First, you must know that I'm a lover of words and stories at heart. These days, I prefer to use a camera to share them.

My hope:

Is that my sessions are filled with lucky shots that are no accident;
That I am not merely an observer, but a narrator;
and a craftsman that is masterful at fostering conditions that allow for real moments to unfold.

Anyone with an eye for composition and light can document life as it happens. I firmly believe it takes something more to dig beneath the surface--to evolve into a photographer who is more than a picture taker, but a picture maker.

There is a moment of extraordinary that can be extracted from every 10 minutes of ordinary. Capturing it is not about point of view, equipment or framing. Instead, it stems from connection: connection to who the photographer is as an artist, and most importantly, connection to the people being photographed.

What does love look like? Exhilaration? Exasperation? How did she gently twist your hair around her fingers when she was three? And, what did it feel like the day you first held his tiny hands in yours?

I aspire for my photographs help to tell the stories. Theirs. Mine. Yours too...

-Stephanie Beaty, Photographer