Vignette Studios, Fayetteville

The family photographs that struck a chord in Danielle Carson’s childhood were never studio portraits; instead, she always felt drawn to candid images and the environments that surrounded them. These days—whether inside her studio or outside at nearby apple orchards, churches, or bridges—she patiently waits for such natural moments to unfold, always ready to capture them with her photojournalistic eye. After quickly snapping her shutter for an engaged couple's kiss, a baby's quirky grin, or a high-school senior's confident smile, Danielle retreats to her editing room where she tinkers with color saturation, creating the black-and-white and antique-style shots that have garnered her plenty of degrees, gigs, and awards over the past six years. Subjects can view their images online and select which ones to preserve as wallet-sized prints, bound albums, or newly minted dollar bills for the backyard playground they've just deemed a country.