Central Lakes College student Marcia Stanton was featured in the Brainerd Dispatch in an article by Jessi Pierce. Marcia, a candidate for the Associate in Arts degree, is a 19-year-old entrepreneur whose photographic interest led to her creating Blackened Light Photography of Brainerd. She specializes in affordable portrait photography and also is a nature-lover who manages to incorporate the natural world into shots whenever feasible and desired by clients. She also does wedding photography. “To be able to get that perfect
shot during a wedding or with newborns is really something special,” she said in the article.
“Of course it can take thousands of shots to get, but when you do, it makes me
realize why I enjoy doing this as much as I do.” You may reach her at (218) 232-3667 or blackenedlightphotography@gmail.comThe article, courtesy of The Brainerd Dispatch:
EVERYDAY PEOPLE: A picture perfect profession
Finding her focus
Take a snapshot
of Marcia Stanton’s life and show it to her 10 years ago and she wouldn’t
believe it.
Working toward
her associate arts degree at Central Lakes College and opening up her own
photography business, it’s hard to believe the 19-year-old at one point in time
was not a fan of taking pictures.
“To be honest I
used to hate photography,” said Stanton, who opened and started her business
venture Blackened Light Photography six months ago. “I never really had an
interest in doing it and I really didn’t think that it would turn in to what it
has for me.”
Moving with her
family from Minnetonka, a suburb of Minneapolis, to Brainerd eight years ago,
Stanton said her passion for photography began to expand with nature in the
Brainerd area.
“About two
years ago I started taking a lot of nature portraits,” said Stanton. “That’s
when I really started getting into photography and seeing how much I can do
with it.”
Going from a
disposable camera as a young girl, to a digital camera to begin exploring
photography, Stanton decided it was time for an upgrade, buying a Cannon LSR
and exploring the idea of turning her passion in to a career.
Now boasting
portrait photography company in Blackened Light Photography, Stanton goes on
location for special events. And capturing that raw emotion through photos is
what she loves most.
“To be able to get that perfect
shot during a wedding or with newborns is really something special,” she said.
“Of course it can take thousands of shots to get, but when you do, it makes me
realize why I enjoy doing this as much as I do.”Stanton said her goal for each session with her customers is for them to feel comfortable and provide a service at a reasonable cost.
“I remember talking with my friends about the cost of our (high school) graduation photos and I decided I don’t want people spending hundreds of dollars on posed shots,” said Stanton, who started out shooting family and friend’s events before offering her skills to others. “I start with $45 for an hour session and after the shoot I give my customers a picture CD of both edited and non-edited images for them to look at.”
So even though Stanton didn’t imagine beginning a career in photography, can she vision doing it years down the road?
“Absolutely,” she said with a smile. “I love doing this. I want to earn my degree, hopefully get in to Minnesota College of Art and Design, and begin a career in freelance photography.”
A picture perfect career.
