Pop the champagne, blast the Disney music, & cue all the dance parties, because the new website is officially live! Obviously, if you’re here, then you already know this to be true, so a warm welcome to you all!
Nearly 4 years ago I created a little Squarespace site out of a single moment of bravery featuring some photos I had been mustering up the courage to share as my own “Lauren Carnes Photography” brand.
Whew it was scary!
And 3 years ago TO THE DATE, I officially went full time with a business that has pivoted & grown leaps & bound since that fateful May “Open for Business” day…
In fact, also nearly 3 years ago I pulled a scrap paper from a stack – a hotel receipt from my husband’s work – and scribbled down a list of adjectives.
They were hodge podge – seemingly random, and without any sort of header.
Blue ink jotting & stream of consciousness dreams of something that could be… a vision, if you will, for my future brand & website… the one that would carry me through the years. I started researching logos & site options & brands & designers that day. A Pinterest board, scribbling logo ideas in notebooks… so many things.
They were #goals.
Descriptors of the type of work I wanted to create & brand I wanted to have. At that time, I couldn’t have even remotely predicted the shifts and transitions that would come in the upcoming years.
From a business first nearly fully dedicated to capturing love & wedding days, to adding in food photography… & branding/editorial photography… & communications coaching… & really just life in general…
Those words written 3 years ago still are so crazy relevant today.
They weren’t trends.
Instead, they were just the first ingredients for a brand recipe that would develop in flavor & vibrancy over the years… one that today has officially launched into everything I do, create, believe, & love.
One website for all the things… and the fact that it can be housed under one roof is a feat in and of itself! 😂
Photography. Communications. Foodie focused. Travel bound. Dedicated to serving, educating, & encouraging my people.
Dedicated to you.
Pop around the site to experience it all!
Would you join me today in celebrating?
As a thank you to YOU for being a part of what makes this brand & site launch so special, I have a few of my favorite stock images all lined up ready for you! I also have a few more fun surprises up my sleeve in the upcoming weeks/months!
Feel free to download any you’d like, and if you feel so inclined… to celebrate on social media with a “CHEERS!” & even sharing a bit of insight, encouragement, or joy you’ve received from the Lauren Carnes brand over the years.
I absolutely can’t wait to celebrate with you all! Go ahead and grab your freebie stock images below, & use to your heart’s content! All I ask is that you credit me (@LaurenLCarnes) when you share them. 😉
More than anything, THANK YOU, for being a part of this little online world of mine and for your endless support. Could not do this without you!
And an EXTRA SPECIAL thank you to the following people for making this site possible. I’ll be going into all the details about their involvement & the overall redesign experience at a later date, but they 150% deserve to be recognized a billion times over. Also a note… some of these links are affiliate links, but the beauty & talent they provide speaks for itself & I’m thrilled to share about them!
WEBSITE TEMPLATE: For this incredible Showit template: Davey & Krista with The Palm Shop Positano template – they so graciously gifted me this template as a thank you for letting them use my images as the site example. And now, they’ve gifted you all 10% off of any of their full website templates in the shop when you use the code LAURENCARNES at checkout!
WEBSITE PLATFORM: Transitioning to Showit has been an absolute dream. Ever since serving as the copywriter/launch strategist for Natalie Franke‘s new brand last year, I’ve known that one day I’d be an official Showiteer… and I’m so glad that day is here!! I can’t wait to share all about the transition with you all… but in the mean time, go ahead and test out their amazing platform & free templates to get a taste. And know that if you’re a HoneyBook user, you get a 10% discount for your first year of Showit! Also… that’s my HoneyBook affiliate link and it gets you 50% off your first year! All the discounts, woot woot!
BRAND & WEBSITE CUSTOMIZATIONS: Anyone who knows Megan of Megan Martin Creative knows that she is a creative unicorn. Her skills in brand & website design, as well as marketing, blow me away every day. Through Davey & Krista’s template, I got the site almosttttt there… and then Megan came in and worked her magic to get it to where you see it today! The gorgeous color palette, brand customizations, and especially The Pantry (one of my very favorite parts of the whole site!) are all Megan’s wizardry!
BRAND IMAGERY: Everyone needs a Becky in their lives. Becky of Casto Photography was my go-to second shooter my first year of business, and one of my very first friends in Augusta. Not only is she incredibly loyal, but she is one of the most talented photographers I know! So honored to have had her capture my new headshots & brand imagery for the site… and that she let Sophie come join the party too!
TERMS & CONDITIONS: My dear friend, Christina of The Contract Shop got me situated with all the legal terms & conditions I could need for my new site. And thank goodness… because I’ll do the photography & communications things, and leave the legal (and accounting!) up to the pros! Her contracts are amazing & a life saver/peace of mind provider in my business!
Can’t wait to share more about each of these incredible people/brands & tips for launching a new site in the coming months!
Finally, here’s to the new… and years more of moving toward business & life #goals, always creating, & celebrating it alongside you all!
Happy launch day, friends! Thank you for being here!
