I wish I could take credit for the gorgeous photographs in this post, which were provided by Kristie Cromie, on the right above, co-owner with Liz Sloan, middle, of L Photographie. Also pictured is L Photographie's Kate Hayes, left. You'll notice a huge bump-up in quality and styling on this page, and you may also realize that this post is yet another about a female-owned business located in the CWE, a theme that is beginning to have a familiar ring to it.
Liz Sloan had been an event manager in the media world before switching to photography in 2003. She serendipitously ran into Kristie Cromie, a friend from Mizzou, in their Soulard neighborhood. The friends had lost touch with each other, but decided to join forces and form L Photographie after that chance meeting. Kristie had been working as a graphic designer for the Switch Agency for 9 years, and had been dabbling in photography as a hobby. After Kristie became a mother, she decided to refocus her attention from wedding photography to concentrate on family portraits. That's when Kate Hayes, a photographer they met at a Bridal Fair, came onboard. When I observed that they all seemed to get along so well, Kristie said they think they mesh so beautifully because all three are the only girl in a family of boys, which meant they had to be tough and learn to get along.
L Photographie is located in a building filled with small, creative entrepreneurs at 449 N. Euclid, above. Since all three women are residents of the City of St. Louis they wanted to keep their business within the city limits. "There is a perceived value to being in the CWE," Liz said. The neighborhood has a 'boutique feel' to it–and we consider ourselves to be a boutique company–it's upscale, hip, well-maintained, and has a good eclectic mix…it's just cooler to be in the CWE!" Sounds like a great tag line for an ad for the CWE to me!
When I visited the trio of photographers (shown sitting at their workstations above) Kristie said that their clients tend to be with them full circle–for 5-7 years and beyond–from engagement photos, through the wedding, and "love the dress" sessions (after the wedding, the bride wears "the dress" in a completely different way). A few years later, there are maternity and baby photos, family portraits, and perhaps a high school photo in the future.
Two of the partners are mothers of young children and try to balance family life with work, but there are still many midnight editing sessions, especially during the spring and fall. Wedding season typically spans mid-March through mid-November and even New Year's Eve.
Photography sessions include archival-quality portraits, which the photographers edit themselves, digital files, custom framing, and custom-designed albums, which are exclusive to L Photographie (not available on do-it-yourself websites such as Snapfish). Sometimes clients will say they only want to order a disc with photographs, not the proofs. L Photographie provides the proofs anyway. As Kristie said, "As professional photographers we want to keep the tradition alive and take our work to its final stage. Who knows what the technology will be in twenty years, and if discs will even be around?" When you have the actual photographs, you and your children can always pull them out to enjoy for years to come.
Wedding photography by L Photographie starts at $3,000; family photography sessions, including new baby photos, run anywhere from $700 to $1500. Kristie said that the best time to take new baby photos–which can take as much as five hours–is during the first nine days of life. That's when babies sleep most of the time (tell that to a new parent!), and are easy to "style," i.e. dress and move around.
Liz allowed that every event is "once in a lifetime," so you may as well hire a professional. I know that the photography industry is going through a huge transition, but hearing Liz describe what has happened helped clarify some of the reasons. Cameras are so good now that anyone can set up a business without actually "going into business," i.e. renting a studio, paying taxes, etc. I learned that there is a term, "shoot and burns," for this type of hobbyist, which hurts the industry as a whole.
The remaining photos in the post show a series of vignettes taken in the light-filled space L Photographie occupies on the second floor of the Consulate Building, above and below.
L Photographie, 449 N. Euclid, by appointment only. Weddings: Liz Sloan (314) 265-3786, Kate Hayes (618) 910-8671; Portraits & family photography: Kristie Cromie (314) 503-7719.
What a gorgeous and inspiring work space.