Important Message to all Clients Who Had a Session in 2006

A few weeks ago I updated my website (www.karenleslie.com) and part of that update includes a new ordering gallery. At the end of January 2007, I will be closing down the ordering gallery I used in 2006. If you have not placed your order, or are considering ordering more photos from your 2006 session, you'll need to do that by January 31, 2007.

If you need the link and password to your gallery, please send me an email (karenleslie@mac.com) or call me at 407.340.8088.

Thank you!

A Family Reunion

I had the pleasure of photographing a family reunion right before Christmas: three generations of aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, moms, dads, grandma, grandpas, and cousins. They were a really fun group of people, who kept me laughing the entire session.









For something a little different, I asked them all to either jump or wave their hands on the count of three.

One....

Two....

Three!!!

Lots of Love

About a week ago, I had the pleasure of photographing this wonderful family: Nana and her four grandkids. :) We had a lot of fun during this shoot using the beautiful grounds of Rollins College as our backdrop.

A Special Gift

This family received a wonderful gift, just in time for Christmas. I'm just thrilled that I was invited inside to capture many of their happy moments with her. :)

City Art

For this fun shoot today we found some great graffiti art on the streets of Orlando. Didn't it make a great background?











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You'll notice that there is a new copyright printed on the front of the images I'll be posting on my blog. I'm afraid that I've learned that some professional photographer friends in other areas of the country recently had their images stolen by businesses and used in online websites and other marketing materials without permission. This is wrong on so many levels. :( For now I've taken the protective measure of adding a copyright on the front of the actual image. I realize this doesn't stop image theft, but it might make it a bit harder to reuse if taken.

New Website Launched

Earlier this afternoon, my new website launched.



Check out the new galleries, new product information section and new promotions for 2007! Lots of exciting things!

Kid Approved Tunes

I recently discovered some music that is perfect for little ears, yet still adult approved. Check out these CDs:

Dogs on Fleas: When I Get Little
When I Get Little, the 4th and latest CD from Dog on Fleas, is full of Zen koans, tongue twisters, nonsense and completely sensical lyrics balanced atop fresh, mostly acoustic music in loose and honest performances. The soulful singing of Debbie Lan, John Hughes, Dean Jones and David Levine blends with piano, guitar, fiddle, bass, drums, mandolin and horns in creative, fun arrangements of original songs.

In theory this is music for kids, but in reality it’s good, heartfelt music that people of all ages love. There is a broad range of musical styles: the Cajun flavored title cut, an African Balaphone-driven version of the traditional Coo Coo, the frantic “Mon Pain Perdu”, a song about pirates and French toast sung in French, and the beautiful, hopeful “Peace Will Come”, a future classic by Debbie Lan.

Elizabeth Mitchell's You are My Bird
It might seem odd to use the term tour de force in reference to a children's folk recording, but that's the description that comes to mind when you listen to Elizabeth Mitchell's paragon of the genre. The songs aren't new (you'll hear covers of staples by the likes of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, as well as more unexpected artists such as Bob Marley and the Velvet Underground), but Mitchell's expert vocal performance—her voice rolls, when called for, from a crisp vibrance to a gentle airiness—makes each one seem as if it has been written for her. Whether she's singing in English, Spanish, Japanese, or Korean, she embodies the spirit of folk music. Guthrie and Seeger would be proud.

Uncle Rock: Plays Well With Others
Don't be scared off by Robert Burke Warren's stage name: He's more "uncle" than "rock." In this mostly acoustic song set, the former actor sanitizes some psychedelia (The Who's "Magic Bus," Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride") and covers "Pure Imagination" from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The bulk of the album, though, is original tunes, ranging from tender ballads ("Connected") to folksy sing-alongs ("Playin' Possum"). Then, of course, there are freewheeling, fun tracks like "Sugar Talkin'" and "Rock & Roll Babysitter," which leave no doubt as to the origin of Warren's nom de guitar.

Teacher and the Rockbots
This one is for older kids ages 7-9 and is just fantastic!
This latest release from the Rockbots explores a variety of social studies and geography subjects and it features a unique songwriting style that helps kids develop their problem-solving skills. Clues are provided in the verses and kids try to figure out the answers before they’re revealed. This songwriting technique is a fun way to address the competitive nature of kids and it adds an interactive quality to the music. Only the Rockbots offer this. While written for kids who are around 7-9 years old, kids as young as 5 are advancing their knowledge while being entertained by this "edgy-cational" music.

Coming Soon!

Coming soon ... a brand new website! :) I've been working on it all weekend and should have it launched early this week. Soooo excited. I made some changes to the look of the blog in anticipation of the website. In addition I'll start posting information about new products that I'll be launching in 2007. It's an exciting line-up and I'm really looking forward to 2007. :)

Looking Forward to 2007

I've had a few people call recently asking if I had any availability left in 2006 and I've had to let them know that I'm booked for the rest of this month, but now starting to accept session reservations for 2007! :)

I've got many weekday and weekend appointments available starting in January, so call me (407.340.8088) or email me (karenleslie@mac.com) with your preferred date and we'll get you on the calendar.

I'm working on an exciting new product line up for 2007 and will be showcasing that here in my blog over the next couple of weeks. Please come back and check out these products because they are really great and I'm excited about each one of them!

In the meantime, I'll leave you with some wonderful mother and daughter images from a recent session at Rollins College! :)

Rocco Meets Gracie

Let me introduce you to Rocco, my wonderful and truly fabulous dog. :) He came to live with me a little over two years ago from a pet rescue group in Ocala, FL. Rocco recently struck up a long distance friendship with Gracie, a great dane from Seattle, WA. Gracie's owner is Erin Vey, a friend and fantastic children and pet photographer (if you know someone in the Seattle area, be sure to tell them about Erin!). Erin recently started Gracie Grams and Rocco was featured on the blog at the end of November. :)

Fun Stuff for You and Your Kids: Found on the Web

A couple of things I've stumbled across this week and wanted to share with you:

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends -- A show on Cartoon Network that presents a home where unwanted and forgotten imaginary friends go. Definitely fun!

Right Bank Babies Clothing -- The hottest thing from LA is this adorable children's clothing and accessory designer. The beautiful children's dresses are reversible and actually grow with your child. They are dresses for toddlers and shirt/smocks for older kids. Practical and beautiful!

Circus Puppet Theater from Restoration Hardware -- I got my Restoration Hardware catalog in the mail today and I fell in love with this puppet theater. What a perfect gift for the child with a budding imagination. :)

Session Location: Leu Gardens

Been busy this last week fulfilling orders for the holidays. I've been so busy designing Christmas cards that I haven't done my own personal one yet. LOL. :)

But, this job is so fun and easy when you have such fantastic clients to work with.

I joined these adorable girls and their parents at Leu Gardens recently for a session. We had a blast playing in the gardens and finding the "secret swing". Leu Gardens makes a really wonderful setting for a photography session.







Someone asked me recently if I only photographed blue-eyed children. haha. It does seem like I've had a lot of blue eyes lately. :)








Aren't they just the cutest things ever? :)

The Newest Floridians

I had the pleasure of photographing this great family from Texas who is moving to Florida at the end of December! They wanted to start their new life out right by getting some great pictures on our beautiful beaches.

Welcome!

South Florida Friends

I realize I'm behind on sharing images from my recent sessions, but I'm going to try to catch up. This group of fantastic girls were so much fun to photograph -- 4 beautiful girls from two different families. We met on a Ft. Lauderdale beach and had a great time! :)