Kari Coon: LittleMonstersPhotography.com

Kari Coon:

Little Monsters Photography

I recently interviewed Kari Coon from Little Monsters Photography in Flushing, MI. I was drawn to her as a photographer because she specializes in children and families, which is the same direction of photography I love. It’s so much fun to be able to capture little one’s doing what they love to do. Playing dress up or swinging on the swing set brings out the best smiles you can capture.

Kari went to college in 1996 and majored in photography and opened her own business in 2004. I asked Keri how she would describe her photographic style and she said that she would describe her style as “modern, quirky, and kid-centric.” Kari finds her inspiration in the children that she photographs. She says that “If a child is quit then her session will be quiet and reserved, if the child is crazy the session usually will be vibrant and off the wall.” Kari prefers natural light photography but also has a beautiful studio in downtown Flushing, Michigan as well.

Marketing is important in any business so I asked Kari what her most successful ways of finding new clients were. Kari says that “WOM and networking” were key. “Once I got a single client to rave about me to her friends, that was it,” Said Kari. Kari’s five pieces of advice for new photographers is, “1. Don’t be in a rush to start a business 2. Take business classes before opening 3. Hire a CPA right away. 4. Research your market. 5. Figure out your cost of doing business, not just goods but time, insurance, rent, utilities, equipment, taxes, and the other 100 things that you don’t realize you have to pay for.”

Many photographers express their creativity in other areas in their life and Keri is no exception to that rule. She tries to be creative in whatever she does from holiday decorations to birthday cards.  Just for fun I asked Kari what her favorite part about being a photographer and owning her own business was. Her answer was” Editing in my pajamas;” that sounds great to me too!!

Little Monsters Photography is MOVING to Ocala, Florida in late June 2011!