THE WOMAN BEHIND
THE LENS, Erika.

Hello,

I'm guessing you aren't here to read about my wonderful family & adorable dogs, my boring desk job, or how I ended up in Baltimore, Maryland. I think I'm supposed to tell you all about how I became a photographer. I don't have a big epic story about how it all started or even how I got to where I am now.

I guess I can say, my photography journey began when I was a kid. Middle school to be exact. The days when I spent my time just hanging out with my friends and documenting our adventures along the way.

I grew up in what used to be a small town called Summerville. Back then my name was easier to pronounce, I was Erika Staples before I married Chris. But people just knew me as Nicky and Cory's little sister. Back in those days, I spent my hard earned allowance on Friday night pizzas, developing my disposable cameras and film for my polaroid. There were also many lazy summer afternoons where I enjoyed following around my 7 toed cat (Pumpkin) and taking random pictures of him. Pumpkin was a pretty bad ass cat… but that's a story for another day.

Anyway, somewhere along the line people started paying me to take pictures for them. It's kind of an amazing feeling to get paid doing something I'm so passionate about. I've always been a bit socially uncomfortable. I learned early on that there is something calming about looking through the view finder and feeling the shutter release beneath my fingertips. When I have my camera in hand, all my nerves are at ease.

There are times when I enjoy being creative and setting up still life photography shoots, or go exploring - chasing the light and hunting for interesting landscapes. But nothing really compares to the feeling of joy that comes over me when I see portraits that I've taken. Ones that draw emotion or capture nearly forgotten memories.

We get so busy with life and rushing through our to-dos every day. Sometimes I think we forget to stop and appreciate the beauty around us. The beauty that is us. That is what I get to do through photography. I get to stop and not only appreciate beauty, but I get to create and document it.

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 What they are saying

Reviews

“The pictures are beautiful - there are so many we will frame! We will definitely call her next time we want professional pictures taken. I highly recommend her!“

“Erika is fantastic with kids and it is very apparent that she wants her clients to leave happy. She really takes the time to figure out what her clients are looking for and makes sure to deliver it.“

“My family had a wonderful experience with Erika. I would say that Erika is friendly, flexible, talented and a great bang for the buck. I don’t think you could ask for more.“

“Working with Erika was a super easy process, the session was well thought out at a beautiful location that she had pre-screened, she was professional and low-key. The entire experience was relaxing and fun.“

“We had a fantastic experience! Erika was great with the kids and captured all of the best moments from our session. It can be hard with young kids but she was patient and did whatever was necessary to get them to smile (even jumping around like a frog...which worked!).”

“She was friendly and made us feel comfortable and was great with my young children. She also chose a beautiful location. I’ve printed many of the pictures and they print beautifully. We will definitely be taking pictures with Erika again!“

“Erika photographed our Christmas card pictures last year and did an amazing job. We were completely blown away by the quality of the photos. She managed to capture some incredible candid, beautiful shots in just 30 minutes. We now have magnets, framed photos for the grandparents from those shots, probably the best photos of the three of us yet! She's on the calendar for this year's photo shoot as well. Would completely recommend.“

“Erika communicated well the entire time, was very personable and gave us lots of tips for our weekend trip. Her rates are reasonable, quick turn around time, and the quality of her work is truly amazing. Erika knew the location well and brought us to different areas of the park that gave us beautiful backgrounds. She gave us beautiful family portraits and lots of baby solo portraits that we will enjoy for many many years to come.“

“I hired Erika to capture photos at my mother's intimate backyard wedding. I was thoroughly pleased with the results! The entire experience from inquiry to delivery of the photos was professional, friendly, engaging and efficient. The entire wedding day photography experience was enjoyable. I have never seen my mom so happy and now I have that wonderful moment capture on a photo forever thanks to Erika!“