When I started Kirby LeAnne Photography I didn't really have a clear idea of what I wanted the business to look like. I knew that I had loved photography for as long as I could remember. I knew that people enjoy having photos taken of their family. I knew that a majority of the photographers that had their own businesses, were all doing things the same way... so I thought THAT was the way it was supposed to go.  

      Like most new photographers out there I started booking sessions, taking the photos, editing, and giving clients a bunch of digital photos in an online gallery. It was okay, but something was missing.  I felt so disconnected from the art. I started learning more about the printing process and how professional labs and consumer labs differ. I read up on the unstable nature of digital storage and concluded that by just giving the digitals I had been severely underserving my clients and taking away from the art form I love so much.

       We live in a digital age, our lives are completely centered around technology, and that has permeated the photography industry. Digital cameras have replaced film; Photoshop and other post processing programs replaced darkrooms.  The way we capture and create these portraits has evolved, mostly for the better. The end game is still the same though isn't it? What is the purpose of hiring professionals to capture your memories if you aren't going to display them?

      Consumer labs like Walmart, Walgreens, and Shutterfly are made for printing out your cell phone or point and shoot camera photos. The machines are set to make up for the shortcomings of these cameras. They are uncalibrated and meant to do bulk work without quality control. Not to mention the prints produced will not outlast us the way photos did for generations before us. What will be left for our children and our children's children? How will they view their grandparents wedding portraits or their dads baby photos? Will they sign in to Facebook to check out your "wall"? Will they pop a CD in the computer and scroll through them in the year 2075? Or will those things be gone?

        Taking professional photos to a consumer lab for printing is like paying for dinner at a gourmet restaurant, but instead of a delicious put together meal you just receive the ingredients and take them home for your 4 year old to cook (without the recipe). The prints and products offered by KLP are like a 5 star meal. Every step is met with care and intention, from capturing the photos in camera, to artistic editing, to preparation for the specific print medium and size you prefer!  You don't have any other work to do. I take care of it all and hand deliver these heirloom quality portraits to you, ready to hang on the wall or set on the coffee table. 

      There is nothing like seeing your children in a large fine art print on the mantle. ( I know, because I have one on mine!)  An Italian leather photographic album of your wedding will still look as good as it does today when your grandchildren are flipping through it.  I love working with each and every one of my clients. I love your stories, I love who you are, and how you got to this point in your life. I want more than to just capture these moments for you. I want to ensure that you are leaving a legacy! I believe wholeheartedly that the products and labs I have researched and chosen to work with are the best way for you to do this.

Your vacation photos, your family reunion, your kids just playing in the back yard on a Fall day...you SHOULD print them all! I firmly believe that. However, when it comes to hiring a professional to take your photos you deserve to have them professionally printed. Not just for you to enjoy now but for your loved ones to have in the future. 

      I am finally where I know I am meant to be with Kirby LeAnne Photography, creating finished works of art featuring the ones YOU love. My clients are happier than ever before and THAT is what it is all about.

So let's get to creating your art!