Looking for a custom designed holiday card to send to friends and family this holiday season?  KarenLeslie Photography has some great designs for this year.  2010 session clients can order cards using photos from their 2010.  Or, if you are in need of a new family photo, you can book either a full session or mini session with KarenLeslie Photography.

Full Session: Book a full session with KarenLeslie Photography and we’ll work together to plan your custom photo session.  You can pick date, time and location.  Clothing changes are welcomed — dress the family in holiday attire for some photos and something fun for others.  We’ll spend between 60 – 90 minutes together to get just the photos you want.  You’ll see between 30 – 40 images in your final proof set. Want your pets in the photos?  No problem — Karen loves working with dogs and we’ll pick a pet friendly location for your session.   The session fee for full sessions is $200 and product is purchased separately. Want more information on session types? Go here.

Mini Session: Mini sessions are a small taste of a full custom photo session. They can be booked on Fridays or Saturdays and take place at your choice of one of 4 locations in the Central Florida area. Mini sessions last between 20 – 30 minutes and you’ll see 10 images in your final proof set. Because of the limited time, clothing changes cannot be accommodated. Mini sessions are available for families up to 5 people/pets. Want more information about mini sessions? Go here.

Any of your photos taken during a full photo session or a mini session can be used in our Custom Card Collection.

Here is an example of one of the designs from the 2010 Custom Card Collection, showing a variety of custom changes that can be made to the cards. I’ll share additional designs in the coming days:

I wanted to share this really cool new kids album (do they still call them albums? … ha!) that was just released on iTunes today called Do Fun Stuff. Why is it important? Well, for a couple of reasons. First, it was put together by a friend, Cole and her husband, local photographer Ryan Marshall. (Ryan also writes a really fun blog — you should follow him.) He put the album together to raise money for a little known syndrome called SMS – Smith Magenis Syndrome. Their 6 year old son has been diagnosed with this syndrome and they are both huge advocates for their little boy. Every penny raised in selling the album goes to the charity and to families around the world who are dealing with this in their lives.

One of the “rules” in our household is that any kid’s TV show, movie or music has to pass the parents test … meaning that we have to like listening to it or watching it too. Well, I can tell you that this definitely passes the test. I think I’ll enjoy listening to it as much as my little one.

Bravo, Ryan & Cole. Its a hit!

Have you noticed I’m in the midst of a baby boom?  Actually, it tends to work out that way … one month I’ll have a bunch of maternity sessions … and about 6 weeks later I’ll shoot all the newborn sessions.  This little one was the third baby girl I photographed this past week and just as sweet as can be.  She might be my youngest yet — only 3 days old.

I’ve been thinking about what to write to introduce this blog post and honestly, I think sometimes words are unnecessary and photos just speak for themselves. Well, except I do have to say that I absolutely adore this family.

When I started my business five years ago, one of my business goals was to use my talents as a photographer to help my community.  Over the years, I’m happy to be able to say that I’ve done that through donations to various Central Florida charity fundraisers (Lighthouse of Central Florida, Parker’s Pals, SPCA of Central Florida, and Orange County Animal Services come to mind immediately.) I have met some truly amazing people and organizations that are doing really good things in our community.

Last week I received an email from a friend that stuck with me. It was a group email to her friends asking for donations to the non-profit organization where she works: A Gift for Teaching. I knew a little bit about the place where she worked, but went to the website to learn more. That was it! I knew that I had to do something to help.

A Gift for Teaching is one of those small gems that make Central Florida shine so bright.  A Gift for Teaching distributes more than $35,000 worth of school supplies and incentives DAILY to the highest need schools and classrooms in Central Florida for FREE.  That’s incredible.  As we listen to the news of budget cuts, higher than expected enrollments, unemployment rising … isn’t it heartwarming to know there are great organizations out there that are doing something good?

So, I had to help.  They help kids … and families … and that’s what KarenLeslie Photography is all about. I met with my friend, Anne, yesterday and we came up with a really fun fundraising effort that benefits everyone.

Here’s how it works:

What? KarenLeslie Photography will hold mini photo sessions to benefit A Gift for Teaching.

A mini photo session is a mini version of our custom portrait session — both in time & cost.  For  $75 (over $200 value) you’ll get:

• 15 minute on location photo session at Loch Haven Park (natural light setting)
• Up to 2 people (for families, you can book 2 consecutive session times)
• 11×14″ art print of any image from your proof set
• Special pricing on additional products including digital files and holiday cards

Well, how does this benefit A Gift for Teaching?  It’s easy.  KarenLeslie Photography will give $50 of every mini session booked directly to A Gift for Teaching.

When? This event will take place Sunday, September 19th, 2010 from 8am – 6pm.  Sessions will be booked in 20 minute increments.  You MUST reserve your spot in advance; no walk-ins.

Where? Loch Haven Park, corner of Princeton St. & Mills Ave.  It is one of my favorite spots for natural light portrait sessions.  The old Florida oak trees are to die for there!

Who? ANYONE can participate.  Kids, families & dogs of all ages are welcome.  These mini sessions are perfect for:

• school portraits
• pet portraits
• maternity portraits
• Christmas card pictures
• family portraits (families must book 2 consecutive session times)
• engagement portraits
• mommy & me or daddy & me portraits
• updated profile photos for Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc.
• new headshots for work
• anniversary portraits
• best friend portraits

The best part is that you can help a Central Florida organization while getting something in return.  It’s truly a win-win situation!

How? Call 407.340.8088, email karenleslie @ mac.com, or send a request through the Contact form above to reserve your preferred session time.  We expect these sessions to fill up quickly, so its best to call early so you can have your preferred time.

Inspired to help some more?  Tell your friends and family about this great fundraiser.  Copy the link for this blog post and email it to everyone you know.  Post it on your Facebook page.  Twitter it. Tell your co-workers.  You can send them back to this blog post, or you can download a PDF flyer with all the same information to get the word out:  download flyer here.  The more people that know about this, the more money we can give to A Gift for Teaching, and the more students and teachers will benefit from FREE school supplies and resources.  You can directly impact someone’s future. How cool is that?

I’m so excited about a new charity project that KarenLeslie Photography is about to announce.  It is very timely as that it will directly benefit students and teachers in the Central Florida area.  It’s a way that you can get great photos of your kids/dogs/family/self AND give back to those who need it most. Just by getting your picture taken, you can directly impact someone’s future.  Cool, huh?

I’m giving you a little teaser today and will give you all the details tomorrow!

When Mom called to tell me that baby M was here, she shared an amazing fact about her birth. Baby M’s birthday is 8-9-10 and she was born at 11:12. Wow. I mean, how can you not have a lucky life with a start like that!

When the alarm went off at 5:15am this morning I had second thoughts about our great idea to get up early and take pictures of the sunrise over the St. John’s River. It was sooooo tempting to just roll over and go back to bed, but I knew I’ve ultimately regret it. While it was very early, I’m so glad we did it because it WAS beautiful. And I’m so glad I was able to capture some of the beauty with the camera. Major props to the toddler who had the best attitude of all — she was loving it!