Every product I offer is hand crafted with archival inks and archival materials.  Every piece will remain as vivid as it was originally for at least 100 years.  These are true heirloom pieces that can be passed onto your children someday, and they’ll look as perfect in their homes then as they do in yours today.  These are memories you and yours can feel and touch.  Relive them together, again and again and again.  These portraits, this art, this love, is your legacy.

Stacy Knapp Photography is very different than other photography businesses in Maine.  Yes, I specialize in capturing the most beautiful portraits you’ve ever seen of the people you love the most in this world.  Yes, I specialize in bringing this customized experience to you, in your own home or in the gorgeous outdoors of our home state, Maine.  But: I also specialize in creating heirloom art for you to pass down for generations and to enjoy every day on your walls of your home. I want you to surround yourself with gorgeous memories of those you love most, your family.

Did you know that seeing these precious faces on your walls can actually improve your mental health?  True!

Did you know that seeing their own little faces reminds children that they are loved?  True! (Just watch them squirm and smile when you show them a photo and tell them, “This was you when you were a baby.”  They love it!

All of the boutique heirloom pieces I offer are handmade.  Your images are not sent to a quick-print lab.  Your images are sent to other small businesses where they are crafted by hand into gorgeous art that will last for generations in your family.  Heirloom art.  This art, these portraits, this love, is your legacy.  While everything else changes –the paint on the walls, the furniture, your kid’s shoe size– these images will remain, a constant reminder of what’s most important.  Your images will not warp, fade, or yellow, and will remain brilliant for your children’s children’s children to enjoy.

It’s easy to accumulate hundreds (thousands!) of digital files on your computer and smart phone with the best of intentions of doing something with these precious memories “some day.”  When you work with me to customize your newborn and family portraits, “some day” is today.  Families choose me to invest in customized art their family will cherish for generations.  There are very few tangible things we can invest in that will actually stay in the family as technology and trends change.  (This is why I don’t include USB holders in my albums or collection boxes.  Your grandchildren probably won’t even know what a USB is, let alone have something to read the stored data!)  Family portraits are kept forever.  If they are printed.  If the extra time is taken to create heirloom albums, custom pieces of boutique wall art, or gorgeous collection boxes. In a couple of decades, you won’t remember those brand-name shoes you just had to have, that handbag that cost a few mortgage payments (okay, I might 😉 ), or that wide-screen ultra HD TV you thought was totally worth the investment.  What you will cherish 20 years from now are the memories captured in your family albums and portraits.  That pure joy you will feel when looking at your portraits years from now, transported back to these moments, is worth the investment.

From coordinating collection boxes of hand-matted portraits, albums, and portrait folios to stunning boutique wall art, I will help you select the best customized pieces for your home and family.  I know the choices can seem overwhelming, but I have spent seemingly endless hours choosing only the finest handmade items to offer my clients so your choices are made simpler, and I will walk you through every step of the process of personalizing these pieces to fit your family’s style to a T.

Does this sound like something you want for your family?  Reach out to me and let’s start talking about customizing your perfect session.

Single wall portraits are a true focal point, especially when crafted to the right size for the space you’re planning to hang it.  A custom fine art painting, a handcrafted canvas, or a mounted print — a single image creates a stunning and grab-your-attention place for your eye to land.  Single wall portraits can take your breath away, each and every time you walk by.  We’ll discuss framing, material, sizing options for your space.  It’s these details that will turn your beautiful portrait into a piece of extraordinary art.

A series of wall portraits tell your family story.  Artistic collages are designed to coordinate between images and with your home decor.  I adore planning and visualizing these boutique gallery walls.  Together we will create a portrait story that makes you smile every time you walk by.  We will use images of your own walls to model exactly what these displays will look like in your home. I offer a selection of hand-crafted boutique pieces to ensure your family’s gorgeous portraits are hung in the places you will see them the most.  I want your heart to melt everyday when you see this art –your love– on your walls.

A gorgeous heirloom albums is the perfect way to enjoy dozens of customized portraits from your session.  This is the best way to ensure all of your precious portraits will remain together as they are handed down from one  generation to the next.  Albums are a family history in images. My albums have thick, luxurious, lay-flat pages and a luster coating to minimize fingerprints.  Albums can be customized with your choice of fine linens or fabrics that coordinate perfectly with my collection boxes, or choose leathers to best match your home decor and boutique wall art.  Custom debossing is available for further personalization. If you choose, we can include a message or story within the album.  For newborn albums we can include your little one’s birth details and even baby footprints if you have them.  This is your boutique album, and every detail will be meticulously planned in the layout.

Heirloom keepsake boxes are museum-quality collections of matted portraits in a custom handmade box.  You can admire the portraits in the keepsake box, or you can frame some of them, changing the images in the frames on occasion to keep them fresh.  You could even gift some of the images to grandparents or close friends and relatives.  (I suggest ordering doubles if you’re planning to do this!)

Keepsake boxes are available in walnut, white, or black window boxes as well as luxurious linens and fabrics that perfectly match my albums and matted folios for a coordinated collection of heirloom art over the years.

Why mat?

Matting portraits gives you something to hold onto other than the print itself, which can cause scuffing and leave oils on the surface of the print.  Mats protect portraits from dings and bumps.  Matting with museum quality mats is an archival technique, with mat board surrounding the print in 100% cotton, acid-free and lignin-free.  Matted prints can be easily framed (the print itself won’t touch the glass or acrylic protective cover), and are a classic and timeless look that will never go out of style.  (To properly frame an unmounted print with glass, spacers must be added to prevent the portrait from touching the glass.  Without spacers, humidity can cause the print to stick to the glass and become damaged.)

Matted portrait folios are heirloom-quality collections of two to four of your favorite portraits mounted in fine matboard and displayed in a luxe linen folio.  Available for square and vertical prints from 4×6″ to 8×10″, these are perfect for the mantle, taking to work, or gifting to grandparents,  friends, and family members.  Folios come in the same luxe linens and silk fabrics as my collection boxes and albums for perfect coordination of all your portrait collections over the years.  Custom debossing is available for most folio fabrics.