Heather Latter
While browsing through greeting cards at the local store, people might not pay much attention to the children featured on them.
But they might want to now since some of the images are of youngsters from here in Rainy River District.
Kimberly Chorney, of Butterfly Photography in Rainy River, is making a name for herself, having already sold more than 50 images to American Greetings, one of the world’s largest publicly-traded greeting card companies.
“[The company] saw my photos online, sent me an e-mail, and I was, like, for real?” recalled Chorney, noting that was more than a year ago and now American Greetings often lets her know what kind of images it is looking for.
Back in September, for instance, the company informed Chorney they were looking for photos for their Hallowe’en line for the following year.
“So I called up a few models and did a few Hallowe’en shoots,” she remarked.
“And I sold four images.”
Chorney did the same thing when American Greetings asked for summer photos, selling another three images.
“But I’d say about 75 percent are pictures they see on my blog and they send me an image request,” she said.
And since she photographs primarily within Rainy River District, nearly all the photos she has sold to the company are of local children.
“I let [my clients] know beforehand that I sell photos to American Greetings and that I may be contacted about one of their photos,” she explained.
“When they are selected, they’re just ecstatic, they can’t believe it.”
Recently, two cards featuring photos of six-year-old Leah Seguin of Emo were published and currently are being sold at Wal-Mart here.
“She was so excited,” exclaimed her mom, Katie. “We had to go out right away and buy them.”
Seguin noted the photos were used on cards in Taylor Swift’s new line, which her daughter thought was “pretty cool.”
While most of the photos Chorney has sold to American Greetings, including the ones of Seguin, do not show the faces of the subject, young Leah Seguin still was delighted.
“Others might not know it is her but she did, so that’s all that mattered,” her mom reasoned.
Chorney said the company prefers images that are profiles, backward shots, or feet.
“They don’t like to put complete full faces,” she noted. “If you don’t show the faces, then everyone can relate to that.
“It could be their child and I understand that.”
Chorney added the greeting card component has really helped her business since she does her own shoots geared toward the cards when she’s not busy doing her scheduled photo shoots.
“I’ve always loved photography,” she enthused, saying she got her first camera when she was 12 and has been taking pictures ever since.
When she began having children, she took plenty of photos of them.
“My friends saw the pictures of my kids and asked if I’d take pictures of their kids, and their friends starting phoning me and it just sort of grew from there,” she remarked.
“I love what I do and it has allowed me to stay home with my kids.”
Chorney, a self-taught photographer, loves the creative aspect of photography.
“I love thinking outside the box,” she stressed, noting she has a large studio that is jam-packed with all sorts of props.
When the weather co-operates, however, Chorney enjoys doing photo shoots outdoors.
“I would have to say today’s photography is more lifestyles,” she explained. “It’s more candid, about how your kids are and watching them play.
“It’s more about real life as opposed to sitting still in a studio.
“The natural pictures, if you hang those on your wall, they’re more eye-catching than, say, a school picture,” she reasoned.
Besides American Greetings, other companies also have expressed interested in some of Chorney’s images.
She was contacted by a company in Switzerland that wanted to use one of her Christmas photos in their brochure and blow up the image to use in a mall there.
More recently, she was notified that Caribou Coffee was interested in one of her photos for its winter ad campaign.
“You put your pictures out there on your blog and you think it’s only people from the area looking at your work, but really people from all over the world are seeing it,” Chorney enthused.
“I’m just amazed. It’s a great way to market your work.”
Beyond continuing with her scheduled photo shoots and the ones geared toward the greeting cards, Chorney is looking into opening an Etsy shop and selling fine art prints.
Etsy is an e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items, as well as art and craft supplies.
“I’m starting to really enjoy still life,” she noted, adding she’s currently working on her collection of work.
“I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to do something I love to do,” Chorney said. “It doesn’t seem like work that way.
“And I’ve been so fortunate to meet so many amazing people.”