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Monday, March 8, 2010 Uncategorized

Top ten reasons to come to the Launch Workshop

1. It’s in SEATTLE!!

2. You get to spend a jam packed weekend learning anything and everything you ever needed to know (and didn’t know you needed to know) about launching your business with people who share your passion.

3. Eva Talley (Luxecetera) will be there to speak about branding, that alone is worth the whole trip!!

4. Door prizes, lot’s of them!

5. A Friday night shin dig to get to know all the lovely Photographers you will be spending the weekend with.

6. Custom forms by Luxecetera!!

7. Of course we will have the yummiest food and drinks :)

8. A live newborn shoot!

9. You will save yourself time, frustration, not to mention money.

10. It would not be the same without you!!!

*Please let us know if you would like to split your tuition into two payments, with the second being due four weeks before the workshop.

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Meet our winner

Saturday, March 6, 2010 Uncategorized

Leslie Harris!! I had the pleasure of chatting with Leslie for a few minutes today and immediately loved her. Her story made me cry and more importantly reminded me of just how powerful Photography can be. When you read her story you will understand. I feel blessed that fate brought her to our workshop and I can’t wait to meet her in Seattle! You can see her work here. She was kind enough to answer some questions so we can all get to know her.

What is a typical day in your life look like?

A typical day for me includes, but is not limited to: Getting kids off to school… cleaning up the disaster of a mad rush house:) Studying for hours, trying to find answers to my photoshop and photography questions…practicing what I just read (The other day my husband pulled up and I had a large naked doll sitting in a chair outside trying to take pictures of her with a reflector in one hand and my camera in the other. He just shook his head) Getting kids from school…refereeing a fight or two….cooking…scratching backs…i love my simple life:)

How and when did you discover Photography?

I have always LOVED photography…but about 5 years ago I saw a mom just like me doing a photo shoot of a roping we went to.  I started following her blog and just had wishful thinking about becoming a photographer.  I mentioned it several times to friends but just never thought I could do it.  A couple of years later, in November of 2008 my oldest daughter, Kylee, was killed and my life just stopped.  It was then that I realized how much my pictures meant to me. Since I still had four children, life wouldn’t let me stop. They still had events I needed to go to and having a camera in my hand saved my life. I could hide behind the lens. Photography became more and more of a passion because I started feeling “alive” again with the camera in my hand.

Where are you at in your business? Where would you like to be a year from now?

I am just launching my business and I am scared to death!!  I have been working hard and I am just now getting real customers. In a year from now I hope to have a studio that provides excellent service and products to paying clients!

Would you rather watch tv or read a book?

Read! I am a bookworm:)

What is your favorite food?

My favorite food is mushrooms!  Yes, I know it’s gross, but I LOVE them:)

What were you doing when you found out you won a seat to Launch?

I had just walked in the door from my daughter’s softball game.  I had to grab a chair from the total shock I was in!

Leslie and Kylee

mom&ky3

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March 7, 2010 - 12:36 pm Eva Talley - Congrats Leslie!! I can't wait to meet you ... see you in Seattle :)

March 7, 2010 - 1:36 pm Leslie Harris - Thanks, I am super excited!!!

March 7, 2010 - 2:39 pm LMichelle - Congrats. Hope to join you in Seattle!!!

March 8, 2010 - 9:13 am Kelly - Congrats Leslie!! I am so happy for you. This looks awesome!

March 8, 2010 - 9:15 am Michelle - I can't believe you won! I wish I could come with you?!!

March 8, 2010 - 9:18 am Tyra - Congratulations Leslie!!! I can't believe you found this...this is exactly what you have been needing! I am so happy for you. I hope you all have fun!

March 8, 2010 - 9:21 am Rachael - I just clicked on this from your blog...this is the workshop that I am needing!!! Congratulations:D

March 8, 2010 - 9:44 am shauna maness - leslie! you see, dear friend, jesus isn't going to let you out of this... i think this is crystal clear- you were made for this! love you!

March 8, 2010 - 11:45 am Melissa Rodriguez - What a touching story! So happy she won!

March 7, 2010 - 5:07 am I WON A FREE WORKSHOP!! » Leslie Harris Blog - [...] now I’m looking for flights!!!!! I can’t hardly wait:) To see the post about me click here. Posted in [...]

Enter to win a free seat to the Seattle Workshop!!

Saturday, February 27, 2010 Uncategorized

I am excited to announce the next Launch workshop will be in Seattle on June 19th and 20th with an optional third day on June 21st!! To enter to win a FREE SEAT to the workshop leave a comment on this post. We will be picking a winner Saturday March 6th and announcing the winner on Sunday March 7th.  Registration opens on Monday March 8th at 8am. Since I was born and raised in Seattle, it definitely holds a dear place in my heart so I am SO excited for June! We want to thank Kristie for coming along on the first Launch and wish her the very best of luck in her new endeavors. You better believe she will be helping arrange some amazing models for us as well! Good luck on the contest and we hope to see you in Seattle!!!

* excludes airfare and hotel

What an amazing weekend!!!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Uncategorized

The first Launch weekend has come and gone and was just awesome!! What a privilege it was to meet such an amazing group of women who we share an incredible passion for Photography. It went way too fast and we could have spent three more days with them! We will share more later but for now we thought we thought we would share some images that one of attendees Jennifer, was kind enough to send along with a group shot. We would also like to extend a gigantic thank you to all the women who had enough faith in us to attend our inaugural weekend!
launch_blog

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February 25, 2010 - 4:19 am carmen - so true...it was an AMAZING weekend! these photos bring back great memories of an fantastic and really well put together workshop. thank you stacy and kristie (and eva and sarah) for a wonderful weekend. you guys rock!

February 25, 2010 - 8:23 am Shekira - Good times, ladies. Good times. :)

February 25, 2010 - 8:27 am Brenda Irizarry - I couldn't agree more, Carmen. It was truly amazing! Stacy and Kristie - thank you, thank you, thank you....I can't say it enough. Sarah and Eva - you guys are fabulous. Thank you for everything you all did to make the workshop so awesome! We've definitely been LAUNCHED!!!

February 25, 2010 - 12:06 pm staci - I learned more than I ever thought I needed to know. Thanks it was so great !!! Is there a 2nd workshop?

February 25, 2010 - 12:35 pm Tina Cardoso - Agreed. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Stacy and Kristie are truly fantastic. Sarah and Eva made it even better. Such great ladies teaching us...and such great ladies learning together. Yeah LAUNCH! (And P.S. - thanks to all of you for my therapy session on Day 1 :) )

February 27, 2010 - 11:46 am stacey woods - so proud of you, stacy!! *muah*

February 27, 2010 - 2:22 pm Joyce Smith - Fantastic! I've been checking to see how it went and it looks like it was a wonderful event. No surprises there! Congrats, ladies!!!!!!

February 27, 2010 - 2:35 pm admin - Thanks Stacey! I owe you a phone call, we NEED to get together soon!! Joyce- it was a fantastic weekend and thanks again for your donations for the attendees! What a lucky group of girls they are! And to our first group of Launch girls- We love you all and can't wait to watch your businesses grow!!!!

February 27, 2010 - 8:34 pm Beryl - It really was an amazing weekend and I feel so fortunate to have met so many amazing current and budding photographers. Thanks for LAUNCHing us all to the next level Stacy and Kristie!

Are you girls ready??

Thursday, February 18, 2010 Uncategorized

We are so excited that the weekend is finally upon us and cannot wait to meet all you wonderful women who will be joining us. By now you should have received the packet of information in the mail, if not please let us know so that we can fill you in on the last minute details. The weather looks like it is going to be nice, upper 60’s which is warmer than we have been in a while. If you need anything at all please call Stacy as Kristie will be traveling from Seattle Friday so she may be unavailable. We are more than giddy with excitement, and hope you are too!! See you soon….

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A move, A studio and the last seat……

Friday, January 1, 2010 Uncategorized

What an exciting and busy year it was for both of us with a lot of unexpected but welcomed changes. Kristie and her family are getting settled into their new life in Seattle and other than being a bit chillier than before they are adjusting quite nicely. An opportunity was presented to me in November by the owner of an amazing baby boutique to open a studio next to their shop. Within a week of signing my lease we had walls up, new floors, paint, furniture and the doors opened. It was crazy timing being right smack dab in the middle of my holiday season but well worth the temporary stress. I am still waiting on a couch that has been back ordered for two months (I am told it is sitting in customs as we speak) and then it will be completely finished. I snapped a few pictures to share….
SLP_1938_4820lr
SLP_1941_4823lr

We have decided to move the workshop from the Ybor City location to my studio which means we are also changing the hotel so if you have signed up we will be sending you a new email with all of the details. We will be providing all of the transportation to and from the studio as well as downtown for shooting and eating if you are attending the Extended Day.

We have had such a wonderful response and can’t wait to meet all of the amazing women who will be attending. We have one seat left so be sure to sign up now if you would like to come to Tampa in February!

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January 1, 2010 - 11:09 pm carmen - Gorgeous! I LOVE all the natural light...looks perfect! Can't wait to see it. Happy New Year!

January 2, 2010 - 8:31 am Beryl - Your new studio is absolutely stunning! I can't wait for Feb. :)

January 2, 2010 - 9:35 pm Shekira - Love it! I'm so jealous. I look forward to seeing it in person!

January 4, 2010 - 8:13 am amy simo - Looks great...I can't wait!

January 4, 2010 - 12:01 pm Brenda Irizarry - One word...FABULOUS!

January 21, 2010 - 9:35 am Ellie Graham - Fresh modern. Your studio is so fresh. Love it!!

Big News!!!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Uncategorized

We are so excited to be working with Lux on our workshop brand and custom forms, we happen to think that they might just be the most talented women on the planet. And if you have had the chance to work with them or use any of their products you already know just what an amazing company they are. That is why we are SO EXCITED to announce that Eva and Ashley have agreed to speak at the workshop about branding!! Since they know branding like no other we are over the moon that have agreed to take time out of their extremely busy schedules to teach all of you the ins and outs of branding your business right from the start. Did we mention just how amazingly nice they are as well? Seriously, it is going to be awesome!!
We have received a few emails about lodging so we thought we would answer some of those questions here. Lodging is not included in the weekend however, we have secured a group rate at a local hotel for $159 a night. Since it is walking distance to the venue and there is a free shuttle (and a super cool trolley)  there is no need to rent a car. Those of you who have already registered, should have received your welcome email with all of your transportation and lodging details. While you are not required to stay at the hotel we have chosen, we know that half the fun not to mention tons of learning happen in the lobby, bar, restaurants etc so we would love it if you stayed with us. We will be staying at the hotel and plan to be around for questions, chatting and cocktails.
On another note, Kristie and her family left today for their big move to Seattle!!! Let’s all send out a big cyber hug to her and her family as they embark on this new adventure in their lives.We are so excited to be working with Lux on our workshop brand and custom forms, we happen to think that they might just be the most talented women on the planet. And if you have had the chance to work with them or use any of their products you already know just what an amazing company they are. That is why we are SO EXCITED to announce that Eva and Ashley have agreed to speak at the workshop about branding!! Since they know branding like no other we are over the moon that have agreed to take time out of their extremely busy schedules to teach all of you the ins and outs of branding your business right from the start. Did we mention just how amazingly nice they are as well? Seriously, it is going to be awesome!!

We are so excited to be working with Lux on our workshop brand and custom forms, we happen to think that they might just be the most talented women on the planet. And if you have had the chance to work with them or use any of their products you already know just what an amazing company they are. That is why we are SO EXCITED to announce that Eva and Ashley have agreed to speak at the workshop about branding!! We are over the moon that have agreed to take time out of their extremely busy schedules to teach all of you the ins and outs of branding your business right from the start. Did we mention just how amazingly nice they are as well? Seriously, it is going to be awesome!! 

We have received a few emails about lodging so we thought we would answer some of those questions here. Lodging is not included in the weekend however, we have secured a group rate at a local hotel for $159 a night. Since it is walking distance to the venue and there is a free shuttle (and a super cool trolley)  there is no need to rent a car. Those of you who have already registered, should have received your welcome email with all of your transportation and lodging details. While you are not required to stay at the hotel we have chosen, we know that half the fun not to mention tons of learning happen in the lobby, bar, restaurants etc so we would love it if you stayed with us. We will be staying at the hotel and plan to be around for questions, chatting and cocktails. 

On another note, Kristie and her family left today for their big move to Seattle!!! Let’s all send out a big cyber hug to her and her family as they embark on this new adventure in their lives.

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November 23, 2009 - 1:11 am kellie - i'd love to know more about Lux! when will their website be up?

December 15, 2009 - 8:34 am admin - you can find them at www.luxecetera.com ;)

Registration is officially open!!

Monday, November 2, 2009 Uncategorized

Top ten reasons to come to LAUNCH workshop

1.Umm, the weather. 70 degree weather in February? Who can say no to that?

2.The custom forms by Luxecetera …..need we say more?

3.Maybe just maybe, someone really fabulous will be coming to talk to you about branding

4.You get to hang out with a group of fabulous Photographers that share your deepest passion

5.Rumor has it there will be a really great shindig Saturday night

6.There will be really yummy food and drinks.

7.You might just learn something :)

8.A ride on the fabulous Ybor yellow trolley anyone?

9. Can you say door prizes?

And the top ten reason to come to Launch workshop is …….. Do you really need another reason?

*to ensure the highest level of attention to our attendees, seats are limited.

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November 2, 2009 - 11:01 am Kalin - Oh my gosh, I can't even tell you how bad I want to participate in this workshop!!! Is this limited to a certain number of people and might you possibly do a SPRING workshop in Seattle?? A little easier for me to get to Seattle but I don't want to wait until summer to dive into this yummy stuff!

November 2, 2009 - 5:33 pm Stacy Larsen - Kalin, We are still deciding on the exact date for the Seattle workshop but could be pursuaded to do one in the spring if enough people show interest. You sure you don't want to just come to Tampa?? It's going to be so much fun, and so much sooner!!

November 2, 2009 - 7:49 pm Sheila - This sounds like it is right up my alley....I can't stop thinking about it!!! I'm trying to convince my husband that it is a good investment!!! Is registration limited to a certain number of people? Sooo hope I can make it:0)

November 2, 2009 - 8:55 pm Kalin - I would love to leave the cold Montana winter behind and join you in Tampa! Unfortunately, I don't think schedules and 3 small boys will allow me to travel then. We shall see! But I am all for a Seattle workshop in early spring!! Thanks for responding!!

November 17, 2009 - 11:59 am Heather - I too would love a Seattle workshop date in the Spring.

November 19, 2009 - 6:44 pm Judy - I stumbled on this site when I stumbled on Joyce Smith's website. Any chance you'll bring the workshop to Philadelphia? Please, please, please? Pretty please?

November 19, 2009 - 9:09 pm admin - Why don't you just come to sunny Florida? You know you want to!!

December 3, 2009 - 1:53 am Kaylene - Count me in for a Seattle workshop in the spring!

December 3, 2009 - 5:10 pm Jessica - Congrats! This is awesome :) I am sure it is going to be a fabulous experience for those beginner photographers! Just dropping by to say hello!

December 7, 2009 - 9:26 pm Jen Orbistondo - I would LOVE a Seattle session this spring. Count me in!!!!

And the winner is…..

Sunday, November 1, 2009 Uncategorized

Jen Carl!!!

We could not be happier for our contest winner, especially since she told us she has never won anything in her life!! We also want to thank everyone who entered; the response to the contest was just amazing and humbling and we had so much fun watching the entries flood in! Registration will open tomorrow morning, November 2nd at 9 am. We are looking so forward to meeting all of you lovely budding Photographers!

Since I know we are all dying to know more about Jen we did a little interview with her this morning.

Where are you at in your photography journey and where do you hope to be a year from now?

Right now I am in the process of starting my own business. I have been a photographer since I was 5 and it most definately was my first love. I took classes in high school and read up on everything that I could over the past 11 years after. I am the one who takes the family photos for friends and family and even did a wedding for a friend who didn’t have the $ for a pro but never had the confidence or drive to start my own business. Finally when I had my son this past January, I found myself taking a million pics of him and being a mom now I wanted him to grow up seeing his mom do what she loves to do and not hating going to work at a job she cant stand.

What brought you to the Launch site and what did you think your chances of winning were?

I had seen it on creative mama and a mention in clickin moms and then I saw it on Joyce Smith Photography (Wordsmith) blog – I must admit, I stalk her blog – lol. I used to live in Philly and admire her work! So I thought since I keep seing this everywhere I would check it out. When I saw the contest I entered my name. Must have been fate:)

What are you most excited to take away from the workshop?

Everything. I checked out the itenerary and there is nothing I couldn’t benefit from. I am very excited how to learn how to not rely on my flash and use natural light more!

What is your favorite thing in the world to do?

Spend time with my family and take pictures of course! I also love to travel. It has tapered off quite a bit since I had my son, but I have seen so many amazing places and hope to start again soon!

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and who would you take?

I would take my son to San Francisco – my other love, and absolutely Europe. I can’t even pinpoint a specific place – just all of it! The culture and archetecture and beauty is amazing.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Well I am quirky and love to have fun. I am a mom of a very busy 9 month old:) I have a wonderful husband who is extremely supportive, so I have to say that I am very blessed! I am a country girl all the way even though we live in the city now. My goal is to run a successful photography business.

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November 1, 2009 - 3:06 pm amy - Congrats to Jen!! I look forward to meeting you at the Workshop!!

November 2, 2009 - 10:40 am Dita - Congratulations, Jen! What an awesome opportunity. I hope your dream of starting your own studio and spending time with your son and husband and traveling comes true for you! Wishing you a wonderful time at the workshop. Dita

Contest Winner will be announced Sunday and Registration opens Monday!!!

Friday, October 30, 2009 Uncategorized

*The contest will close at 5pm on Saturday so be sure to enter if you haven’t already

The response to the seat giveaway has been amazing to say the least. We have so enjoyed reading each and everyone of your comments and yes we have read each and every one! We have decided to move the Registration date to Monday November 2nd so that we have a chance to pick and announce a winner before sign ups begin. I mean really we believe that the winner should have a chance to relish in their winnings for at least a day, don’t you?? So Registration will open promptly at 9 am (remember we are on eastern standard time) and seats will be sold on a first come first serve basis. If you registered for the contest please watch your inbox as we will be emailing you to confirm that you are in fact thee happiest person on the planet and will for sure be able to attend. And because a post isn’t quite a post without some fun images, we thought would we would share some of our recent work in Ybor City…..

blog_launchpostI

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October 31, 2009 - 9:29 am carolyn bowles - Love these Stacy! I'm in the market for a new lens and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing what you used for these images. Beautiful! By the way, I'm a canon girl, thanks!

October 31, 2009 - 10:27 am Stacy Larsen - Thank you so much Carolyn! These images are a mixture of mine and Kristie's but I used the 28-70 2.8 for my shots (the two maternity and dad lifting baby in the air). I also have the 50mm 1.4 which I use exclusively for newborns and sometimes I throw it on for portraits as well. It is a super sharp super yummy lens. To answer your question about the workshop, it is really designed for the beginner because we will be hitting the technical side of things pretty hard but I sure would love to meet you ;) Call me if you have specific questions!

October 31, 2009 - 1:14 pm Kristie Serra - Hello Carolyn! Thank you for your sweet words!! We truly appreciate them!! Ditto to what Stacy said with regards to the lens. For my images above I used the 50mm 1.4 nikkor lens and 24-70 mm 2.8 nikkor lens.