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Welcome

I'm so happy you are here! My name is Stacie Kemp, I'm an Iowa girl who married and uprooted myself and business to Chicago, IL. I love family, friends, food, fashion and capturing life's moments involving all of the above!

My love affair with photography began in college. Do you know that magical feeling you get when you wake up Christmas morning? That's the feeling I get every time I photograph, every time I capture the essence of someone's personality, the love between couples and families, the awe and wonder of a child. I'm passionate about my art and about capturing every fun, exciting, silly, fashionable, quiet, romantic and crazy moment of life.

If you'd like to schedule a session, I'd love to hear from you! I strive to make every session unique and special to you. Please contact me at 115,116,97,99,105,101,107,101,109,112,112,104,111,116,111,103,114,97,112,104,121,64,103,109,97,105,108,46,99,111,109,46.moc.liamg@yhpargotohppmekeicats

If you'd like to see more of my work, visit staciekempphotography.com and like me on facebook to keep up to date on the latest news, promotions and deals.

December 28, 2013

Maria | Chicago Senior Portraits

Hello Friends! You may have noticed, it’s been a little while since my last post (4 months!). This year my photography business BOOMED in a way I couldn’t have imagined. I feel extremely blessed! I run my photography business on weekends and evenings so editing sessions and working with clients has taken priority over blogging and social media sad to say. However, I am taking a much needed break from shooting through February and have some AMAZING sessions to share with you in the meantime as I get caught up.

Today’s portrait session is of a wonderful senior I photographed shortly after the 4th of July this past summer. Maria is GORGEOUS and just stunning in her blue dress. When Maria contacted me, she really wanted something different and unique. Chicago is full of unique senior portrait locations and I loved working with Maria to come up with some special locations. We had fun working together and I have to say, she is SUPER sweet and was a ton of fun to photograph. Enjoy!

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July 15, 2013

Silas + Joyce | Chicago Couples and Family Portrait Photographer | Downtown Chicago Portraits

These are probably some of the most adorable Chicago couple’s portraits EVER!! Silas and Joyce were planning to move and wanted to capture portraits around the city at some of their favorite locations. Joyce was full of ideas and I LOVE how these portraits showcase all the places in the city they love and spent time at.

While I was editing these pictures, I could literally just see and feel the playful love between these two and it makes me smile every time I look at the portraitsBy now, Silas and Joyce have moved and are getting settled in their new city and I can’t wait for them to see all the great memories we captured. You wouldn’t know it by looking but when we took these portraits, it was a sweltering 90 degrees! Splashing around Crown Fountain in Millennium Park was the perfect way to end a fun and amazing session. Enjoy!

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July 7, 2013

Imani | Chicago and Oak Park Senior Portrait Photographer

I’m SO happy to present Imani’s gorgeous senior portraits! Her spirit and excitement for her next chapters in life are extremely infectious and I LOVE meeting people who are just as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. When you meet Imani’s family, it’s not hard to understand why that’s so. They all poured so much time, energy and love into making her senior portrait experience the best it could be (helping with every aspect of her session from outfits to hair and makeup) and it most definitely shows in the portraits and in her amazing personality. It truly warms my heart to get to meet and work with people as amazing as they are.

Imani and her Mom picked out some truly stunning outfits for her session. We worked together to narrow it down and come up with locations that fit each outfit perfectly and I couldn’t be more happy with the results. (If you like Imani’s style, check out some of these stores to get the look: Akira, LuLu’s and Macy’s).

Imani and family, thank you for your kindness and picking me to bring Imani’s senior portrait experience and vision to life. I had a blast working with you all and can’t wait to see what’s in store next. Enjoy!!

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July 7, 2013 - 5:39 pm

Vanna Cord - OMG Stacie you’ve done it again. This set of pictures might be my favorite yet! Gorgeous girl and gorgeous photography. Love her outfits and all the locations! How will she ever choose which ones to use for her senior pictures???

September 13, 2013 - 9:14 pm

Ashley Harris - Hi Stacie! Vanna Cord showed me your photography today and its absolutely amazing! This Chicago shoot specially took my breath away! That’s one lucky senior! What lenses were you using for this shoot?

September 27, 2013 - 1:28 am

Stacie Kemp - WOW, thank you Ashley! I usually bring 3 lenses with me on senior shoots. The 50mm 1.2L, 70-200mm 2.8L and the 16-35mm 2.8L. I used to use the 50mm about 80% of the time however I find myself reaching more and more for the 70-200. I just LOVE the 80-100mm focal range. There is an article on MCPactions.com here that shows a comparison of ideal focal lengths for portraits that is just great. As much as I love the 70-200, I tested out the 85mm 1.2L recently and can’t wait to get my hands on it again! For the shot on the bridge with the skyline, I used the 16-35mm (which I rarely use) however for something like that, no other lens would do!

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June 25, 2013

Hodges Family | Chicago and Iowa City Family Portrait Photographer

My husband and I have a lot of family in Iowa so we travel back often to visit. This last trip I was so excited because we took some updated portraits of my brother and his family! I might be biased but they are all SO stinkin cute and I’m in love with how much fun they all have together and how much love there is that goes around. I’m lucky and grateful to have such an awesome family. They were the very first people to hire me as a photographer and if it wern’t for them, I’m not sure my photography business would be in existence today! Thank you for believing in me and my work

During this session we had a little (BIG) scare as we realized my sister-in-law’s ENGAGEMENT ring was missing! If you’ve ever tried to look for a ring in a field of grass, you know it’s a little like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Luckily my brother happened upon it and the session could continue, but WHEW, adrenaline rush.

For their session we went to a local park and then ended with a few candid portraits playing around at home. It was sad to part ways at the end but we ended up with some great portraits and memories. Enjoy!

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June 25, 2013

Cramer 10 Year Anniversary Portraits | Chicago Couples and Family Portrait Photographer

I was so happy when Michelle contacted me about taking 10 year anniversary portraits of her and her husband during their visit to Chicago!! I LOVE that they wanted photos to commemorate the occasion and am extremely honored Michelle contacted me because she is a fellow photographer! You can see her work here! She also co-owns a content marketing company, is a freelance writer for several magazines and creates handmade lovies for little ones (um, wow!). One of the things that blew me away about the Cramers is how much fun they have together (love that) and their huge hearts. It was great to hear them talk about the personalities of their two little ones and you can really tell one of Michelle’s passions in life is using her gifts to help other people. It was really inspiring to hear their stories and meet them.

For the Cramer’s sessions we started out at the Lincoln Park South Pond Pavilion and then moved on to some GORGEOUS skyline portraits. For the last few shots, the Cramers asked me to take portraits of the anniversary gift he gave her (heart lock and key necklaces). I love how they turned out, enjoy!