Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisa Copeland.
Elisa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I actually started photography 7 years ago when I was doing some graphic design. I needed product images and had a good friend teach me how to use my camera. I found that I actually loved taking pictures of people and, having four children myself, I naturally gravitated towards newborns. There is something so innocent and pure about a brand new baby and capturing that purity is what has lead to my clean, simple style of photography.
In the beginning, it was hard to find props that weren’t distracting and cheesy so I learned how to knit and made all of my own knits and headbands. I opened my studio in 2012 and one of the things that have set me apart from others is my one-of-a-kind props. One of my favorite things is creating new items for my clients’ sessions.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It wasn’t easy in the beginning and the thing I struggled with the most was pricing. I changed my pricing structure every time I saw what was working for someone else and by what was happening in the industry. It wasn’t until I decided what worked best for me and the way I lived my life that I became successful.
I have four children and it’s important to me that I am present in their lives as much as possible so I limit the number of clients I see per month and I have one fee that includes everything. Once the session is shot and edited it is delivered via digital download and that system has worked for me and my busy clients for several years now.
Please tell us about ElisaMichelene Photography.
I specialize in newborn photography but I also shoot family sessions, children, and high school seniors. Because of my love for designing new sets and creating props I have recently been shooting campaigns for local boutiques. I work with Mila and Rose and Couture Flower in Grapevine, TX shooting their line of children’s clothing and accessories and branching out into commercial photography has been a fun outlet for creativity.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start all over I would have structured my business to work for me rather than me work for it. Settling into a pricing structure and schedule that fits around my life with family has been the best decision I made.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elisamichelene.com
- Phone: 8172478440
- Email: elisa@elisamichelene.com
- Instagram: @elisacopeland
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElisaMichelenePhoto/
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