Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie.
Hi Melanie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been working professionally as a photographer since 2014, which is wild to be able to say out loud because I’m not sure when I became old enough to have a 12-year career! Photography has actually been part of my life for much longer than that, though. I’ve always loved taking photos. For my fifth birthday, my parents gave me a Barbie Polaroid camera, & I immediately went around photographing all of my siblings & American Girl Dolls. My aunt gave me my first point-&-shoot digital camera in middle school, which eventually led me to taking my first photography class in high school.
When I decided I wanted to pursue wedding photography professionally, I reached out to local wedding photographers & asked if I could shadow & learn from them. I started second shooting, which gave me the hands-on experience & confidence to take on my own weddings. From there, it just continued to grow!
For a while, I ran my business under a different name with my ex-husband. The “husband-&-wife photography team” thing was definitely more of a marketing angle, though I was the one running the business & he would primarily help on wedding days. After we divorced, I was returning to my maiden name, so it felt like the right time to completely reimagine my brand.
That’s how Stag & Arrow came to be. It’s a play on my last name, Stagnaro, which is an important part of my identity & a connection to my Uruguayan heritage. Stagnaro can be a little tricky for people to pronounce, so I loved the idea of taking a piece of my name & turning it into something playful & approachable. I’ve always loved a good pun & wordplay, so Stag & Arrow felt like the perfect way to create a brand that was distinctly mine while still honoring my name & where my dad comes from.
I’m really proud of where I’ve landed. Photography is an ever-changing & increasingly crowded industry, so getting to continue building a career that I genuinely love, while creating a brand that feels completely authentic to me is something I’m incredibly proud of. What started with a Barbie Polaroid camera has somehow turned into a 12-year career, countless childhood dreams come true, & a life built around something I’ve loved since I was little. There have been plenty of obstacles & moments that required more courage than I knew I had, but I kept going. I think five year old me would be pretty damn thrilled about that.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road!
I think in any industry, & especially as a woman-owned & woman-run business, there’s a lot of sexism that you learn to navigate. I’ve experienced it throughout my career in ways ranging from inappropriate groomsmen to peers & clients downplaying my success or questioning whether I’m worth what I charge. There’s a strange experience that comes with having to continually prove your value, especially when you’re a woman running your own business.
But honestly, my mental health has probably been my greatest challenge. Imposter syndrome & anxiety are not exactly a business owner’s best pals.
The hardest period of my career was also, ironically, when my business was the busiest it had ever been. I was going through a divorce, rediscovering who I was outside of that relationship, & working through a lot personally while still trying to show up for my clients & give them the experience they deserved.
Looking back, I’m actually really proud of how I navigated that season. It wasn’t perfect, I made mistakes, & it was certainly humbling, but I kept my business going through one of the most difficult chapters of my life. I think that experience taught me a lot about resilience, compassion for myself, & what it really means to build something that can survive even when life gets messy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a wedding & couples photographer, specializing in candid, documentary-style photography that feels genuine, intimate, & a little bit nostalgic. My goal has never really been to create perfectly posed photographs. I want my clients to look back at their images years from now & feel like they’re stepping back into the moment, rather than simply looking at what the moment looked like.
I’m especially drawn to the in-between moments: the nervous anticipation before a ceremony, someone laughing so hard they’re unaware of the camera, a quiet moment between a couple when they think no one is watching, grandparents on the dance floor, all of the little details that might seem insignificant in the moment but become incredibly meaningful years later. Of course I’ll help guide my couples when they need direction, but I want there to be room for things to unfold naturally.
I think what I’m most proud of is that I’ve built a career around the way I naturally see the world. Photography has always been very intuitive for me. I notice little interactions, gestures, light, movement, & the moments happening around the edges of a bigger event. Over the years, I’ve learned how to turn that instinct into a visual language that feels distinctly mine.
What sets me apart is the experience I create & the way I make people feel comfortable enough to forget they’re being photographed. My clients are trusting me with some of the most important memories of their lives, & I take that responsibility seriously. I want their photographs to feel like them, not like a version of them that was created for Instagram.
At the end of the day, I want my work to feel honest. Beautiful, absolutely, but never at the expense of what was actually happening. If someone can look at one of my photographs years later & immediately remember how that moment felt, then I’ve done my job.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Gosh, I love my city so much. I’ve always called Annapolis a “big little town.” Almost every time we go out, we run into someone we know, but it never feels too small. There’s a sense of community & familiarity here that I really love.
Growing up here, I don’t think I truly appreciated Annapolis the way I do as an adult. With every year that passes, I seem to fall a little more in love with it. Especially in my line of work, I’m constantly reminded of how much beauty there is here. You have the water, the historic downtown, the old brick streets, beautiful parks & greenery, & so many different little pockets of the city. The range is amazing. I can photograph something completely different depending on where I am, & somehow it all still feels like Annapolis.
But I also love the lifestyle here. There’s something pretty unbeatable about spending an afternoon reading by the water, grabbing a good cocktail at a waterfront spot, or sitting down for crab dip & oysters. It all feels distinctly coastal. You can be dressed up for a nice dinner downtown one night & barefoot by the water the next. I love that there’s always a little bit of that coastal, laid-back feeling woven into everyday life. Every season here feels so distinct from the others, but no less magical.
What I like least is seeing some of that small-town character become harder to maintain. I’ve watched a lot of beloved local businesses close over the years, & that’s genuinely sad to me. The independent shops, restaurants, artists, & small businesses are such a huge part of what makes Annapolis feel like home.
I think there’s something really special about a city where you can run into friends walking downtown, have your favorite local spots, & feel like the places around you are part of your own story. I’d hate to see that disappear! I hope Annapolis can continue to grow while still protecting the little things that make it feel like the big little town I’ve always adored.
Pricing:
- https://www.stagandarrowphoto.com/investment
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.StagandArrowPhoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stagandarrowphoto?igsh=MWQ3d3Qzd2EyOTAwcw==&igsi=MWQ3d3Qzd2EyOTAwcw==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EvH2CrJQy/?mibextid=wwXIfr
