Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Lanni.
Hi Stephanie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
From an early age I loved to photograph everything and anything. I remember driving across the country during road trips as a kid and blinking to “take” a picture of scenery we were passing. In high school, I had the pleasure of taking black and white photos to develop in a darkroom, which is rare to be able to do today. I continued my passion recreationally throughout high school, college, and after, photographing nature, family, friends, and colleagues. When I was invited to shoot my first wedding, I fell in love with capturing that intimate connection and knew I needed to explore that feeling further. While working full time for a non-profit, I continued my side hustle, photography, studying, practicing, learning about editing, posing, connection, and emotions. While I was thinking in a few years I would enjoy going full time with photography, my world was flipped upside down. COVID19 came to the US and our country shut down. With the shut down, I was furloughed for six months and subsequently laid off as my non-profit office had to close due to the pandemic.
Suddenly, I found myself with a free schedule and a drive to start my new career. I took the time being furloughed to continue my education, master my photo style, and network like crazy! I officially launched my LLC during the pandemic which was terrifying, exhilarating, and exactly what I needed to have to bring myself happiness during an unknown time. Today, I am full steam ahead into my full time business and cannot wait to document and celebrate more couples this year. Today I am able to say I am a female entrepreneur, the CEO of my own business, and a professional wedding photographer.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s definitely been a challenge launching a business during a pandemic! With the majority of weddings and events cancelled or rescheduled to later dates, I often found myself wondering if this was the right time to try and enter the field. Luckily, love prevails, and though my schedule may not have been full of large weddings, it’s been filled with wonderful and intimate elopements, micro weddings, backyard weddings, and couple’s sessions. One of the biggest blessings of having downtime during the pandemic was the ability to really hone in on my style and learn. I invested in educational courses, shot photos constantly, put together styled shoots to practice and meet people, and grew my marketing efforts. Whenever I get discouraged that there aren’t as many large weddings happening, I have a smaller shoot where I create photos I only dreamed about in my head or from my mentors before and it reinvigorates me to keep on creating.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a photographer who specializes in love and personal connection – weddings, couples, engagements, and maternity. My style is genuine, romantic, and airy, with a special focus on making you look your natural best self. I get inspiration from real camera film colors, old paintings with a softness to them, and bridal fashion. I’m known for my ability to capture wider shots with your scenery, but also close up intimate details such as your ring, that glance you give your new spouse, or your hand lightly touching your pregnant belly. My sessions and style are fun! I treat it like you’re on a date and we’re laughing and dancing, and smiling and joking. I love for all of my clients to walk way saying they had an even better time than they expected and can’t wait to do a photoshoot again. Having a bond with my clients where they can immediately be at ease sets me apart and is important to me to make them feel great about themselves during the session.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
The most surprised reactions I get from people is when they learn I’ve been in this field professionally for less than a year! I truly dove in head first into making my dream happen and immersed myself in as much knowledge as I could possibly absorb. Many people think I’ve been shooting weddings much longer, especially as I have been able to make relationships with many other vendors in a short period of time.
Pricing:
- Elopements: 550
- Micro Weddings: 1500+
- Full Weddings: 2200+
- Engagements: 300
- Maternity: 300
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@stephanielanniphoto.com
- Website: www.stephanielanniphoto.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/stephanielanniphoto
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/slanniphotography
Image Credits
Stephanie Lanni Photography
