Kari Campos Photography | Chicago, IL

Finding Balance

Kari — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:32:24 +0000

Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s been several months since the last time I posted to the website! Something that I was devoted to all of last year and much of the year prior has, unfortunately, been put on the backburner. The truth is, something had to give.

Last year was a year of changes. When I decided to establish Kari Campos Photography, those major life changes were not planned. I was committed to my photography business. However, in the midst of starting and establishing this business, I started a new position at my full-time place of employment, a job that is much more demanding and has presented quite the learning curve. But my biggest adjustment of all last year was in becoming a mom to this beautiful little girl.

The truth is, I didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be to balance full-time employment with being a loving wife to my husband and in my new role as Emme’s mom. I don’t get much time away from work during the weekdays, so my weekends have become solely devoted to soaking up as much time as I can with the two of them. Add in this business, and well, it’s a recipe for disaster, or at least a nervous breakdown.

The bottom line is, while I love photography, I frankly don’t have the amount of time to devote to it as I did when I first established KCP. And there seems to be no end in sight to the craziness of my life (don’t even get me started on the whole house-we-rent-is-going-through-foreclosure issue). Which brings me to the point of this post…

Kari Campos Photography will not be “closing”, but I am greatly limiting the number of photoshoots I take on this year. Each photoshoot I do encompasses a minimum of six-eight hours. Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as just taking pictures. It is so very time consuming–something I knew when I established the business, but at that time I didn’t anticipate the great number of life changes and challenges I’d be facing soon after.

So with that said, I haven’t fallen off of the face of this earth. I’m loving being a mom and am just trying to find a balance in my life. My number one priority has been and will always be my family, which is why I’ve had to make this decision.

Like I said, I will still be accepting a limited number of clients this year, so feel free to contact me if you are interested, just please understand if I have to regrettably say “no”.

Thanks so much to everyone for your support!

xoxo, Kari

Introducing Emmelina Lyn

Kari — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:20:14 +0000

I am happy to share that my husband and I welcomed Emmelina Lyn into the world on October 27th. Emme weighed in at 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 20 inches long. We have enjoyed getting to know our sweet little girl over the past three weeks. Little does she know that she has countless photoshoots ahead of her .

{Chicago Family and Children Photography}: The F Family

Kari — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:40:57 +0000

Holy fun! That’s how I can describe my morning with the F family who met up with me in late August in Arlington Heights for an early morning shoot around North School Park. I was so excited to photograph their family that morning because it would be my first chance to use my new 85mm lens. And I fell in love with it. Delia and Jonas were the PERFECT kiddos for the lens, and I am so excited to share just a couple of my favorites (there were many, many, many favorites from this shoot).

Thanks again F Family for a morning of fun. I hope you’ll cherish these photos for years to come .

{Chicago Newborn Photography}: Elizabeth

Kari — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:26:37 +0000

I love this family. Not only did I get to photograph Mom, Dad, and Kathleen last fall and did a solo session with Kathleen in June, I was lucky enough to photograph their newest family member, baby Elizabeth, at just a couple weeks old. And what a beautiful baby she is!

Big congrats to the A family on their beautiful girl! I can’t believe the next newborn shoot I do will be my own baby’s!

Love the headbands you see? Check out my sister-in-law’s business: http://www.stellalacouture.com.

{Chicago Children Photography}: Sam is 2!

Kari — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:24:19 +0000

You may recognize this adorable face. I did an indoor shoot with Sam back in February, and was thrilled when her mom contacted me to take her 2 year old pictures in June. We met at a park in Elmhurst and got some great shots! Sam was full of smiles that day, which makes my job even easier and a whole lot of fun!

Thanks to Sam and her parents for the opportunity to photograph that adorable face again. I hope to do so again soon!

Announcing Mini Sessions

Kari — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:31:19 +0000

Looking to get a quick photo session in before the end of the year? In need of a perfect holiday card photo before the weather turns cold? Kari Campos Photography is proud to present…

MINI SESSIONS

One Morning Only!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Spring Rock Park in Western Springs, IL

30 Minute Session for Up to 5 Individuals

8-10 High Resolution Edited Images on a CD with Printing/Sharing Rights

$125

Ready to reserve a time slot? Contact kari@karicamposphotography.com as soon as possible to reserve your session time. Please note that a limited number of sessions are available beginning at 7:30am.

As a reminder, I will be on maternity leave from photographing sessions beginning September 26th.

New Life on the Horizon

Kari — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:00:57 +0000

Things have been busy over here at Kari Campos Photography. I have several sessions yet to share with you, including an adorable 2 year old, a newborn, and a 6 month old. This first season of Kari Campos Photography has certainly been good to me!

But new life is on the horizon…

That’s right, while many who read this blog already know, I never officially announced on this website that my husband and I are expecting our first child in early November!

What does that mean for Kari Campos Photography?

Well, not much is going to change. The number one change, however, is that I will be going on “maternity leave” from shooting sessions starting September 26th. I anticipate resuming sessions in January, but because that is smack dab in the middle of winter, those will be limited to newborn/baby sessions only, which are the only type of sessions I shoot indoors. Come spring, I’ll be back at it and open to all sessions!

In order to accomodate sessions before taking leave, I’m trying to gauge interest in “Mini Sessions” . While the details certainly aren’t set in stone, “Mini Sessions” would look something like this:

A 25-30 minute session at a predetermined outdoor location on a set weekend day in September
One set discounted price of $125 (no individual session and product fees) which would include the session itself and a CD of 8-10 edited images with printing/sharing rights

These are a great way to get that perfect Christmas card picture! If you think you’d be interested, please let me know ASAP either via email or comment below so we can get the details set. I’m also still scheduling full regular sessions which are one hour long and result in 20-25 fully edited images. For more information on my regular session pricing, please visit the Pricing page.

I hope to be hearing from you soon!

{Chicago Baby Photography}: Sade

Kari — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:34:00 +0000

I have to say, I have been lucky to photography some GORGEOUS babies, and Sade was no exception. At 3 and a 1/2 months old when she was photographed in early June, she was the perfect little lady and full of smiles. Which was no surprise, because her parents are gorgeous as well. Makes my job an easy one .

Thanks so much to the K family for welcoming me into your home to capture photos of your beautiful baby girl!

{Chicago Children Photography}: Kathleen

Kari — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:33:17 +0000

Kathleen’s mom contacted me a couple months ago about photographing Kathleen for her 2 year old photos. After a rough spring of weather and some unforeseen scheduling changes, we were finally able to get together in early June. I think it worked out for the best! We had an absolutely gorgeous morning at Promontory Point, which was a stark contrast to the very chilly session I did with their family in the fall.

Kathleen was a doll and was so easy easy to photograph! Enjoy a few of my favorites…

Thanks again to the A family for the opportunity to photograph little miss Kathleen. Can’t wait for the arrival of the new little one!

{Chicago Children Photography}: Sam

Kari — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:24:14 +0000

Just look at this adorable little girl! A couple weeks ago, Sam and her parents met up with me at the Wilder Park Conservatory in Elmhurst to photograph Sam in a nice warm setting! This conservatory was a great spot, and I plan to use it again in the future. It was small enough to contain an energetic toddler who loved running around. I loved her dress and was happy with how well it vibed with the colors of the botanical garden. She was a cheerful little girl, which made my job even easier!

I’m hoping the next time I photograph Sam, we can actually be outdoors! I can’t wait for spring and summer to arrive!