karenleslie Photography

Not Your Typical Family Portrait

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 14:43:25 GMT

This one made me smile from a recent client session:

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

Joy: A Slideshow

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 22:37:42 GMT

A new slideshow from a recent photo session. Enjoy :)

Click on the image above and the slideshow will open in a new browser window.

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

An Adventure with Photography

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 01:05:31 GMT

One of the great things about a digital camera is the instant gratification of seeing what you’ve just taken a picture of. But, another fun thing about a digital camera is that it can turn an otherwise boring afternoon for your child into a fun adventure!

Grab your digital camera and your child and set out to make a story of your afternoon. What absolutely delights your child? Is it a firetruck? Train? Animals at the zoo? Tea parties? Set out to find whatever delights your child and take digital pictures along the way to tell your story in photographs. Start with getting in the car … the route to your adventure (while you’re stopped at a red light, of course!) … finding your adventure … your child’s reaction … your reaction … your fun afternoon together. On the way home, stop at a drug store or discount store and get your digital pictures made into prints. Then, once you get home, grab some construction paper, crayons, markers, glue, scissors and get to work making your book. Have your child help tell the story as you write it on each page with a photograph … or if your child is older, have them write out the story. What a fun reminder of an adventurous afternoon!

(This article was recently published in The Orlando Kid's Directory)

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

A Boy's Life

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 17:24:11 GMT

Last weekend, I had a photo shoot with a friend and her two boys. We did an "on location" shoot at the train outside the Central Florida Zoo. Her oldest is a HUGE train fan (as you'll see in the photos). What a fun day, with some great portraits taken.

Click on the image above to run the slideshow from our session.

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. :)

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

Holiday Mini-Shoots

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 02:34:06 GMT

Now that we're nearing the end of August, I think we can finally look forward to Fall (and maybe some cooler weather in Florida?) I took this photograph at a client shoot last weekend and I just love how it screams 'summer.'

Now that the kids are back in school and September nears, its time to start thinking about the holidays. I have actually been working on a new line of holiday cards, as well as putting together some special dates for Holiday Mini-Shoots. What is a "Holiday Mini-Shoot"? A Holiday Mini-Shoot will take place two or three days (weekends and weekdays) this fall where you can schedule a 30 minute mini-shoot with me at a predetermined location. (I'm out and about now scouting some great locations, in different parts of town to make it convenient to everyone.) You can reserve your Holiday Mini-Shoot for a special session fee, and use your photographs from that day on holiday cards or as gifts for friends and family.

I will share details within the next couple of weeks, but wanted to let you know that this is in the works.

If you are interested in booking a full session with me, be sure to call or email me with your preferred date. Fall is a busy time and your preferred date is sure to book up quickly. Right now, I'm booking sessions in late September.

In the meantime, enjoy the last days of Summer. :)

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

Moments: A Slideshow

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 03:27:18 GMT

I wanted to share a slideshow I created tonight with some of my favorite images captured over the last few months.

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Click on the image to go to the slideshow.

When you book a session with me and your order totals $500 or more, you'll receive a complimentary DVD slideshow similar to this customized to your photography session. The DVD will be put to music and contain all the images from your session.

Please take some time to enjoy this slideshow.

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

Location, Location, Location

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 02:37:31 GMT

Just returned from a late afternoon photo session with two absolutely delightful kids. We decided to do something different and did the shoot at the beach -- Canaveral National Seashore to be exact. It was a beautiful afternoon and the kids had a blast! I loved these shots of them playing in the water. :)

Because I am a natural light photographer, I am not constrained to a studio. I can go anywhere where there is light. This can be your home, or any of the many wonderful outdoor locations we have to choose from in Central Florida. Over the past few weeks I've been scouting out good locations and have found many in different areas of town: Rollins College, Canaveral National Seashore, Blanchard Park, Leu Gardens ... just to name a few. When you book your session, we can discuss location and decide on what would work best for your session.

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

Portraits of a different kind

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 23:12:52 GMT

In addition to my children's portrait photography, I'm currently working on a project to capture floral portraits. Its amazing how much "emotion" can be seen in a single flower. My favorite spot for capturing the beauty of nature is Leu Gardens. If you've never been, I definitely encourage you to go. It is a wonderful retreat from our busy lives.

I've put together a collage of the floral portraits I've taken this month. Enjoy this beautiful slice of nature:

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

Karenleslie Photography is part of a juried art exhibition

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 23:25:45 GMT

I'm very proud to announce that one of my photographs (the one pictured above) was accepted into the Crealde School of Art's 26th Annual Juried Art Exhibition. The exhibition will be on display at Crealde from July 21st through September 2nd. This photograph is a personal favorite of mine, taken during a photo shoot with my good friend, Betsy and her two boys. The moment that I captured is timeless and just so sweet.

I am so excited and honored to be part of this art exhibition. If you'd like to see this piece in person, or any of the other wonderful art that is part of the exhibition, you can visit Crealde from now until September 2nd.

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

New! Storyboards!

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 18:09:51 GMT

I just recently added a new product to my mix: storyboards. Storyboards are a great way to showcase two, three or more photos from your photo session. They are customized to your child and your family and can be created with colors you help choose.

Storyboards are printed at a nice 10" x 20" size, mounted on foamcore and sprayed for protection. Storyboards work great framed on a wall, or displayed on an easel.

The storyboard below was created from a recent client session.

All my products are available to you a la carte, which means you can pick and choose exactly the type of photo sizes you want. You may want a combination of 5x7" prints to give away to relatives and larger prints such as 11" x 14" or 16" x 20" to hang on a wall. And, now that I offer storyboards, you have even more selection to choose from. Visit the prices section of my website to see all the products I offer. Check back often to see more new products added!

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

June/July 2006 Promotions

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 18:01:54 GMT

Each two month period, I will be posting the current promotions I'm offering. For June/July 2006, I will waive your sitting fee for any appointments booked in June and July 2006. This is a savings of $125 - $175 and a really great deal if you want to "try me out." :) Summer is a great time to get fun photographs of your children!

The cost of prints are extra and you can see my full range of a la carte and package pricing under the Price tab of my website. With a la carte pricing, you can put together your own package of print sizes. I offer prints in all sizes from 5" x 7" to 20" x 24". I also have put together some packages of common print sizes. Check them out on my website.

To book an appointment, call me at 407.340.8088 or email me at karenleslie@mac.com. We'll pick a convenient date and time and I'll send you a whole package of information about your upcoming appointment.

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Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

Everyday Moments

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:41:24 GMT

What I love to capture with my camera, whether it is when I'm taking portraits or just shooting in the gardens, are the everyday moments. Those relatively insignificant moments that we all overlook in the hurry-hurry-hurry of our daily lives.

This moment actually occurred in the middle of a photo shoot. Hard to believe that in the same room that this peaceful moment was captured was one photographer, one mom and a very bouncy 3-year-old. Between the photographer and the mom talking and the 3-year-old interacting with both, it would have been very easy to miss this entirely sweet, simple and beautiful moment.

Luckily, we didn't miss it at all.

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Please feel free to leave any comments and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

Spark of Imagination

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 02:43:49 GMT

Sometimes all it takes is just a little spark to get the imagination going. The photograph below was taken of my friend's daughter, Liligrace, this past weekend when I went to their home to do a photo session. It took a little while for Liligrace to warm up, but once she did her personality radiated and I am glad I was able to capture some of that radiance on film.

She was intrigued by my camera, and as two-year-olds are apt to do, she decided to mimic me. My light meter was nearby and it became her "camera" that she pointed at me as I pointed my camera at her. It was a fun, very playful moment that I was able to capture.

Thank you, Liligrace, for being such a fun companion on Saturday afternoon. :)

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Please feel free to leave any comments and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

What is in our hearts and minds

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 17:32:46 GMT

Arnold Newman, an icon in the world of photography, passed away on Tuesday. He left a wonderful legacy of portrait photographs, including the introduction of photojournalism to the world of portraiture. What he did was to photograph people in their natural environment, often in the context of their profession. An example of a portrait that Newman did of Woody Allen can be found here.

This is the feeling I strive for in my photography work: a true sense of the individual. My portraiture captures the personality and soul of your child.

There's a Newman quote that I really love:

We don't take pictures with our cameras. We take them with our hearts and we take them with our minds, and the camera is nothing more than a tool.

The beauty is that the camera is able to capture what is in our hearts and minds. :)

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Please feel free to leave any comments and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

The Other Side of the Lens

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 15:14:36 GMT

This is one of my very favorite pictures. And, I wasn't even the photographer. This is what happens when you hand a disposable camera to a 3-year-old. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

Aside from the fact that I am in love with the 3-year-old photographer, another reason I love this picture is that it shows just what really goes on at one of my photo shoots. How can my subject not be comfortable and entirely themselves when they are being photographed in their own home and on their very comfortable couch. That's the beauty of natural light photography: no studio, no hot studio lights, no trying to recreate a natural mood. When I am photographing you and your children, I am photographing you where you are most comfortable. Having fun is my goal. It certainly looks like this photographer was having fun. :)

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Please feel free to leave any comments and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.

New Business and Website Launched!

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 21:17:58 GMT

karenleslie Photography officially opens for business and launches a new website this month (www.karenleslie.com)! After planning this for months, I'm so excited to finally be able to share this news with my family and friends. I've taken a real hands-on approach to all the business and marketing functions, even designing and programming the website myself -- with the late night help of Michael who was always patient with my sometimes (very) basic questions.

In fact, there are many friends that I have to thank even in the early stages of this venture. Stephanie, who has lent me her beautiful children during this entire adventure to capture with my camera. She was even kind enough to have a baby in the middle of this so I could get true newborn photographic experience! ;) She has also been a wonderful source of business ideas and lent an ear to hear me muddle through my own ideas. Michael, who was not only my HTML and CSS resource, but also my design muse as he provided great direction in the logo and business card designs. Betsy, who has also lent me her beautiful children and been a constant source of support. Kris, my backpocket sales person, who has been a wonderful resource for ideas and great business contacts. Leslie, who is a new friend and professional contact who has already shared a wealth of information. Cheryl, Laura, Gina and Deborah who have helped me spread the word to their friends and family. And, to everyone else who provided support and inspiration along the way.

My plan is to keep this blog updated with news, specials/promotions, and other photography tidbits. I hope you stop by often.

The good news is that this is just the beginning. :)

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Please feel free to leave any comments and let me know you stopped by. Make sure you leave your name so I know who was visiting! Visit www.karenleslie.com for more children's photographs that capture a beautiful collection of personalities and souls.