Candi Leonard Photography

A birthday wish!

Today is my hubby's birthday.  As many of my client's know, Travis is the other half of this business and does a lot behind the scenes.  He shoot videos for our weddings, second shoots at a lot of regular sessions, and spends countless hours helping me keep things running on the business side.  He does all this while maintaining his own full time job as well and raising our kiddos too!   :)  

 

Today, I just wanted to wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and thank him for all his help for making this business what it is today.  Without him, I would be lost!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful husband!  

 

 

2012...ARE YOU READY??

I know it is 2012 already and has been for a while, but I am just now gearing up for the new year of business.  :)  2011 was SUPER busy and I loved it, however, I have a lot of changes coming my way this year (one being a new baby).  I am adjusting things to accommodate.  Here are some of the things you can expect....

 

PRICING/PACKAGE CHANGES:

I will NOT be raising my prices this winter.  HOWEVER, I will be adjusting somethings on my product/package line up for the better!  :)  One change is more digital options!  I am anxious to see them go into effect and I think you guys will love them!  :)  

 

BOOKING/SCHEDULING CHANGES:

This winter/early spring, I will have LIMITED booking.  I am expecting in April and I have to limit what I take on.  :)  I already have lots of sweet babes on the books that i can't wait to meet!  If you want a session between now and April, BOOK IT NOW!!!  I will be taking most of April/May off to focus on my newborn!  (If you are on the books for those months already, don't sweat it...we are still on!!).    Wedding bookings for 2012 are limited.  REALLY limited.  :)  I will only add one maybe two more this year, so book now if you plan to be married in 2012!  :)

 

BEACH SESSIONS

I love doing beach sessions, however, I will have VERY limited beach sessions this year as I do not plan to travel much with a newborn.  I will list those dates ASAP and they will be first come first serve.  Look for that post soon!  :)

 

 

I hope you all have had a great new year!  :)  I am kicking things off today with a sweet newborn session!  Look for that post coming soon.  I have a few other 2011 post before it!  And we have a LOT of wedding shares coming to the blog soon too!  :)  Stay tuned!  

 

Tis the season...

I am coming to an end of my busy shooting season.  I am hoping to have all my editing caught up within the next week so you guys can have time to get those orders in!  I still have a few sessions on the books for the coming weeks, but for the most part, I am wrapping up.  I just wanted to put a few notes out there for all my clients.  

 

CHRISTMAS ORDERING:

All orders that you want in your hands by Christmas need to be in and paid in full by no later than Friday, Dec. 2.  Orders after that day will not be guarenteed.  

 

Christmas card orders....

If you want cards made from your recent session, please let me know by Nov. 23.  Those take a little time to design so we need to get it rolling ASAP so you can have them by early December! 

 

Bookings for 2012....

 

Since we are expecting another child in April, my spring bookings will be LIGHT.  If you want on the calendar, please book ASAP.  I have a few babies lined up already and will have limited spots each month.  Remember, your session date is not held until you have paid your $100 session fee.  I will be taking MOST of April off.   The only exception to this is newborns.  If I am feeling up to it, I will be shooting newborns in April.  Those sessions will have to be played by ear.  :)  I will only book a limited number of weddings in 2012 as well as we will have our hands full with a newborn!  I already have a few lined up, so if you want on the list...now is the time.  

party on!

Recently my big guy turned nine.  

We ALWAYS do a pool party for his birthday.  EVERY YEAR.  This year I BEGGED him to let me do something NEW, but alas, the pool party won out again.  But instead of doing a beach/tropical/pool theme, we went with star wars lego.  Which of course is something that you can't "FIND" in store.  So, I searched the internet (I love thee GOOGLE!) and found tons of cool ideas.  I also purchased the star wars cookbooks which helped me plan some FUN food!  I also copied the "labels" in the back of the book and decorated with them.  :)  

Here is a peek at his party...

I made the food labels with images and the star jedi font.  The starbucks coffee was something I found online.  I made new labels for the "yoda soda" and pulled off the plastic drink label taped it on top.  For the "jedi juice" we bought kool-aids and I created the labels, cut them to size and then put packing tape over it completely (so the ice wouldn't make the paper bleed) and taped them on.  SUPER EASY!  

Travis made the "death star pinanta out of a disco ball.  He also created light sabers for the pool out of noodles and tape.  And finally we had some watergun ewok targets (also from internet).  

 

THe kids had a great time.  Austin loved his party!  I am already moving on to planing our next one for our little guy!  :)  

 

 

Where does the time go?

Nine years ago today, I found myself in a hospital in New York City holding my first baby boy.  My entire world changed in that moment.  I found my path in life with this little baby.  Soon after his birth, my husband and I packed our overpriced apartment, I said goodbye to Graduate School at NYU, and we moved back home to raise our little family.

 

Of all the gifts I have ever recieved in life.  He is one of the greatest.  This precious little boy was the start of my beginning.  It was he who inspired my love of photography.  It was he who allowed me to follow my dreams.  I am forever grateful for that.  

 

Today, I celebrate Austin and his ninth birthday.  I don't feel old enough to have a nine year old!  But I do, and we adore him.  He is an amazing child with a heart of gold.  Happy Birthday to my sweet boy!  

 

 

 

Just saying hi!

I am here!  I have been swamped with life.  Baseball games, practices, car troubles, mommy duties, and LOTS of photo shoots!  I have so much to share!  I hope to blog blog blog this week.  For now I just wanted to say hi and I am still here!  And I can't post without a picture!  Here is my little guy...I love him so!

WEBSITE UPDATES!

If you have been visiting the site this week, PLEASE EXCUSE THE MESS!  We have been implementing MANY updates!  

 

NEW SHOPPING CART!

One thing you will notice is if you click the clients tab, it now takes you directly to the new shopping cart system.  I have been working on moving my 2010 weddings there for the remainder of their year.  The old shopping cart NO LONGER EXISTS.  So, if you have a gallery that has expired and you need to order prints, please shoot me an email and I will load it up to the new shopping cart system!  :)  

 

Some notes on the new cart!  

*It will tell you your expiration date.  Once that day comes, your gallery is no longer active.

*It will ask for your email when viewing the gallery.  This "saves" your cart when you log off and all added favorites will be in your cart when you return! (LOVE THIS FEATURE!)

*There is a notes section on the ordering of each photo.  If you want a touch-up or closer crop, here is where you tell me!  :)  

 

*if* you had an album design loaded in the old cart system and you need to view it to make changes, please shoot me an email and I will give you a new link to it!  :)  Thanks for your patience!  

 

 

Please be patient as we continue to update the site with fresher galleries, new videos, and more this week.  It is a HUGE undertaking to get it all done.  :)  I am so excited to see it all refreshed and pretty again!  :)

 

Back with a real blog post in the morning!

INTRODUCING...THE NEWBORN STUDIO!

I have been MIA off and on for a while and I can finally tell you that it is because we have been pouring every OUNCE of extra time into my home studio.  :)  It is finally ready to share!  

I have been working on this for over a year.  I knew I wanted to go this route for a long time.   You see there are a few keys to a great newborn session....

1.  PERFECT LIGHT

2.  CONTROLLED SETTINGS (backgrounds, sounds, temps, etc)

3.  CUTE BABY

 

I was getting number 3 and hit and missing 1 & 2 on occasion.  Working in client homes is fun, to use pieces of their world, but  I was struggling to fit all my favorite props in the car.  I would have LOADS upon LOADS of stuff to carry there.  It is fine every once in a while, but loading it and unloading it over and over gets exhausting.  :)  So, I worked some magic and got my home based studio ready to go.  :)  

 

The number one thing I am most excited about is the light in that space.  It is TO DIE FOR.  And I will have all my stuff at my fingertips.  :)  I am excited to welcome some new babies into this space and photograph them in my version of studio heaven!  We still have some final tweaks to make but for now, here is a sneek peek!  

 

My husband is amazingly talented and made this room so perfectly for me.  He did it all himself (with a little help from me and his nephew!).  He took all my dreams and made them fit perfectly inside this room.  

 And those frames??  I sell them now, so after your next session, you will be given a complete listing of frame styles and colors.  YOU WILL ADORE them.  :)  They are also in one of the package options too!  :)

 

I will be sharing my first newborn session in the next few days!  Stay tuned.  If you are expecting and want to be on the newborn list, PLEASE schedule your newborn studio session today!  :)

 

 

CHANGE IS GOOD!

Hello Faithful readers, clients and friends.  I am reflecting on 2010,  what has been a fabulous year.  My most successful year yet.  I have had so many wonderful clients.  So many amazing shoots.  SO MUCH FUN!  Every month from about May on, I found myself saying..."this is my busiest month yet!" only to find the next month even busier.  It was a blessing.  

 

But with every blessing in life, you have challenges and you learn from it.  I learned from so many things this past year.  And I have to say, I have so many changes already being put into place for 2011.  I can't wait to see this year play out.  It will bring a more organized life for me, better quality of service for you, and LOTS of fun!  :)  

SCHEDULING CHANGES:

I will be taking on LESS work.   I say this every year.  And I mean it every year, and then I get swept up in the "gotta book everybody that calls me" crisis.  But I am making myself PROMISE to give more to my family this year, so I am scheduling LESS.  I will be taking one weekend off a month for family time.  It will be free of shooting, editing, ordering, and phone calls.  I will consider it a monthly vacation.  In addition, I have changed the way the backend of this business works.  I have made many changes in my work routine to help me and you!  And gain my sanity back!  lol.  

 SO what does this mean to you?  If you want a session, SCHEDULE EARLY.  I can tell you that October is almost fully booked.  May is almost there too.  BOOK EARLY, NEVER TOO EARLY!  

 

EXCITING CHANGES:

I am happy to announce 2 big changes for 2011.  I will be booking sessions for my studio!  Yes, a Studio.  :)  I have added a newborn shooting studio in my home.  I will ONLY book newborns in this space.  I do not plan to shoot any other inside shots here.  JUST NEWBORNS.  Studio is open for booking in Mid-February and beyond!  

 

ORDERING CHANGES:

     I have dealt with a slew of ordering issues from day one.  From hard to use shopping carts to paypal problems to lab issues.  I have worked through each one differently.  I searched HIGH AND LOW for months for a solution to this issue.  I wanted a user friendly shopping cart that would allow you the best experience and me the least amount of WORK.  I FOUND THE ANSWER.  I will be switching my ordering system for hopefully the FINAL time.  This is still in progress, so between now and the final launch, I will be accepting orders from NEW sessions via email only.  After the cart goes live, all images will be uploaded to my ordering system for you.  All orders, shipments, and such will be handled through this system.  I am the most excited about this change!  :)

 

AND ONE LAST THING...

DISCOUNTS AND PACKAGES!  I have struggled with price changes because I want to see your photos in print.  I want them on your walls and in your wallets and shared with friends and family.  I have kept my print prices lower than the average for that reason.  With the price increases continuing from my lab, shipping services and other maintainence things I have to change up my pricing.  While I do plan to offer affordable pricing options still for my clients I have decided to add packages to my ordering system.  You are not required to order a package with your session however if you do, it will give you a discount!  I hope that everyone will find the packages user friendly and give you endless options of what to buy!  :) I have increased my print prices.  But you will find that if you order a package, it makes the prices the same or CHEAPER than the older pricing.  :)  

 

MINI SESSION GOODNESS:

   With the new pricing increase, I still want to make room for those of you on a tight budget.  You will find throughout the year, MINI SESSION PACKAGES.  This will be a shorter session, smaller price tag, same great photos.  I plan to have mini beach sessions, and seasonal ones as well.  I will announce those on the blog and book them on a first come first serve basis.  Look for more details soon!  

I will be announcing my mini beach sessions this week!  HANG TIGHT!  :)

 

 

 

 

Refreshing...

I love the new year.  A time to reflect on your last year, decide what needs to change and make it happen.  I am a LOVER of list.  My husband knows this all too well.  So when I sat down to think about 2011 for this business, I had a lot of goals.  So many I was unable to get it all done to launch for the 1st.  But I am working so hard to get it all to you by the end of the month.  

 

CHANGE IS COMING.

 

You may start to see things change on the website.  I am not overhauling it this year, but I will be refreshing galleries, changing up some things in the info sections, etc.  

 

I have some exciting changes coming this way.  I am so ready to have it all live and get on with shooting!  :)  

 

JUST A NOTE ON ORDERING:

There will be a change to the ordering system (YEAH!! FINALLY) and the pricing structure.  If you have a 2010 gallery and need prints, you may want to get those orders in to me in the next few weeks.  Once I switch over the current galleries/system will disappear.  :)  

 

 

BOOKING 2011:

I have had several people start booking spring/summer/fall dates.  I love the early notice.  And I know it will fill up fast.  It is never to early to pick your dates.  :)  This year I will be scheduling less.  I have gotten a few emails about beach sessions too.  Those dates will be posted in the near future.  If you have a date in mind, it never hurts to email me.  If I get several people interested in the same time,  I will add it!  :)    

 

 

I had to leave a teaser post, but I wanted to give you a heads up that I am still here and working hard!  I have blog post to share still.  I may be blogging 2010 into February!  Hang tight!