I have had a love for documenting life for as long as I can remember, which I owe all to my dad.  He passed his love for photography onto me and I am happy to pass it onto my boys.  They love finding light streaming into our home and looking for shadows!  I took a black and white film photography class in college, learning how to develop and print images in a dark room.  The class was an amazing experience, which only furthered my love for photography.  I purchased my first DSLR in 2011 when my first son was born.  After that I was on a mission to learn everything I needed to know to create images that matched my vision!  I’ve taken a few workshops and grew so much after each one.  I truly became active in the photography community this year and have met so many amazing artists!  I never imagined I would be where I am today!

I enjoy capturing real emotions and connections, using dramatic and interesting light and creating images that make my viewer feel something.  Once I learned how to see light it opened endless possibilities for my images.  I enjoy preserving moments that otherwise would be lost.

When did you get your start in the industry?
I’ve been photographing quite a bit since my first son was born however; it wasn’t until I had a family session with Kelly St. Pierre Photography that I truly became obsessed with photography. Her images made me want to be able to capture my own family with emotion and honesty. I want my children to look back on their childhoods with gorgeous images that make them feel and remember. Since that session with Kelly almost 3 years ago, I’ve been committed to learning everything I can about photography and running a photography business.

I’ve been in business for almost a full year now capturing families, children and newborns in the Ottawa, Ontario Canada area.

What do you enjoy most about photography?
I love being able to capture families and children in their “now.” I want families to be able to look back on their images with me and remember their favorite places and activities to do together as a family. I love being able to capture people in their genuine state, without coaxing them to smile. I find it very rewarding to be able to capture a family or child in the moment, doing something that they would normally do unprompted. These are the photos that people look back on and feel nostalgic.

Who is someone who has inspired you in your business?
There are so many artists in this industry that inspire me. It is quite honestly too difficult to narrow it down to just a single person but other than the kick start of motivation to learn from Kelly St. Pierre, I’d have to say Colie James Photography. I absolutely love how she is able to capture families just being themselves and interacting with one another. Her work is just so honest and authentic and I really appreciate that in an artist.

What is your favorite quote:

I would have to say, “If you want to learn what someone fears losing, watch what they photograph.” ~Unknown

And if you weren’t doing photography right now, what else would you want to be doing?
I am actually not a full time photographer. I currently work as a trained Early Childhood Educator, working with children from 18 months to 6 years. I am honestly blessed to be able to stay home with my own children, while educating other’s children through play. It’s also an added bonus to know how to work with children and have that translate into my work with photography.

Stephanie Mason currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. She specializes in family, child and newborn portraits through storytelling photography. She lives with her husband of 7 years, two boys and a basset hound that manages to eat everything in sight. Facebook