Shae Stone Red Maple Vineyard Brand Session

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Brand Session at Red Maple Vineyard in West Park, NY | Hudson Valley and NJ Brand Photographer

What transforms a space into more than a space – something magical? What transforms a simple dream into a lasting legacy? I’d have to argue that it’s love – and a deeply rooted passion to touch as many lives as possible. And those are the qualities I’d have to use to describe Shae Stone, her relationship with Red Maple Vineyard and the surrounding communities. I had the absolute honor of doing a brand session at Red Maple Vineyard in October 2020 for two magical days of sunshine and bliss, and this is the result.

If you missed the full blog post about my brand session at Red Maple – first, do yourself a favor and check that out here. This one is focusing specifically on Shae Stone.

But to catch you up to speed real quick – Red Maple Vineyard is (in a few words) a wedding venue in the Hudson Valley region of NY. But truthfully, it is so, so, SO much more than that. Shae and her parents purchased the property in 2012 and together have transformed every inch of the original property – alongside their amazing staff, into something that is purely magic.

Since Shae is truly the heartbeat of this place, I really wanted to do a special shoot to capture her essence, alongside the essence of the property for this brand session, and document the love and passion she has for this place.

Shae recently announced that she is off to pursue her next adventures in life, and is parting from Red Maple, and in her goodbye letter, she shared more about all the ways she has been involved with the creation of this magical place. I can’t write it any better, so here’s her journey in her words:

“I am the designer of venue & garden operations, co-creator of interior spaces & chandeliers with my mama, scout of pre-loved furniture, organizer of rooms & things & people & more things.

🌶 Co-creator of hot-sauces with my dad & @bfkitchen, maple syrups with @justusmaple, swag with @mixture.inc, & websites with @arius_photography

🌱 Grower of produce for events, neighbors & community, the builder of soil, designer of hoop houses, creator of shiitake logs & planter of comfrey..

📖The preserver of history, designer of stations, finder of beer canoes, maker of signs & burner of tap handles …

❤️ A retired mama, manager, & jefa to staff.

📸The woman behind the camera & maker of magic behind the scenes.

✊🏼✊🏾An advocate of all things local and regenerative & supporter of the local community.

Anyway, R.M.V is much more than a pretty venue to me. It’s a culmination of my parents long journey from seed to fruition. A testament to the power of positive psychology & hard work mixed with the right people, vision, & creative energy.

A place for people to learn & grow, to party & celebrate love, to create & share. An example of how going to work can be inspiring & how business can give back in big ways to the local community.”

OH man – when I saw this post I actually teared up.

For this shoot, I really wanted to focus in the vegetable gardens at golden hour. Since it was mid-October, so many of the flowers were blooming, and we got to pick flowers and veggies and gourds and more for the shoot. It truly lit up a creative spark in me that had burnt out during COVID, and I can’t thank Shae enough for that.

It is my only hope, that these pictures capture just a small part of the magic that is Shae – and Red Maple Vineyard.

Shae – thank you for welcoming me into your story, for allowing me to document this chapter of your life, for ordering me Thai food when my keys got locked in the car, and for sharing the history of Red Maple Vineyard with me over a glass of wine. It is stories like this, that light a fire in me to follow my passions.

Are you a creative entrepreneur or small business owner looking to beef up your marketing with compelling, impactful, and beautiful images too? To book your brand shoot with Laura Lee Creative | New Jersey Brand Photographer, read more about my services here: https://lauraleecreative.com/brand-photography

I’d love to chat!!