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  • Welcome to Leeann’s Lovely Day!

    Who is behind the lens? Well, it's me of course but my photography is not about me. It's about you. Although, the heart of a little girl still dances inside of me; A girl on a palomino horse, in a white dress with the most awesome boots, dreaming about princes and love, and thank God I was blessed to find my prince.

    The child somewhere in me still believes in enchantment, and that if I find it maybe I can bottle it up like fireflies. I guess I believe there's still this sense of wonder in each of us. I love to help uncover and capture it..

    With a passion for natural light photography, I focus on real-life portraits. From creative maternity, delicate newborn, mommy & me, whimsical childhood, enlightening family, romantic small weddings to edgy senior year images, my desire is to capture those everyday natural moments that let your true spirit shine. This is your opportunity to have your life portraits stand out from the crowd.

    You're amazing and beautiful, and I'll show you.

June 19, 2013

Your Senior Year Will Rock… {so should your portrait}

Graduating high school is a significant time in a young person’s life and is worthy of documenting in these unique and cool portrait sessions. It’s a time when huge decisions will be made about the future.   It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to capture this time before they head off on their big new adventure called life!

My love of pictorial story telling combined with fun energetic teenagers has lead me to create a new portrait experience for graduating high school students, the Lovely Day Senior Portrait photography session.

Unlike those typical boring school photos or graduation portraits, the Lovely Day Senior Portrait Session is FUN with a huge emphasis on styling, so the student walks away with some cool photos in cool locations, such as grungy alleyways or fields of long grass etc. that display who they are and what their personality is right now.

A Senior Student Portrait photo shoot is a great way to capture the unique personality of the student and it’s a win win for both student and parents.  The student gets the chance to do something fun and play model for a day which is a huge boost to their confidence and the parents are rewarded with beautiful timeless portraits of their child without having to beg and plead them to do something nice for their parents.

We are currently taking bookings for students graduating this year and next year and we are running a great Kick Off To Summer special.  Call today to get your session booked while there are still some openings.

So should your senior portraits

Rockin’ The Senior Portrait

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June 17, 2013

Who’s behind that lens?

In order to get to know me a little better, here is a little 411 on me:

Who is LeeAnn and what makes me “me”?  Where is your business based, and what type of photography do you specialize in?

My name is LeeAnn Samples, I was born in Elgin, IL and raised in Charlotte, NC and have resided in Knoxville, TN for almost 20 years.  Knoxville is HOME!  I specialize in Senior Portraits, Teens, Children and Families.

I am still a co-shooter and editor with my husband Don with Midnight Magic Studios.

I am a wife to my incredible hubby of 20 years (yes, I got married at the age of 16 *wink*) and the mother of a precious daughter, Katelyn (Katie) who is one of the hardest working kids I know.  She overcomes adversity and obstacles every day and then wakes the next ready to hit it again.  I am a dreamer, an optimist, a hopeless romantic and everyone tells me that I am definitely a laugh-out-loud kinda girl.  We own three dogs, two horses (that are boarded on a farm) and we are also foster parents.

What few words would your best friend use to describe you?

Genuine, Generous and Fabulous!

Genuine because I know who I am and I also know who I am not.  I’m not afraid to be me, I embrace who I am and I am proud of who I am, where I’ve been and where I plan to go.   I’m passionate about what I stand for ethically, politically and spiritually.  My friends always tell me that they can come to me for truth, because they know that I will always give them a real and honest answer.  And I like that.

Generous because I will do anything for anybody almost to a fault.  I’ve had to learn and still am learning the hard and painful way to say NO.  Otherwise, I end up over committed and spread to thin and then I’m not good at what I do, not a good wife and mom and not a good friend.  I love my best friends for helping me realize this.  That being said, I still have a hard time saying no, but love to say yes when I can.

Fabulous because…. have you met me?  Enough said! *smile*

How would you describe your photography style?

Timeless, Styled, Modern, Honest and I always try to capture the essence of the subject’s personality.

What’s in your camera bag?

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 7D & Canon 5D

70-200mm 2.8L IS

24-70mm 2.8L

85mm 1.8

50mm 1.4

28mm 1.8

Lensbaby Composer

580EX  II Speedlight Flash

Small sewing and first aid kits {you never know} hairspray, a touch up make-up kit, bugspray {because I hate bugs during photo shoots, well, I hate them always} and the necessities, batteries, etc

What’s your favorite camera bag(s) and toys?

I LOVE Kelly Moore and Cheeky Lime bags and I have 2 of each (different styles and colors of course).  I also love my Epiphanie camera bag that I just got for Mother’s Day.  I love all things LensBaby.  It bumps up your creativity in an all new way.  I owned the very first LensBaby that came out years ago.

Behind the scenes, what software do you use for editing your photos? Any tips/tricks you would like to share?

I use Lightroom 5 to edit my RAW files and I use Photoshop CS6 to fine-tune my images.  I am a self-proclaimed Action junkie!!  Haha!  I adore Florabella Collections and have all of Shana’s products.  I also like Kubota Imaging Tools and sometimes I also use Totally Rad‘s actions .  I have tons of personal “recipes”, various actions being used together, so that my editing style matches my brand.

What is my dream with photography {and life}?

To have a small farm that has variations in landscapes and scenes… beautiful fields and pastures, beautiful kind natured horses, long fences, rustic woodwork, beautiful trees, gorgeous fields, wildflowers, water (either a pond or creek) and an arched bridge.  I would also LOVE a loft studio in the city with tons of natural light, a fabulous dressing area, gorgeous decor and inviting comfortable client viewing & ordering area.

What “Things” could I NOT live without?

My MacBook Pro, my iPhone and my iPad.  I think my gadget motto is “iHeartApple”.  My Canon 5d Mark ii and my 3 favorite lenses.  I also love my Epiphanie camera bag.

If you could make a difference in the lives of others by donating to a charity, which charity would it be and why?

Becoming a Foster Parent has truly given us more than it’s taken.  There are so many children who need good foster homes and many of them end up blessing your life.

Also, I love the Mission of Hope.  So many people don’t realize the poverty that exists in our own back yard.  Knoxville, TN is not a big city like New York, San Francisco or Atlanta but it’s a modern thriving city.  They provide Christian based services and assistance to the people of Appalachia and in a 2010 audit, it showed that 90% of all funds donated go directly into the services helping the people.

What actor/actress would be cast to play you in a movie about your life?

Hmm… Probably someone like Melissa McCarthy because she is definitely a “laugh out loud kind of girl”, she’s the  kind of girl who can hang with the boys, the gals and laugh, have a good time and isn’t afraid to be who she is.  I loved her in Gilmore Girls and have loved her in everything since.

Favorites….

Clothing Store: Alter’d State ( awesome for seniors, my friend Courtney introduced me to this awesome clothing store), Torrid (great for plus-size edgy styles) and I adore Chasing Fireflies for children’s clothing.  Going green and just love cuteness for little ones, be sure to check out my friend Kristy Smith’s hand sewn items in her online boutique Zoonique Baby.

T.V. Shows:  The Fosters (I am a foster parent), NCIS, Nashville, Revolution, The Good Wife (I like seeing strong women on T.V.) and Hawaii Five-O.  Making time to watch these shows is a different story…. I have most of the 2012-13 complete seasons on TiVo.

Movie:s Too many to name one! All of the Twilight movies, The Mission Impossible series, Breakfast Club, How To Loose A Guy In 7 Days, Shawshank Redemption, Wedding Planner, The Bourne Identity movies, John Grisham books gone Hollywood like The Pelican Brief, The Help … I could go on forever… I love movies!

Music Artists:  Carrie Underwood, Black Eyed Peas, Sugarland, Lady Gaga, Yo Yo Ma, soundtrack from Les Miserables, Usher, The Band Perry, Miranda Lambert, Shakira, James Taylor, Van Morrison, Journey, Katy Perry, and Little Big Town… I have a very eclectic taste in music and I can easily go from one genre to the next.  You would laugh if you saw the playlists on my iPhone.

Books: Surprise, surprise, the Twilight books.  I also love anything James Patterson writes.

Magazines: Do people still read magazines when there is Pinterest?  Pinterest causes me to not go back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night!!

Quotes:

“I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing when out and grubblies when in. I believe in primping for fun, Mani-pedi’s and indulging once in a while on a good massage. I believe in pink and purple. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and… I believe in miracles.”  ~~Audrey Hepburn (w/ a little Leeann mixed in)


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September 15, 2012

Kristen Senior 2013

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May 1, 2012

I said…”Let’s Go”!

I am bouncing off the walls excited! I have been doing location and other forms of photography for 10+ years (5 of those years professionally) but I have officially started my very own photography business… separate from my husband’s film and photography business Midnight Magic Studios.

I really got interested in photography when we adopted our daughter 12 years ago.  She was only 6 months old and I don’t think she knew what life was like if a camera wasn’t aimed at her.  And then a few years later, I got my first horse, Sunny Girl.  A Belgian Draft Quarterhorse Cross.  She is a beauty!!   Now after having a back injury, I can’t ride her and so I have a gaited Spotted Saddle Horse.  It’s like riding a cloud.

When I first started photographing professionally,  I was lost on so many subjects. Gear, pricing, forums, what form of photography I really enjoyed, etc. I searched and searched the internet to find these answers on my own. Interestingly enough, I found that I actually learned the most from other photographers offering up tips and advice. I learned from their business advice and I learned a lot because they were open and honest about their mistakes.

So I am busy, busy, busy getting everything going.  I am really hoping to grow my Senior Portrait client base as well as teens, children and families.  Of course, I will NEVER turn down a farm session or a horse show.  *smile*

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April 20, 2012

Lovely Day…How It Began

I am so excited to announce the creation of Lovely Day Photography.  It’s a spinoff of my husband, Don’s studio, Midnight Magic Studios.  We share a small studio in West Knoxville.  He is a filmmaker, specializing in wedding films, corporate training and other special events.

The name Midnight Magic Studios originated because Don started Midnight Magic over 11 years ago and only focused on the business part-time while maintaining a full-time job with a major cable network.  He would shoot events and then he would always be in the office until midnight, 1am, 2am, etc.  I would tease him and tell him that “Midnight was his Magic hour”.  Thus, Midnight Magic Studios.  Don’s style is elegant, classic and geared more toward weddings.

Long story short, I’ve been shooting senior portraits, children, maternity, engagements and more.  I just didn’t feel like Midnight Magic fit my photography style.  We both love elegant and classic but I am not a wedding photographer.

So, I felt like I needed a complimentary name.  Since I’m a “Clickin’ Mom” and my hours are more traditional and much of my work is done while my daughter is in school… Lovely Day Photography was born.

I am excited and ready to go!!

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