My Roots

Greetings from Dallas-Fort Worth! I’m Stephanie Ostin—photographer, mother, teacher, student, sister, friend, and only occasional cook! I homeschooled my four amazing children, and subsequently graduated from my Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program in 2021. I have two puppies and one kitty who grace my home with their energy and snuggles.

I was a country kid from small town Ohio--barefoot and wild with my sisters—splashing in puddles, exploring cornfields, finding bird nests, and traipsing through creeks with tadpoles to my heart's content. Summer evenings with my parents, grandparents, and siblings were spent catching fireflies, eating fresh strawberries, and watching slide shows of old family photographs and listening to stories about the people in them. When Grandma wasn't there to tell the stories behind all the slides and photographs, I made them up myself. And so began a lifelong love of capturing moments to preserve a story.

I cannot remember how old I was when my dad allowed me to peek through his camera and snap the shutter. I loved the anticipation of visualizing what my photograph might portray while I waited weeks for him to finish the exposures and drop the film to be developed...for even more waiting. He was always willing to teach and explain about light, aperture, and shutter speed (sometimes endlessly and repeatedly). I learned through his example and valued his patient guidance while taking on photography projects in 4-H [Many thanks, Dad, for paying for the upgrade to 1-hour developing and printing so that I could get my projects in on time!], and went on to study art and photography at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH.

After years of documenting the journeys and stories of my own children, I branched out to headshots and portraits. I am growing quickly into my own niche of fine art portraits.