Amie Stafford was born in British Columbia to U.S. expat parents. She studied ballet, singing, and fine art. She spent a decade working in the Film Industry with many well-known and beloved celebrities. She started her portrait studio in Vancouver, BC in 2001. She moved the business to the Seattle/Tacoma area in 2012, where, as a single Mom she grew it to one of the top 3% portrait studios in the nation and has clients across the country. In 2016 she expanded the business to central Florida and permanently relocated her home base to Lakeland. She still regularly travels across the country following her passion of portrait art and contributing to many charities, most notably the Children's Home Society of Florida and helping find forever families for children in foster care. Her business model is built on a fundamental belief that "One must contribute first to reap the rewards of what you have sown."

Amie is a theme park junkie, hence the move to central Florida. She is full of vitality, light-hearted, fun to be around, and has a natural talent of uplifting those around her. She has the ability to put people at ease and capture the authentic connections between those in her portraits.

In August of 2021 she was joined by her husband (and lifelong sweetheart), Matthew. We look forward to continuing the growth of our studio and our contributions to the community.

She specializes in a custom family portrait art experience, capturing personalities and relationships in spectacular landscapes and panoramas that bring a captivating focal point to your home. Each aspect of your portrait session experience is fully customized, creating personal heirloom family art in gallery frames that will bring back fond and nostalgic memories for years to come.

Sessions are a special bonding time for your family; the experience is just as special as the images will be for you and future generations. Even the most shy people feel comfortable and relaxed; you'll be able to simply enjoy and focus on those you love. I invite you to click on our Testimonials page on this website to read 23 years worth of personal experiences with Amie Stafford and what a session might be like for you and your family.

For the past 23 years Amie has photographed for Disney, Touchstone, and Sony Pictures, creating images of such personalities as David Hasslehoff, Kate Jackson, Lucas Grabeel (High School Musical), Ione Skye, and Michael Moriarty. She was one of four photographers chosen nationwide to attend the New York School of Photography and incorporates her study in opera, costume, oil painting, art history, and filmmaking in her work, as well as her travels through the castles and museums of Europe. Clients come from across the continent to hire her for destination sessions and magazine assignments from Nova Scotia to California.

Of her reasons for starting a portrait studio 23 years ago, Amie Stafford says "Providing personal artwork and a truly memorable experience for families is a great joy for me. When I'm out on the beach encouraging a shy family to just play together, or a large and energetic family to celebrate who they are, I feel a deep satisfaction knowing that what I'm doing is of great importance to them as well as their future generations. The stories I hear from my clients bring tears to my eyes; one Mom told me that after her daughter's session she loves the curly hair she used to complain about. Another said that her teenage sons told her after their session what fun they'd had (a first for her!). My icing on the cake is seeing the emotional reactions from my clients when I unveil their images for the first time in a movie slideshow set to music. I feel blessed for the honor of being there as families grow - and my clients become lifelong friends. Looking at personalities through the lens for almost 23 years has taught me that we are not what we do, but who we are. I believe that we are on this planet to serve others and to uplift and make connections wherever we can. I look forward to meeting new clients and maintaining friendships with past ones; seeing senior grads become brides, brides become Moms, and their children and families grow. I couldn't think of a career more rewarding for me.
Welcome to Stafford Portraits. I'm so glad you're here."