Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefani Ciotti.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Around the time I was starting high school, my family began to fall in love with traveling. It occurred to me rather quickly that no one in my family really enjoyed taking photos. We would return home from an incredible trip and have nothing to show for it. So “out of necessity” I took it upon myself to become the family photographer because I never wanted to forget a single thing about our adventures; the laughs, the sites, the new experiences, the people, the flavors and smells. So it didn’t take long before I was completely obsessed. But what I realized I was actually obsessed with, was not just the photography; but specifically the capturing/documenting of memories/moments and the feelings in those moments.
I specialize in wedding and family photography. But more specifically, my passion is in capturing memories. At some point in our lives all that we have left are the experiences and the memories of the beautiful moments we have lived. If we’re lucky enough, we also have photographs of these moments. Photographs we can return to time and again to relive those precious memories and that help to tell the story of our lives. Whether they’re up on your wall, where you walk by it every day and get to relive even just a small part of that special memory again. Or whether they’re in a beautifully crafted album that you can cuddle up on the couch with your kids one day and flip through it telling them all about their parents’ love story. I believe they deserve to be remembered, and remembered often. I strive to create pieces of art for my couples and their families, and these pieces in turn become part of their legacy. They will be the heirlooms that they pass down to their children and that they’ll in turn pass down to their children and so on and so forth. One day, they will play a giant role in the passing on of the story of their lives, and as a photographer, this is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. I do my best to honor that responsibility by not only ensuring that I’m capturing all of these special moments as beautifully and as authentically as I can. But, by also designing custom wall art pieces and heirloom albums where these memories and stories will be able to live on for generations to come.
I was overwhelmed by how much love and joy was in the air that day and I was hit with that same urge/need to document every moment for them, just as I had had with my own family during our adventures together. I believe every one of those moments should be captured and never forgotten. I believe you should be able to look back at your images and be able to relive exactly how you were feeling in that moment in every photograph. Beyond that, I believe your children and your grandchildren should be able to look back at your images and understand exactly who you were, they should be able to feel the love you felt and the joy that was present in that moment.
Photography should tell our story, authentically and in all of its beauty… and I want to help tell those stories.
Please tell us about your art.
At some point in our lives, all that we have left are the experiences and the memories of the beautiful moments we have lived. If we’re lucky enough, we also have photographs of these moments. Photographs we can return to time and again to relive those precious memories and that help to tell the story of our lives.
Whether that’s up on your wall, where you walk by it every day and get to relive even just a small part of that special memory again. Or whether it is in a beautifully crafted album that you can cuddle up on the couch with your kids one day and flip through it telling them all about their mom and dad’s love story. They deserve to be remembered and remembered often.
These pieces of art, that I am honored to be able to create with my couples and their families, become part of their legacy. They will be the heirlooms that they pass down to their children and that they’ll, in turn, pass down to their children and so on and so forth. One day, they will play a giant role in the passing on of the story of our lives, and as a photographer, this is a responsibility that I take very seriously.
I do my best to honor that responsibility by not only ensuring that I’m capturing all of these special moments as beautifully and as authentically as possible. But, by also designing custom wall art pieces and heirloom albums where these memories and stories will be able to live on for generations!
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
Hustle and hustle HARD. It is not easy to turn your passions into a career, especially as a creative. But, if you stick with it, there is nothing more rewarding. Do what you need to do to be okay and to pay your bills and then work your butt off. Once you can get enough momentum going, it will start to get easier. But you’ve got to put in the work, be dogged and above all else: believe in yourself. And if you can do that, things will start to fall into place and I promise you won’t regret it!
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can find my work online! Either on my website, on Instagram or on Facebook.
But I am definitely most active on Instagram! Feel free to drop by and say hi! I’d love to connect with you!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://StefaniCiottiPhotography.com
- Phone: (714) 673-8267
- Email: Stefani@StefaniCiottiPhotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/Stefani_Ciotti_Photography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/StefaniCiottiPhotography
Image Credit:
Stefani Ciotti Photography
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
