Shawn Records holds a BA from Boise State University and an MFA from Syracuse University. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, LightWork, and the Portland Art Museum and has been shown widely, including solo exhibitions at Blue Sky Gallery and Castillo/Corralles and group exhibitions at MoCP, PAM, Jen Bekman, the Cooley Gallery, and Photo Center Northwest among others. His artwork has been published widely, including Vice magazine's annual photo issue, Contact Sheet, Remain in Light, Camerawork, Pause to Begin, DoubleTake, and Adbusters, and his editorial clients have included Dwell, W, Jalous, Elle, Modern Painters, Art & Auction, Another Man, and The Wire. From the Bottom of a Well, a "poetic and tragically humorous account" of a 2010 Chinese government-sponsored trip was recently published by A-Jump books.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Records also teaches photography and serves as President of the Board of Directors of Photolucida, a non-profit organization committed to assisting emerging and mid-career photographers.