Five | 5

I’m very happy (and proud) to share with you that this Fall will mark my 5th business birthday!  While it was actually six years ago that I started setting up my business, it was October 2006 when I held my breath and jumped (figuratively).  I left my previous career as a brand and marketing executive … a full time job where I had benefits (insurance! vacation! 501K plan!) and decided to follow my heart.  In my heart I knew I needed to create and my camera was my tool to do that.  I’ve learned so much in the last 5 years — both personally and professionally.  I’ve never worked so hard as I have in the last 5 years, and in return I’ve never felt so satisfied in my “job” before.  I’m not going to sugar coat it and say that its been easy; running a successful business in this economy is not easy at all.  But, the good days and the not-so-good days have been worth it. I’ve met some amazing families and gotten to know many of them through the lens of my camera.  I’ve been part of many new beginnings (maternity & newborn clients) as well as happy celebrations (family reunions and birthday celebrations).

In honor of this special birthday, I’ve got a couple of fun things planned (gifts for YOU) as well as some other changes.

First, you may have noticed over the last couple of months that there have been some visual changes to the KarenLeslie Photography logo.  After looking at 5 years of photographs that I have created for my clients, the word that kept coming back to me was: real.  My style is not fanciful; it’s not staged; its all about capturing the real emotions that exist within families.   I think this new look really says what I want it to say: fun, hip, modern, grounded, real.  And, my new tagline — The Art of Real — encapsulates all that I want to say about my style.

Second, I spent the last couple of weeks taking a hard look at my products and pricing.  I’ve tested some new concepts over the past year and have decided to incorporate them into my full offering.

1. Mini Sessions will be offered year round.  A mini session is just that — a mini version of my premium session.  It has a lower session price — $100 vs. the $200 for a Premium Session.  The lower price includes a shorter session (30 minutes vs. 60-90 in a Premium Session) and fewer images to choose from (15 vs. 35 in a Premium Session).  Collections for Mini Session clients start at $225.  (There is no longer an A la Carte option; all clients must choose a Collection.)  Mini Sessions will take place at a location of my choosing, ask me for the current location.
2. Returning clients will continue to receive a discount on all Premium Sessions ($25 off).  (Discount does not apply to Mini Sessions or promotions.)
3. I’ve eliminated the A la Carte offering, but have lowered the price of my intro Collection.  For Premium Sessions, Collections start at $425. For Mini Sessions, Collections start at $225.
4. All Collections give you an option to purchase digital files OR products. My goal for your photo session (either Mini or Premium) is to provide you with a cohesive set of images that reflect your loved ones at this time.  My Collections are designed to provide you with the maximum number of images possible from your session.
5. I’ll continue to offer the full set of product choices (prints, canvas gallery wraps, albums in 3 different sizes, custom cards & announcements and digital files).  I’ve added a new product called an Image Box, which is a custom designed box with an image from your session on it and includes all the proofs from your session in 5×7″ bordered prints.  I’ll continue to add additional products throughout the year.
6. If you would like a full price sheet for either a Mini Session or Premium Session, just email me at karenleslie@mac.com or send a request through the contact form on this site.

Third, when I started KarenLeslie Photography 5 years ago, I decided that I wanted to be able to use my business to help my community.  Over the years, I’ve donated my time and products to a number of local non-profit organizations: Lighthouse of Central Florida, Orange County Animal Services, Bach Festival Society, Page 15, SPCA of Central Florida, just to name a few.  I’ve decided to up the ante starting in my 5th year of business.  Starting now I’ll be donating a percentage of every session fee to a local non-profit organization.  I’ll pick one (or maybe two) each month to receive the donations.  I’d love your input.  Do you have a favorite local non-profit?  Email me at karenleslie@mac.com or send me a note through the contact form.

Last (but definitely not least), I’ve planned five days of gifts for you.  How it will work is that I’ll post an announcement here on my blog and on Facebook what the gift of the day is.  Sometimes it will be a significant savings on a product or session type; sometimes it will be a free product when you book a session.  It will definitely be good – I promise.  The first one starts tonight.