What's the story?
I love my clients. At the end of every session they become more than clients. I love that I get to see such personality and really get to know people from all walks of life behind the lens. Everyone is so unique! We think differently, we act differently, and we come from many different backgrounds. I've learned so much from life itself but I also learn from everyone I come in contact with. There are so many different cultures, traditions, and backgrounds here in Charleston, SC! It truly is a melting pot here and I am blessed to be able to be a photographer in Charleston, SC and meet all the great people along the way! I love human connection and it's so important to build those relationships.
With every person comes a new story. I always want a portrait to tell a story. It can come from facial expressions, clothing, or even an object in the image. You may look at an image and think "What's that?" or "that's a cute touch!" but it can mean the world to the family in the portrait. I love the personal touches to all the beautiful artwork I create. It all starts with a photograph and a story!
One story I have is this little stuffed bear in this portrait. To anyone looking at it that doesn't know the family you think "That's a cute bear!" but what they don't know is this stuffed bear is named after a little sister who went to Heaven. Her name is "Lidia Bear" to this family and it's a reminder to her precious siblings and parents of her. A loss of a child is absolutely devastating and can't be forgotten. I loved that I could capture such a sweet soul in a portrait even though she wasn't physically with us. It is such a special image to keep for the family and have Lidia Bear in the portrait with her siblings. I felt incredibly honored to have worked with such a strong and resilient family. With such a painful memory, they are able to smile and remember their sister with warmth in their hearts! It's irreplaceable. It's a story within the photograph.
From the parents of the portrait created above:
"We absolutely LOVE our portraits from Castelo Portrait Art! Maria did an incredible job capturing the personalities of our children, Luke and Lilah. They are four and two years old, so that is no easy feat! My husband and I are blown away by the beauty and perfection of our children's portraits, and we could stare at them all day. They will most definitely be heirlooms that will last forever in our family. We highly recommend Castelo Portrait Art for portrait photography. Maria truly has a gift and is incredibly talented in her work!" -Danielle & Jonah B.
Another unforgettable session I had was between a son and his father. His father was in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed while his son was born. To capture such powerful and patriotic art pieces held a special place in my heart. I could never imagine missing such a big milestone! The sacrifices our military men and women make are so amazing and I love that I had the pleasure to work with such a sweet family to capture that. To see how much love the father had or his sweet son even after missing such a big part of his life was incredible. It's irreplaceable. It's a story within a photograph.
Each session is so special to me and it's not just a picture. I'ts a beautiful piece of art. It's a story. It's irreplaceable. It's such sweet memories frozen in time and completely unique to each and every family. It's a reminder of how strong, resilient, happy, and powerful we were in a specific time. You look back on each portrait and smile. You remember. I love capturing that for for families and getting to know those stories. I love building those relationships and making those connections with people. It's so important to always choose love and kindness every day!
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