Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacie Higgins.
Stacie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I come from a very creative and artistic family, most notably with a long history of being involved in musical performance in some fashion. Of course, it was no surprise to my family that I was naturally interested in the fine arts, including music, photography, drawing, painting, literature, and theatre, starting from when I was just a small child. Photography specifically maintained a consistent interest from childhood into my current young adulthood.
In fact, I can very clearly recall carrying my compact Vivitar digital camera with me everywhere with my best friend in elementary school, taking silly photos and video recordings together and of one another and our family members. While many Christmases growing up consisted of being gifted “new” (hand-me-down or VERY affordable) digital cameras and video cameras, I continued taking photos of friends and events constantly through elementary school and middle school. It wasn’t until my 13th birthday, when I was gifted a Nikon D50 from my parents, that I was able to begin my understanding of photography on the technical side. So, I practiced and practiced and practiced. I carried that camera — in a chunky camera bag with multiple lenses and all — every single day during high school to practice my skills. I was dubbed the unofficial yearbook from of my close friends! During my upperclassman years, I began learning about the business side through taking portrait, couple, maternity, and family photos for friends and family for payment, although very little at the time. In college and graduate school, I continued this upward trajectory with my business by slowly branching out and becoming hired by mutual friends, then I started to be hired by individuals with no extended relation whatsoever and who just appreciate my work. During my last year of graduate school, following a very traumatic period in my life, I became determined to instill a new meaning and purpose to my life. So, I decided to really invest in my business and see just how far I could go! In the last six months, I have taken considerable steps in becoming a professional in this field, including purchasing a new camera, the Sony A7iii (excellent camera for the price!) with new lenses and a camera bag, watching hundreds of hours of video about photography as an art and as a business from online classes, officially naming my business, creating business cards, investing in a website, maintaining a presence on social media, and really communicating and establishing relationships with the community around me. I have now gained a new purpose for my own life, which is now capturing those precious moments of life for so many clients. I had an inkling that God was always leading me towards this path all of my life, and I apologize to Him for taking so long to get here!
Has it been a smooth road?
The hardest struggle for me, personally, has been my own self-confidence related to my work. It is VERY easy to get sucked into the habit of comparing your work to another’s with the mentality of just putting yourself down. I have recently learned to turn those comparisons into motivation, such as by asking myself, “What could I do differently so I can practice doing?” If I do not know the answer, I’ll research until I do know! That method has been a much better experience than just sitting in insecurity.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I have experience in portrait, graduate/senior, boudoir, couple, family, maternity, newborn, children, event, and nature photography. I love all of the sessions that I have provided to clients, but my favorite sessions, as well as the ones that have received probably the most outside attention, have been my portrait sessions and newborn sessions. I particularly love portraits for the one-on-one interaction that I get to have with a client and getting to know the client more intimately than I possibly would if it was a group shoot. I also particularly enjoy newborn shoots because newborns are sometimes the BEST models!
As a business owner, I pride myself in genuinely being driven by serving the client. I offer very affordable prices with a considerable amount of edited photographs in return; I offer payment plans for those that are in a tight spot; I genuinely listen to my clients and tailor their shoots to their wants and needs; and I will make sure that my clients feel, by the end of the photoshoot, like the most gorgeous super models who only create the most beautiful art with their faces and bodies, which will only be affirmed once receiving their images and witnessing how truly gorgeous they are just as themselves. Overall, I am just all about the client, and I want him or her to have the best experience that they possibly can without having to break the bank to get that!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I do believe that my business will continue to thrive in Richmond and the surrounding areas, for the type of photography that I provide fits very well with this community. It is also tremendously helpful that I have been able to establish countless connections here, and networking is very important for a small business. Houston is one of the most, if not THE most, diverse cities in the United States, and I believe that this has helped Houstonians and those in the surrounding cities become very open to novel artforms and develop an appreciation for those from unique backgrounds. The surrounding areas are also diverse in environment and appearance, so I believe that you could practice any style of photography here. Overall, I would say, yes: Houston is a great place to jump into photography!
However, even if I believed that Houston was not the place for photography, I would still tell anybody interested in photography to try it out! Do not let where you live and where you are in life deter you from what you want to pursue. It will be easier for some and harder for others to pursue artistic interests, of course, but it will always be worth it.
Pricing:
- Portrait Session, 15 professionally edited digital photographs – $60
- Portrait Session, 30 professionally edited digital photographs – $100
- Graduate/Senior, 30 professionally edited digital photographs – $150
- Couples, 30 professionally edited digital photographs – $150
- Boudoir, 30 professionally edited digital photographs – $175
- Maternity, 30 professionally edited digital photographs – $175
- Newborn, 30 professionally edited digital photographs – $200
- Child, 30 professionally edited digital photographs – $175 to $125
- Family (up to 5 members), 30 professionally edited digital photographs – $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stacieleannphotos.shootproof.com/
- Email: StacieLHiggins@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacieleannphotos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StacieLeannPhotos/
Image Credit:
Stacie Leann Photos
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