north carolina

uncc-nc-senior-portraits | cale /  by Staci Noel

I do a lot of high school senior portraits in and around the Charlotte area but every now and then I get a request for a senior portrait for a graduating college senior which I love! It’s another huge milestone in life and getting a chance to help families celebrate is always an honor. I met Cale on the campus at UNCC where he graduated from the college of engineering the week before graduation. We went to a few of his favorite spots in the UNCC Botanical Gardens and then headed over to the college of engineering where he spent countless hours working towards that degree. I know mom and dad are so proud of all of his achievements and now as he launches himself into his career they have these important moments captured forever! Congrats Cale - it was a blast to work with you:)

harrisburg-nc-senior-portraits |hickory ridge|mckenna /  by Staci Noel

It's no joke to say that I had probably 4x as many images as I could possibly share from McKenna's session! No need to add a lot of fluffy words either; these portraits speak for themselves! I had so much fun capturing this time for this truly wonderful girl and I know that her whole family will treasure the amazing artwork we created! I can't wait to work with her again in the spring for something truly spectacular; I'll keep it a surprise but I'm so excited!!!

harrisburg nc senior photographer | kieran by staci noel photography /  by Staci Noel

I believe that everyone can take a good picture - even people who don't consider themselves photogenic. However, it's not a natural thing for the majority of folks which is why without guidance in posing or directional lighting people hate a lot of the images that their friends or family take and really despise how they look in snapshots on phones, etc. - it isn't the camera y'all! I have spent years learning how to pose people so that they can take a flattering image and I take great pride in guiding subjects through the process during a portrait session so that they love the images we create together. We work on finding poses that look best, feel natural and make them feel confident; everything from what to do with your hands, what kind of expression works, how to relax their body and their face to get the most natural moments.

All of that being said, there is occasionally a person that I've photographed who required very little to no direction or maybe just a one time suggestion and after that they just practically flew through the session on their own. I wish I could take credit for it but this guy knew how he wanted to be photographed and he rocked this session with some very basic direction and then just naturally rolled with it! It made it such a blast each time we worked in a new location in Harrisburg or Charlotte because I knew we were getting killer senior portraits that he loved and mom would cherish!

He's off to college this month and I know that he will see amazing success because he's talented and just as focused on his goals! It was absolutely my pleasure to capture this part of his senior year at Hickory Ridge High School and I can't wait to hear about all of the wonderful things he does moving ahead!

charlotte nc family photographer | staci noel photographer | our lovely neighbors /  by Staci Noel

One of the things I love best about the town we live in just outside of Charlotte is that here in Harrisburg, we have met some of the best neighbors. We lived in the same house for the first 7 years and we just adored our neighbors; our kids had best friends right across the street and we mad so many friends that have been a part of our lives in such amazing ways!

We moved into our current house about 18 months ago because my business simply outgrew the space we were in and we finally felt that we were ready. The worst part was leaving our dear neighbors and honestly, our kids were super sad about not having their friends be able to pop over whenever they wanted!

Since we built our new house in a new neighborhood there weren't a ton of people here at first and so our neighbor options were tiny. Thankfully, Charlotte and specifically Harrisburg, are growing so fast and we have seen house after house pop up and lots of new friends moving in!

And now, not only do we have some really great neighbors here at the new house, but I am so honored that I got to give some of them their first chance at officially updated family portraits! This family is a nonstop riot and it has been such a joy getting to know them and hang out as friends! I absolutely could not stop laughing as we worked together to get some of these portraits and I cannot wait to deliver their final artwork that we have designed for their living space!

the sweetest girls | charlotte newborn photographer staci noel /  by Staci Noel

This sweet girl has the most gorgeous name - Elliette! Don't you just love that???? She had quite the story for her arrival as she didn't even let mama get to the hospital but decided to make her debut in their car on the way!

I seriously get to work some of the most awesome people and I loved everything about this family; there was so much love and laughter that I couldn't help but just adore them all. They even brought Grandma along and we got to include her in our session with her sweet girls!

Toddler siblings always make for a lively session and that especially included big sister Taylor, who is not only is a huge personality in a itty bitty body but the most expressive two year old I have ever met! It also doesn't hurt that she was happy to snuggle up on my lap and let me pick her up for hugs whenever I wanted:)

Congratulation to this amazing family - I know that the years with these two girls will bring you endless joy!