charlotte nc photographer | mom's with cameras workshop

Over the last few years I've had several friends and clients ask if I provide any kind of workshop or help in learning how to use their nice fancy cameras. I've done some private one on one instruction for people and I've finally put all of the information in one big presentation to offer as an evening workshop!

This class will cover the basics of how to use your camera and equipment (preferably a DSLR, but it's not mandatory) as well as exposure (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO), lighting, composition, and some tips and tricks to make your everyday photography really pop!

I will give you advice and instruction on how to shoot in lots of different situations; low light, bright sun, fast motion, etc. all so that you can capture the very best of your family everyday!

Participants will receive a printed booklet covering the entire presentation to take home with them and refreshments will be provided. Class size will be limited to the first 10 people on a first come, first serve basis. Email me at staci@stacinoelphotography to reserve your spot!

charlotte nc newborn photographer | hey, I saw you on buzzfeed!

Here he is! This little guy made his way around the world (not quite the galaxy yet:) these last few weeks courtesy of Star Wars fans everywhere and Buzzfeed!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/gloriously-geeky-newborns

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Like you, I always see those Buzzfeed articles in my Facebook newsfeed; "23 Dog Best Friends Who Love Each Other A Lot", "25 Pictures That Will Make You Believe In True Love", "7 Things Only Sisters Will Understand." More often than not if it's applicable or catches my attention I'll click on it for a quick laugh or pick me up on a day and peruse the images and captions just for fun. 

I'm not gonna lie - when I got an email from a Buzzfeed editor asking to use one of my images in an article I was a little bit flabbergasted - did I just age myself with that word? I'm totally not a hip twenty something - oh well.... "Where in the world had they found my images?" Let's face it, I'm pretty small time here in Harrisburg NC and while I have been photographing for the last 7 years I don't have a giant following and stay pretty low key. I'm thrilled when people outside of "the 'Burg" drive to me to do a newborn or baby session but most of the time I'm focused on networking in and around Harrisburg Concord and Charlotte just because it's convenient for people that I'm here in their area. So how in the world had Buzzfeed found my little Jedi baby?

Pinterest! I had done little Luke's session (yes, that's his real name and he was absolutely a perfect doll for his session:) in November of last year. Earlier this year I had gone through and created a few Pinterest boards for clients, what to wear, ideas for family, newborn, baby stuff, etc. and while I was doing that I thought, "Oh what the heck, I should do a few boards of my own work so people can see ideas for what they might want to do when they book." You can check out my newborn Pinterest Board  HERE. 

A few weeks went by and I noticed that this particular image was getting pinned and repinned. It should have occurred to me that on top of the fact that Star Wars is just as popular today as it was when I was a kid, that with the new movie coming out and the first trailer being released that there might be a bit of renewed interest and that includes people looking for ideas on how to incorporate it into their newborn sessions. 

The Buzzfeed editor was perusing Pinterest for themed newborn shoots and that's how she found me. A few emails later her article was out, Luke was featured and then I started getting emails from other media outlets in Australia, London, Portugal, the Netherlands, etc. asking for permission to feature the image in their online articles as well. 

So in just the span of a few weeks, millions of people saw this image and I continue to see it pop up in my newsfeed every now and then. Pretty cool stuff for little old me in Harrisburg NC:)

If you would like information on booking a newborn session and creating amazing artwork of your own, please visit me HERE and fill out your contact information. I can't wait to design a custom portrait experience just for you!

charlotte nc maternity photography | family s is waiting for their baby girl

I was super excited to meet this family after I spoke with this beautiful expecting momma over the phone before her session. It sounded like they already had their hands full with one little guy and were so anxious to meet their baby girl who is due at the end of May. Momma really hoped we could get everyone to cooperate for at least one family photo and while it might have been a bit of work I think we got a few keepers:) And of course I was over the moon to have such a gorgeous mom to be who was up for anything - I had so much fun photographing her and I can't wait to meet their sweet little bundle in the coming weeks!

If you would like to book a maternity session please visit me HERE and fill out your information. I will be happy to speak with you about designing your own custom experience!

charlotte nc family photography | family g everyone in the picture!

This family got together here in Harrisburg to do this portrait session for their beautiful grammy because they had no pictures of all of them together - and I hope she won't mind if I ask you guys to say a quick prayer or send a good thought her way. She is an amazing lady with a exuberant spirit and she's starting her fight against cancer next week. With all of the love and support of this awesome family I know that these superheroes are gonna kick cancers butt!

This was one heck of an amazing shoot - 21 people all together from different states for a holiday weekend and portrait session! Normally a family shoot for me involves anywhere from 3-5 people on average so this was a whole other level of planning. I spent a few hours thinking through family setups and poses, going through my furniture looking for stools and chairs that would work, and making a list for myself so I wouldn't forget anything on site. Photographing 21 people, including 9 kids under the age of 8, could easily have taken hours if I wasn't going to prepare right and frankly, ain't nobody got time for that! We managed in just about an hour to get a great gallery of the individual families, grandkids, and of course lots of pictures with grammy! I had an absolute blast with these guys as they played, laughed, and just plain loved on each other during our time together! Thanks for trusting me with these precious moments and amazing memories!