Hannah Stevenson is a maker of lovely things and a creator of a beautiful life. She approaches life as something that is beautiful and has taken that belief into her work.

Stevenson is a fashion photographer, which has been a hobby for her in the past decade. She loved taking photos of people and helping them feel their best.

“I’ve had a lot of history with fashion, and it’s definitely my passion. Photography was something I picked up because I love taking photos of what I was making. And I also just love taking portraits of people,” Stevenson said.

However, she ideally wants to design her own clothes for women. The long-term goal is to one day own a clothing brand or create a fashion label. On her personal Instagram page, @happyinhandmades, Stevenson often practices her own photography and fashion using herself as the model.

“I love photography and I love fashion, so I want to combine my passion for things in some way. So I decided I was going to get into fashion photography, where hopefully, eventually, I’m going to make clothes for women to wear for photo shoots or at least design them.”

Stevenson says she would describe her style as a mix on vintage, feminine, delicate but not too frilly. “I’m also obsessed with embroidery. I have a machine and pointers, so I try to incorporate that in a lot of the things I make,” Stevenson said.

With her fashion photography starting to become more of a passion as she used herself as a model, she decided to start her own business, Rosette Visual Arts.
Stevenson presented Rosette Visual Arts to the #HERPitch competition in March. Her idea was to have glamor-style photos for women.

“So what I presented was that I wanted to highlight ... glamor photography, kind of like in the nineties, kind of a similar concept. Women would dress up, and I would do these glamor-style photos for them, but not just like head shots,” Stevenson said. “I wanted them to be wearing pretty dresses for these photo shoots, and I was going to have like a pretty backdrop and props. I was going to set up a space to make it look fancy and luxurious. I wanted to offer that kind of service to girls and women.”

Stevenson says this project is so important to her because her mission is to help every woman feel beautiful and remind them that they are worthy to have these glamor photos taken. These photos aren’t just for fashion models, but for themselves.

“I truly believe that every person is beautiful. I could see something beautiful in every person I meet, and I try to let that shine through in my photos. I want them to see themselves through an artist,” Stevenson said.

Out of a dozen business owners, Stevenson was one of the four winners who received a grant for $2,500 from CEED Capital and the Women of Power Society of NC.
Stevenson will be using the grant money towards purchasing camera equipment and backdrops.

“I think what helped sell my idea was that a lot of women don’t really get to dress up and look pretty. And so I’m going to give them that opportunity to dress up and look pretty and have that ‘shining moment’ of looking beautiful, like taking photos that look like they could be in a magazine,” Stevenson said.

She hopes to launch her glamor photography around the beginning of fall. To learn more about Stevenson and her company, Rosette Visual Arts, visit her Instagram page, @rosettevisualarts.