teen Mom when he photographed Maci Bookout, her son Bentley and Ryan.
When he is not photographing or editing, Matt is usually with his family for a day at the mall or Sir Goony's. His favorite off-the-clock obsession is playing with and training the family's German Shepherds: Lenny, Finley, Liberty, Bruno and Biggie.
Family is not a side note in Matt's story. It is the reason the studio sees every client as a person before they are ever a subject.
Internationally Recognized Work
Recognition matters. The work matters more.
Matt has earned 12 international photography awards, including an award-winning image that can be found in a national archive at the Smithsonian. The images below are a selection of work recognized through Professional Photographers of America exhibitions and image review.
Daughter · Artist · Newborn Specialist
Shea
Photographer, Newborn Specialist & Second-Generation Storyteller
Shea did not simply grow up around photography. She grew into it beside her dad.
Shea joined the Wolcott family at age seven, one week before her eighth birthday. She is one of seven siblings in the family and one of five biological siblings whose story became part of that larger family. She was the third child welcomed into the home, following her sisters Kaylee and Khloe.
By age 11, Shea was being homeschooled and following Matt to work every day. She completed school beside him, kept him company and gradually learned what happened before, during and after a portrait session. What began as time with her father became an eye for expression, posing, light and the quiet details that help people feel safe in front of a camera.
By age 22, Shea had already become an accredited and accomplished photographer. She is trained in newborn posing and safety and continues her education through professional photography organizations at the national, state and regional levels. Professional Photographer magazine also recognized her as one of the 30 most influential photographers under 30.
Shea especially loves newborn portraiture and enjoys boudoir sessions, a part of her work she hopes to expand. Away from the studio, she is usually on her way to a concert, playing online with friends, watching TikTok or loving on her dogs, Ralphie and River.
The 2022 rebrand was not Matt handing Shea a business. It was him publicly recognizing the photographer she had worked to become.
Wife · Mother · Office Manager
Chrissy
Office Manager, Scheduling & Client Care
While Matt and Shea are shooting, editing and editing some more, Chrissy keeps the studio organized, responsive and moving forward.
Chrissy handles scheduling, reminders, emails, calls, texts, client records and the clerical work that keeps every portrait experience moving. She meets with families to view their images, helps clients understand what comes next and makes sure every important detail receives the attention it deserves.
Her husband, Rob, is an amazing chef, and they have been married for 19 years. Together they have built a beautiful family and life in Chattanooga. Their daughter, Aaliyah, recently married her husband Caleb. Their son, LJ, is a Red Bank High School senior in the Class of 2027.
If Chrissy is not at the studio, she is probably at the ball field with Rob, cheering for LJ while Rob is either beside her or coaching from the dugout. She is a northerner from Philadelphia and a straight shooter. Matt considers that one of her best qualities because clients and teammates always know where they stand with her.
Chrissy is the person behind the reminders, the returned calls, the organized calendar and the calm answer when a client is not sure what happens next.
Breast Cancer Survivor
11Years cancer-free.
Chrissy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. Eight months later, she had beaten it.
She has now been cancer-free for 11 years. It is part of her story, but it is not the whole story. She is a wife, a mother, a friend, a ball-field regular and the office manager who helps hold this studio together. Still, surviving breast cancer says something important about the grit she brings into every part of her life.
The Work Beyond the Portrait
Photography can do more than decorate walls.
Because foster care, adoption and special needs are part of their own family story, Matt and Shea use their time and talent to help other families feel seen, supported and celebrated.
Foster care, adoption and belonging.
Matt and Shea volunteer with Tennessee Kids Belong, an organization that creates respectful photo and video profiles for older children in foster care who are waiting for permanent families. Their goal is to help each child be seen as a whole person, not a case number.
At the studio, families who have adopted through foster care may reserve a studio session without a reservation fee. Matt and Shea also host a day when high school seniors in foster care can receive a complimentary senior session and portrait package to celebrate an accomplishment that deserves to be marked.
Children with special needs are never an afterthought.
Matt and Shea are trained to work with children with special needs and adapt the pace, communication, sensory environment and expectations whenever possible. A successful session is not measured by how perfectly a child follows instructions. It is measured by whether that child feels safe enough to be themselves.
10M+In 2025, a client recorded Matt entertaining her son during a session. Her post reached more than 10 million views across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, with thousands of comments from people who recognized something simple and powerful: patience matters.
Professional Affiliations & Credentials
Talent matters. Continued education matters too.
Matt and Shea remain connected to national, state and regional professional organizations because photography keeps changing, safety standards matter and clients deserve artists who remain committed to continued education.
Professional Photographers of America
PPA is a national nonprofit created by photographers for photographers. It supports professional education, business development, industry standards, community and advocacy for working photographers.
Tennessee Professional Photographers Association
TNPPA provides education, events, image competition and networking for working and aspiring professional photographers throughout Tennessee.
Professional Photographers of East Tennessee
PPETN is East Tennessee's professional photography trade organization, bringing local photographers together for education, cooperation, artistic growth and stronger business practices.
Qualified Newborn Photographer
APNPI's qualification recognizes a photographer's commitment to newborn safety, technical knowledge, responsible practice and professional standards.
Newborn Safety Education
This credential reflects focused education in safe newborn handling, responsible posing and professional practices designed around the baby's wellbeing.
Photoshop Professionals
Ongoing Photoshop education supports Matt's advanced retouching, compositing, color work and finished digital artwork while keeping the portrait recognizable as the person who walked into the studio.
Your Story Deserves to Be Preserved
Come meet the people behind the portraits.
From the first conversation to the final artwork, Matt, Shea and Chrissy will guide you through a portrait experience built around your family, your season and the people you never want to forget.