Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Moreland
Hi Karen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My love for photography started in early childhood, but I didn’t pick up a camera professionally until 2013, soon after my first child was born. I was eager to learn everything I could about photography but the most valuable thing I learned to photograph was my children. How quickly I’d come to realize the importance of capturing all the little details when they’re young. Now, all those early photos are priceless to me.
For the past 11 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to preserve the same priceless memories for hundreds of clients in the Greater Nashville area. It has been one of my greatest joys to see other moms cherish their photos as much as I do.
I’ve captured the life cycles of so many families, from engagement to wedding, then maternity to newborn, all the way up through their annual family photos as their children grow. Being a part of these special families’ lives has been incredible. I call them “my photography family” because I feel like I’ve been a part of all the big moments in their lives.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
About five years ago, I lost all my photos, all my data, to a failed hard drive. I learned the hard way I should’ve done so much more to make multiple backups of everything. I lost our wedding photos, photos of my oldest child’s earliest years, and so much more. It felt like I’d lost a part of my family. And really, I had. I lost the tangible memories I had from those years.
One thing I will never regret–I started a wall collage in my living room from the day my husband and I got engaged. One big photo for every major life event, until it turned into annual family photos. This wall is priceless to me, especially after my data loss. There are 13 years of memories on our wall, and the ONLY framed wedding photo we have is one that a guest took with their cell phone!
This led me to think about my photography business in a new light. I had always been a “digital downloads” kind of photographer, “shoot and burn”, if you will. This was and still is the way the majority of portrait photographers operate. But what happens when those files are no longer with you? What do you have to show for it that you can pass down to your children one day?
I soon came to realize I wasn’t the only one who never bothered printing and tangibly preserving our memories. Sadly, many of my clients avoided it too. Photo sessions would become nothing more than a few social media shares and then disappear onto a misplaced flash drive.
Moms, much like myself, always wanted to make wall collages, photo albums, framed portraits, but rarely got around to it. Or the ones who did would quickly feel overwhelmed. Where do you find photo products that will last? How do you create a stunning heirloom album? Or better yet, how do you make a work of art out of your family photos to place over the mantle?
This became the focus of what I wanted to offer my clients. I wanted them to never feel the loss of their most priceless memories like I did. I wanted them to feel those overwhelmingly warm feelings every time they saw their photos on the walls.
It was also important to me that moms didn’t feel overwhelmed trying to make that happen. This is why I decided to offer a full-service approach with my clients. From the first point of contact, to the moment their memories were printed and displayed, I wanted to offer an experience they’d never had with any other photographer. I wanted to be the one they could trust to make their photography dreams a reality. This became my mission.
To this day, no matter how many houses I visit, the photos on the walls are what make each house a home. Seeing what brings families together through their own personal stories is a priceless experience and worth sharing. I believe this was what photography was truly meant to be for me and those I serve.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Karen Moreland Photography?
I offer custom family and newborn photography experiences to help busy moms realize their photography dreams. I help them create beautiful archival memories for their families.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I have special super powers. I can captivate little ones when their parents doubt they will ever get good photos of them, and I can capture their truest and most joyful expressions. With three little wild ones of my own, and hundreds of tiny clients over the past decade, I have a few reliable tricks up my sleeve.
Pricing:
- Family and newborn sessions starting at $300, prints starting at $190, and collections starting at $990.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.karenmorelandphotography.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/karen_moreland_photography
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/karenmorelandphotography
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@karenmorelandphotography
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/karen-moreland-photography-hartsville
