portrait

“I Am” Projects- Sydney, North Shore

by stacie
5 March 201915 September 2020

I Am projects

When I was 11, I started a new school with high hopes, no friends & one bully. I quickly forgot ANYONE loved me. So when my kids entered the tween years I started photographing their peers, making â€˜I Amâ€™ projects for kids 10-20 yr. old. It blows me away every time I see a tween look up & see they are important & that they have people in their corner!

I want to give kids a boost of confidence when they need it most.

An â€œI Amâ€ project is… a collection of portraits & personalized affirmations for your tween. I photograph each tween in my home studio while parents reach out to family, friends & teachers to privately tell me how your child lights up the room or give words of wisdom to help them through life’s rough patches. A final collection of between 17 and 20 strong, beautiful portraits is presented to your child with the unexpected addition of quotes from their favorite people.

Who is eligible? This project is for adolescents starting at 10 year old through to young adults and even parents and grandparents can be given an I Am project.

What happens after? After I compile the quotes and sort the images I create a presentation of your child’s “I Am” project. You and your child return to my house for the screening to see the images in a multimedia presentation (tissues included).

How to participate… If you want an I Am project for your child, I will be photographing projects through the Spring HolidayÂ and have space for only 5Â tweens. I will take bookings until this Friday, 18 September by midnight… Email me directly at: stacie@stacieannsmith.com

Print collections start at $450 (AUD). This would make a great birthday or graduation gift. But, really, this is a perfect ‘just because’ gift.

Spread the word…Â I am very new to Australia and I know very few people… if you could spread the word about my “I Am” projects I would be very grateful.

Swami’s Beach: Senior Portrait

by stacie
21 August 2015

Do you know this place?Â I believe it is named for the meditation garden overlooking the beach… but I could be wrong.Â Go fact check on Wiki and let me know.

This beach is full of stuff to do.Â Lots of surfers in the water, mostly long boarders (if you care).Â Many people walking the rocks and when the tide is low, I’m sure there are people combing the tide pools. Â We came for the cliffs and the water’s edge.Â We came for a beauty to match, or at least come near, my niece’s.Â Who is nearly 18.Â Which means we just celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary.Â Unreal.

Clothes… Vintage… 80’s even

by stacie
23 November 2014

How many times can Dani Lands change her clothes in a 2 hour block of time? About 30. Here’s a snippet of what we got done together the other day. She is starting her own vintage clothing shop over on etsy. Check out her killer wares, perfect for these cold days.

Family Portrait Session: Testosterone

by stacie
24 September 201417 September 2014

Yep. That’s right. Until Jen showed up it was just 3 dudes. I told them I was feeling a bit off photographing just dudes. But we got to know each other a bit and I think once that happened, the normal flow began. This was their best rocker pose:
Awesomeness, then…

… “man, is this ever gonna END!?”

But I’m jumping ahead. Those were taken closer to the end of our glorious time together.Â The boathouse is where we met and where we began.

Then Jen came and showed them how it’s done.Â She’s an old pro, having been in front of my camera last year.Â Can I say how much I love these two together?Â and of course the Colorado sky was in full effect.Â It threatened to rain on us, but we stuck it out… this being our rescheduled-because-of-rain session.Â Besides, bad weather is the most beautiful… unless it really is raining cats and dogs, then it’s typically miserable and super dark.

Those I Love: Kim

by stacie
24 September 201422 September 2014

This post is part of a Portrait blog circle. Please click through to see the other talented photographers’ portraits that were taken in September. The next photographer in the circle is
my good friend Pamela Joye.

I cannot wait to keep photographing old friends.Â Kim is my oldest friend. Not by age, duh, but by the length of time I’ve known and loved her.Â When we moved to Mission Viejo, she was the gregarious girl who loved the classroom rat and happily showed me how to let said rat lick peanut butter off my finger.Â Classroom rat, ugh.Â But she WAS a loved pet.Â Now I am lucky enough to have Kim in my life, and because of Kim I get to know Lance too.Â I only wish I could spend more time with them both.Â I think one of Kim’s most obvious skills, at least when you are hungry and visiting from out of town, is knowing just where the best dumpling house or poke place or Italian or any of the best food establishments can be found.Â She also knows the art of gift giving.Â Every time she visits, our shelves are stocked with see’s or the best banana chips EVER… I think she out did herself when she brought us 20 avocados this summer from her Garden of Edan backyard tree.Â Seriously, her back yard is like the Garden.Â Someday I’ll photograph that.Â But really, Kim is the best at making me feel happy. She lets you know she cares and wants you around. All her giving shows how much she loves life and those around her. I consider myself lucky to have seen Lance and Kim twice this year.Â Kim, you are one of my very favorites.Â Ever.