Rob Shanahan

Rob Shanahan is an American photographer and rock drummer known for his concert photography and portraits of celebrities. He has been the preferred photographer of ex-Beatles drummer Ringo Starr since 2006.

Shanahan takes many photographs of musicians for musical instrument makers, including Paiste cymbals, and drum manufacturers Yamaha and Drum Workshop. Shanahan published a book in 2011 titled Volume 1: Through the Lens of Music Photographer Rob Shanahan. Starr wrote the book's foreword.

Early life Shanahan was born on May 8, 1966, in Norwood, Minnesota. His parents, Rachel and Robert Shanahan, had four children: Rob came third. Shanahan started playing drums in grade school and continued through high school. As a teenager, he became interested in 35mm photography, using a Pentax ME camera that his mother gave to his father, but his father did not want. Shanahan attended Minnesota State University, Mankato, taking business classes. He dove deeper into camera work, too, taking aerial photographs of local farms while his friend flew the airplane, and developing the film himself in rented lab space. Shanahan was unsatisfied with the business classes, and rather than complete his graduation, he decided to drive west with his younger brother, T.J. In 2003, Shanahan became the photographer for Yamaha's Musical Instruments division which publishes the in-house All Access magazine. In 2011, DW began using him as the photographer for their Edge magazine.

On June 24, 2006, Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band played the Universal Amphitheatre. Sheila E. was in the band, and she invited Shanahan backstage to meet ex-Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. In 2011, Shanahan published a book of his photography – Volume 1: Through the Lens of Music Photographer Rob Shanahan – featuring a foreword by Starr, who obtained 30 copies of the book to give as holiday gifts. Shanahan's wife, Hillary Weiss, served as graphic designer for the book. Shanahan's photographs have been exhibited in art galleries, including the Stakenborg-Greenberg Fine Art Gallery in Sarasota, Florida, Shanahan gives motivational speeches about his photography career and his life experiences.

When Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band stopped in Minnesota on May 10, 2008, to play at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel south of Minneapolis, Shanahan's friends and family attended the concert. Starr brought Shanahan onstage to play his drum kit for a few songs at the end of the concert while Starr took center stage to sing. Shanahan said this experience, backing Starr on drums, and sharing the stage with bandmembers Billy Squier, Edgar Winter, Gary Wright, Colin Hay, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette, "was a dream come true!"

Personal life Shanahan is married to Hillary Weiss, a graphic designer, and they have one daughter. The family lives in Venice, California. Shanahan drives a vintage 1956 Chevrolet, which served as the conversation starter with Rush drummer Neil Peart in 2005. Before submitting to a photo shoot, Peart wanted to talk cars, as his own vintage 1969 Jaguar was parked next to Shanahan's Chevy.