outdoor

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!

mason's 6 month session | charlotte baby photographer staci noel photography by Staci Noel

I have photographed Mason since he was inside of his sweet momma's belly! I couldn't believe how huge he had gotten in the six months since his newborn session when we got back together at their friend's gorgeous farm just outside of Charlotte! Of course we had to take pictures in the adorable wagon and all together with mom and dad for an updated family portrait!

This location and the light are the perfect backdrop to highlight all of the adorableness in this little country baby - and he didn't disappoint with tons of cute smiles and hilarious personality!

gorgeous field maternity shoot | charlotte nc maternity photographer | staci noel photography by Staci Noel

Sometimes you meet people in the strangest places and it feels like you've known them a lot longer! I met this momma to be at jury duty of all places and we keep commenting on how it feels like we've known each other for years! She was only in her first trimester when we met and I gave her my card and after several meetings and phone calls we finally got together to shoot her beautiful maternity session. I can't lie - this session turned out to be one of the most gorgeous I have ever photographed and I had such a blast with these two! We even managed to get their fur babies in a few adorable shots:) They are going to be amazing parents for sure and I can't wait to meet their baby boy later this month!!!

Congratulations Chelsey and Tyler!

 

charlotte-family-photographer | Fall Mini Sessions by Staci Noel

Family portrait sessions are always a fun change of pace for me and of course fall is the busiest time of the year for family portraits. It's also come to my attention though that fall is a crazy busy time for newborns as well - I don't know what was going on 8 or 9 months ago but man have I been fielding newborn calls left and right lately. How can I pass up the opportunity to photograph in the gorgeous colors we always have around Charlotte and Harrisburg though, so I knew I had to come up with a plan to squeeze some family photo sessions in during October. 

This year has been an extra crazy time for me personally as we are in the process of moving into our new home and my new studio space. Since we weren't quite sure of how that was all going to go down I decided to offer a weekend of mini sessions for my fall family bookings and I have to say I think it worked out great! Despite the fact that we got rained out one day and had to push into the next weekend I managed to photograph a bunch of families and get them all turned around prior to our move - no delayed Holiday Cards for my clients!!!

I am so blessed so have great clients that trust me year after year with these precious memories! Here's a quick peek at some of the great families, both new and return:),  that I got to create portraits with this year!