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Sacramento Lifestyle Portrait and Event Photographer

@staniphotography

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Stanislava is Award winning Artist / Mentor /Photography for emotional growth @stani.andrea and @mamastani

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2 days ago

Fall family portrait season is here 🍂

In this video, I’m answering some of the most common questions I get about family portrait sessions, especially during the busy fall season — from mini vs. full sessions to scheduling, locations, availability, and what might work best for your family.

I currently have 3 mini-session dates left in November, along with limited availability for full and extended family sessions this fall.

If you’re thinking about updating your family portraits this year, I hope this video helps make the planning process a little easier. You can find all the details and pricing on my website, or feel free to reach out with any questions.

#sacramentophotographer #sacramentofamilyphotographer #westsac #916photographer #rosevillefamilyphotographer taken in Sacramento, California by @staniphotography

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6 days ago

Wow, it’s Monday — 01/26/26 — a mirrored date and right on time for making an important decision.
Today I’m deciding that I will do my best
✨ to share my creative work with you every week because I have all this beautiful work that I am so proud of it that never shared with you and I hope it inspires you in one way or another.

So here I am, turning that decision into action and happily sharing this family portrait session from one of my favorite places — Davis Arboretum.

Why do I love it so much?
Because no matter the season or weather (okay… except heavy rain 😄), it’s always a beautiful spot for portraits. The redwoods never change color — they stay magical all year long and create the perfect backdrop for your family’s story and milestones.

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall — you really can’t go wrong there.

A little tip though:
🍂 Fall weekends get very busy. If you’d rather not be surrounded by lots of families and photographers, I suggest booking in another season or choosing a weekday during fall instead.

Would you love your family portraits captured in this beautiful location? 💛 comment or DM me and we can chat! taken in Davis, California by @staniphotography

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8 months ago

Sometimes we think we are photographing another person, but perhaps we are also photographing something within ourselves.

I created this image years ago as part of a series in which another woman became my protagonist. She was not meant to represent me, and yet over time I realized that I was using her presence to explore my own identity, displacement, femininity, longing, and sense of belonging.

Looking at this work today, I understand it differently.

In photography, we choose what we notice. We choose the moment, the gesture, the frame. And often those choices reveal as much about the photographer as they do about the person in front of the camera.

This is something I am becoming increasingly curious about through photography and my work with systemic constellations: the ways we recognize, project, identify, and sometimes meet our shadow through another person.

Perhaps every portrait contains two people — the person being photographed, and the person behind the camera.

Do you know what you are seeing in another person — and what might actually belong to you?

Photographed on 35mm film, New York, 2007

#35mmphotography #conceptualphotography #contemplativephotography #phototherapy #fineartphotography A woman with dark curly hair stands outside a bar or storefront at night, smoking a cigarette. She wears a black dress and looks off to the side with a distant expression. Neon signage and reflections glow behind her, giving the 35mm photograph a cinematic, film-still quality. taken in New York City by @staniphotography

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3 days ago

There’s something about photographing at Lake Tahoe and in the Sierra Nevada that always inspires me. It makes me want to stop time for a moment and immerse myself in the beauty and power of nature.

Being a free-spirited person, I’m always open to an adventure. 🏔️ That’s why I’ll happily make the drive to Tahoe for the day to photograph clients who have traveled all the way from places like Florida or Texas to experience the magic of Lake Tahoe in October.

So if you’re the kind of person who would rather hike to a beautiful view, explore somewhere new, or turn your photo session into a little adventure—I’m your photographer. 🤍

I also know some beautiful spots around South Lake Tahoe with incredible views and easy parking, so your session can feel adventurous without being complicated.

I offer special Lake Tahoe session pricing, separate from my regular portrait collections. If Tahoe has been calling you, send me a message and let’s create something beautiful there.
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#laketahoephotographer #laketahoefamilyphotographer #adventurephotographer #sacramentophotographer #southlaketahoe Couple kissing in front of a mountain hill near South Lake Tahoe captured by Tahoe portrait photographer near the lake taken in South Lake Tahoe, California by @staniphotography

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3 days ago

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8 days ago

When was the last time you had an extended family portrait? Maybe this fall is the perfect time to finally create one.

I know how difficult it can be to gather everyone together — coordinating schedules, different households, children, grandparents, and all the little logistics that come with it. But years from now, you probably won’t remember how complicated it was to organize. You’ll remember the time you spent together and have photographs that preserve that moment for generations.

Through my family constellation training, I’ve also started seeing family more and more as a whole — generations connected to one another, with each person having their own place within the family story. It has made extended family portraits feel even more meaningful to me: not simply photographs of individuals, but photographs of belonging, connection, and lineage.

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. #sacramentofamilyphotographer #sacramentoportraitphotographer #extendedfamilyphotographer #westsacramentophotographer #laketahoephotographer Extended family portrait near Lake captured by Sacramento portrait and family Photographer. taken in Sacramento, California by @staniphotography

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14 days ago

Happy Autumn Equinox! 🍁
For is officially here - and is my favorite season for portraits to be honest.

These images are from a beautiful session I photographed last fall in South Lake Tahoe, surrounded by glowing aspen, trees, and all those golden colors that make this time of the year so special.
Fall in Tahoe is magical, but the window for this colors is very short. If you have been thinking about booking a family couple individual portrait session among the autumn aspens now is the time to start planning..
I still have a few full dates available, including opportunities for Lake Tahoe sessions. If you would love portraits like this send me a message soon so we can plan for this beautiful but fleeting season. I also offer special Tahoe portrait packages during the season.

And if you haven’t started thinking about your full family or portrait session yet now is the perfect time for portrait. Season has officially begun.

#laketahoephotographer #laketahoefamilyphotographer #tahoeportraitphotographer #sacramentophotographer #tahoephotographer taken in Lake Tahoe, California by @staniphotography

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16 days ago

Today, on the autumn equinox, I’m thinking about harvest — not only what we gather from the earth, but what we gather within ourselves.

Since winter, I’ve felt something shifting quietly within me. What once felt unclear has started to take shape, and things that were unconscious have slowly come into awareness. Through my constellation training and my creative work, I’ve been learning to see more clearly — not only what I am creating, but also what is changing within me.

I chose this image of St. John’s wort because this plant has been part of my life since childhood. My father and I used to gather it together in the near mountain where I grew up and I made some of my first money selling it. Now, as a woman, I return to it as a personal herbal ritual.

I created this photograph in Bulgaria in 2022, as we were emerging from the isolating years of the pandemic. Looking at it now, the light moving through the plant feels symbolic to me — a return to light, clarity, and the feeling that life was opening again.

I created this photograph in Bulgaria in 2022, as we were emerging from the isolating years of the pandemic. Looking at it now, the light moving through the plant feels symbolic to me — a return to light, clarity, and the feeling that life was opening again.

For me, this image is more than a photograph of an herb. Just as St. John’s wort has long been associated with healing the body, I see the photograph as an invitation toward another kind of healing — the inner healing that can happen when we slow down, contemplate, and allow an image to reveal something within us.

Perhaps our inner harvest is simply this:

What can you see in yourself now that you could not see in winter?

Learn more about St. John’s wort and its seasonal tradition in the comments. 🌿

#stjohnswort #fineartphotography #healingthroughart #artforthesoul #limitededitionprints Fine-art photograph of St. John’s wort in Bulgaria, 2022, with light passing through the delicate plant and illuminating its yellow flowers and leaves, creating a quiet, contemplative feeling. taken in Smolyan Lakes by @staniphotography

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16 days ago

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19 days ago

And just like that, we have a teenager. ❤️

Watching your child grow from the little one you once held in your arms into their own person is such a beautiful and emotional experience. For me, being able to witness and support that growth feels like one of the greatest successes of my life.

As parents, we think we are the ones teaching our children, but so often they are teaching us too — patience, unconditional love, priorities, and just how quickly time moves.

And something new has officially entered our house: photo approval. 😂

At 13, Nikola is much more conscious of how he wants to be seen, so I now ask before sharing his photographs online or using them in my portfolio. A few of my favorites did not make his approved list — apparently this photographer-mom now has an art director at home. 😄 And I respect that.

This milestone also inspired something new in my photography.

I am officially introducing a new portrait concept: The 13th Portrait — a session created to document that unique threshold between childhood and the teenage years, when our children are beginning to discover who they are and how they want to be seen.

Photograph these years — the funny ones, the awkward ones, the quiet ones, the milestones, and everything in between. As our children grow, the photographs become not only our memories of them, but part of their own story too.

Happy 13th birthday, Nikola. ❤️

#13yearsold #teenagerposts #adolescents #sacramentoportraitphotographer #columbia taken in Olympic National Park by @staniphotography

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22 days ago

On this day 8 years ago, we made it official at San Francisco City Hall. ❤️

15 years together. Building a life, building a family, growing up together through challenges, laughter, travels, changes, and all the seasons of life.

Looking back, I wouldn’t change a single moment. Every chapter has shaped us, deepened us, and brought us here. And after all these years, what we have feels more real, more grounded, and more meaningful than ever.

Happy anniversary to us. ❤️
Thanks @rikkivw for the beautiful photos and your presence that day that will cherish forever and ever🙏🫶 by @staniphotography

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