Valerie of Valerie Kay Photography is a distinguished, internationally published, and award winning Fine Art Portrait Artist that specializes in families, maternity, and children creating timeless portraiture printed on heirloom quality art to elegantly display in your home.
Hello all of my favorite families! I want to thank you for an amazing 2021 and I am excited for what 2022 has in store!
Now that we are well into the new year, I hope it has been treating you well! I am very excited to start planning your session this year, so I've created this guide to get a head start on thinking about the details! This short blog goes over seasons, locations, wardrobe, prints+products, and planning info!
(pssst.. read all the way to the bottom for something special! )
Seasons + Locations
First, Let's chat times of the year and locations! Fall is most often a fan favorite, of course, but there is plenty of beauty in all seasons. Coming up soon is Spring. Starting right around the end of April and into May, the weather is absolutely perfect. I just love the fresh greens and gorgeous blooms. The Aspens in the mountains are a favorite in the spring, as well as, the flowers in the rose garden are at their best bloom then, too!
Summer is a fantastic option as well! I know we all think "Las Vegas is waaaay too hot in the summer", but since we schedule for best light right at the last hour before the sun goes behind the mountains, it's so much cooler than the rest of the day and definitely makes for lovely portraits! Floyd Lamb at Tule Springs is a popular spot in the summer as all the trees offer shade and the water is always a favorite. The mountains are also a very popular choice in the summer as it's typically around 15+ degrees lower up there most of the time and it also offers lush greens and some unique blooms.
If fall color is what you're looking for, the two popular spots are also the mountains and Floyd Lamb. In the mountains at the higher altitude, color changing happens much earlier than down here in the city. If we are thinking Mount Charleston, we would want to consider the very end of September/ first week in October. Floyd Lamb is typically at peak color in November and often, well into December.
Winter. I say this all the time, I cannot express enough how lucky we are living in the Las Vegas desert that we have the mountains as an option for us just a half hour away! For a place that rarely sees snow, it's a gift that we have access to it when we want it for a few months in the year! So if snow is what you're looking for, the mountains typically start seeing it in early December and through March. Obviously, it can be a little unpredictable, so sometimes it needs a bit of flexibility in the schedule, but the snow is worth it!
Of course, the desert is our home and it looks great all year around. I have a selection of different desert locations, and there is always the dry lake beds (though those can get fiercely windy!), for those that are excited to represent where we live in their portraits <3
I'm excited to share a new location available in 2022! This amazing gem features gorgeous and unique white rock formations with ledges and archways that lends itself to so much creativity. It requires a little walking, about 10 minutes, but it isn't too bad and totally worth it, if you ask me ;)
Wardrobe
Exclusive to clients, I offer an always growing wardrobe full of designer items to help style your session! There are several gorgeous gowns that look fabulous on both expecting mommas and not expecting, dresses for adults and kids of most ages, tons of accessories, and so much more. It's a wonderful added value as many don't love the idea of buying items to wear once.
Click below to view the wardrobe online but since there are so many items, many aren't listed. When we chat during your consult, I'll be able to tell you about all the things to find what works best for you.
Prints + Products
As a full service photographer, my goal is not only to create your family's memories, but to also provide the heirloom quality mediums to display them! Families this year most commonly LOVED their Fine Art prints and the glass covered album!
Those will continue to be my favorites for you this year, as well as, I will be offering a larger album this year from an 8x8 to 12x12 for the same price. Also! I am so excited to announce that new to 2022, I will start offering framed prints! This takes one more thing off your plate so all you have to do is hang them up!
Important Details!
Fall is the most popular time of year for bookings! Weekends in October are the first to go, so planning in advance is important around the fall.
Weekdays are my favorite. I love that there are less people at locations and of course, there are more days during the week than on the weekend. I know this isn't an option for everyone, but if it is, I highly encourage it!
Try to factor in timelines when booking. After your session, we will meet for your reveal session within 2 weeks, then up to 3 weeks for editing, and then 1-3 weeks for the delivery of products. The goal is always to be very ahead of those quoted times, but sometimes, especially during the fall, we might be reaching the full quoted turnaround time.
Most commonly, bookings in December will not have their products in time for the holidays so we would want to plan for that in November the latest.
Something special
New in 2022, there is a price increase for the creative session fee from $200 to $250. It is a necessary increase due to continuous rising costs of just about everything.
But! Special for you, clients from 2021 that book again in 2022 will be eligible for a $50 discount on the session fee, so it will be like nothing has changed for you! When booking, you can use promo code BOKEH to apply this special offer. *Only available in 2022 for repeat clients of Valerie Kay Photography*
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this as I hope it inspired you to get excited for your session this year! I look forward to getting to make some magic for you again!
See my entire portfolio on my website www.valeriekayphoto.com
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Valerie Kay Photography LLC || Las Vegas Fine Art Family Photographer
Internationally Published Photographer ~ Recognized as Best Fine Art Photographer of Las Vegas by Peerspace ~ Best of the Best Photographer by Summerana Magazine 2019 + 2021 ~ Best Fine Art Photographer of Las Vegas by Giggster ~ Top Portrait Photographer in Las Vegas and Colorado Springs by Expertise in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 + 2022 ~ Fab Photographer of Las Vegas by Hulafrog in 2019, 2020, 2021 + 2022