Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Marie Stiles.
Hi Hannah Marie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have always had a casual interest in photography, and I got my first professional camera (Nikon D 3300) in 2015. The first year or two, I casually explored photography; dabbling in various genres to explore what I liked and disliked. I practiced utilizing studio lighting, and also natural lighting in a variety of settings, with close friends and models in the area.
In 2018, I began to create concept shoots and enjoyed creating stories with my photos. At the beginning of 2020, I began to become more serious about my photography business and came up with my business name (Marie Stiles Photography). I enjoyed working with couples and families but also enjoyed creating specific artistic concepts with models and creatives. Therefore, I decided to create two sides to my business (the family/couple’s side), and the modeling/conceptual side. I have two Instagram pages to differentiate the styles of my business: @marie_stiles_photography & @marie_stiles_photographyfamily.
This year (2021), I got a new camera (Sony A7RIV) and I have been enjoying this upgrade in quality and precision. I continue to gain editing skills and learn new photography techniques. I try to come up with a unique, creative concept once per month, which I advertise for local models to be a part of. A couple of recent examples were at a neon studio in Raleigh, NC called Glas, where I put together a small shoot with a local makeup artist, four models, a fellow photographer, and myself, and a fashion snake shoot, with several local models, a fellow photographer, and Garr, who was awesome enough to let me borrow his snakes for the shoot.
The family/couple’s side of my business is growing and I am constantly exploring new locations to bring variety and options for photography inquiries. I love working with couples for their engagements, maternity sessions, or just to celebrate their love! I love working with families for birthday or event celebrations or just to celebrate their families. My goals this fall are to begin to create seasonal mini sessions for couples and families, and to begin to build my wedding/elopement portfolio in the upcoming year. Another goal is to continue to come up with unique creative concepts for shoots.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Getting to where I am today has not been a smooth road. I do not have a formal photography education, so I taught myself most of what I know today. It took some time to learn editing techniques and camera skills. Building my business and clientele was another struggle, and is still something I am building to this day.
We’ve been impressed with Marie Stiles Photography, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a photography business focused on two main areas; Creative modeling concepts and Family/Couples photography. I am known for coming up with concepts and ideas that are unique, and telling stories through my photos. I love curating each family/couple shoot to that particular family, to show their personalities and interests.
Also, I love partnering with other creative talents to bring my visions to life with recent concepts such as neon photography and fashion/glamour concepts on the modeling side of my business.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m self-taught. I learned photography from fellow photographers, YouTube, and trial and error while spending time in Lightroom/Photoshop and utilizing equipment in my free time.
Pricing:
- Couples/Family/Portrait Sessions: 45 mins for $200 (one location; full digital proofs; 5 high-quality final edits; $10 per extra photo over 5)
- Mini Couples/Family/Portrait Sessions: 20 mins for $100 (one location; ful digital proofs; 5 high-quality final edits; $10 per extra photo over 5)
- Creative concepts/Modeling Sessions: Inquire for pricing as it is catered to the specific session and location of interest
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marie_stiles_photography/ & https://www.instagram.com/marie_stiles_photographyfamily/
- Other: Inquiry Form: https://form.jotform.com/212318385421047
