Top Connecticut Newborn and Family Photographer – Kelli Dease Photography Blog

Opening a photography studio has always been my goal since I started this business in 2008. Until now, the timing was just never quite right. My vision was never a storefront in a strip-mall. That’s just not “me”. I wanted something different: high ceilings, huge windows, exposed brick, and lots of character. When we moved to Canton at the end of the summer I was finally ready to start looking for a space. I searched on Craigslist, drove around town looking at every building that had a “For Rent” sign, and found a local real-estate agent, who was incredibly sweet but kept showing me spaces more suited for a doctor’s office than a photography studio. Then one day I noticed a teeny, tiny sign in the window of the old factory building in the center of Collinsville: Space Available, and I thought, “Now THAT could work!”

The space was perfect, and definitely had all of the charm and character that I was looking for, but of course there was a minor glitch (isn’t there always?): The building is for sale and the space needed some work. I went back and forth about it for a while. After all, I didn’t want to sink a ton of money into a space that might not be available long-term. Also, I have a pretty large client base in Fairfield County, and, let’s face it, Canton is not exactly close to Fairfield. I hemmed. I hawed. I discussed it ad nauseam with anyone who would listen. I decided to go for it!

This past weekend we began the process of fixing it up. It’s definitely not going to be an overnight transformation! Have you ever painted the trim on a window? Holy tedious! And there are 14 of them. And they are about as tall as I am. And that’s just the windows. We still have to do the walls and the floors, and there is a big, ugly bar near the entrance that I have NO idea what to do with … but it will all come together in time. I’m so excited to see what the end result will look like. I’ve been told that the building has been for sale for quite some time, so hopefully I’ll get to stay a while!

And if you’re reading this and thinking, “Wait, what about all of your on-location work?” – don’t worry! I will still be doing plenty of on-location sessions. After all, you can’t do a beach session inside of a studio! I love outdoor work, and I will never give that up. I just wanted a home-base, a space that would give me the option to do more creative work, especially with newborns and babies, and a place to store all of my gear. (If you could see the amount of newborn props that I’ve amassed over the years, you would know how important a storage space is. Keeping it in my trunk is just not cutting it anymore!)

Another perk to having a studio is that I can finally offer workshops. Not workshops for other photographers (there are plenty of great ones out there already), but workshops for ordinary moms who just want to take better pictures of their kids. Reading your camera’s manual will tell you how to operate the camera, but that isn’t the same thing as learning how to take a good picture, and I know from experience that finding a good photography class isn’t easy. There are plenty of online resources, too, but all of that technical information can be daunting. My classes are designed to cut through the terminology and make the learning process fun. Click here for more details.

Session specials coming soon, too!

-Kelli