Dear Mariam Naficy and the Minted Executive Team,

My name is Rebecca Coursey and I am an independent artist –a birth and family photographer by trade.  I am writing to you to express how dismayed and disheartened by your recent Holiday promotional: PHOTO OP | by minted. This new service offers, "easy, beautiful in-home photography for the holidays. Just $100."  For an artist whose business is to know family portraiture and know my clients, I find that not only is this price range alarming, but what you seem to guarantee, "the relaxing holiday card experience you dreamed of: Our independent photographers will come to you to bring your look to life," rings incredibly false. As a company who in the past has supported independent design and living wages for artists, I wonder how you will stand behind your claim to ensure high-quality and excellence when you are paying your photographers a non-living wage. You have also seemingly reduced the family photography industry as something to be tossed aside outside of the holiday season. 

As artists and photographers, we support our families year-round. We also strive to connect with our clients to ensure that we are capturing the joy and love that exists in their individual family –because we know, each family we photograph is as unique as it is special. 

In the past, I have been a loyal minted customer, not only using you for my business stationery and cards but for holiday gifts and greeting cards.  I have always recommended you to my customers who wanted high-quality with excellent design. However, with this new service, I feel that you can no longer stand behind your claim to: "CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE" That you as a company will no longer be able to connect my clients with the best independent artists. Instead, you are undermining the thriving and unique industry of family photography. 

This holiday season, I will be taking my own business elsewhere, as well as encouraging my clients to look to other independent paper companies for their printing needs. 

My hope is, that since this program is in its beta stage, you will be able to see how you are negatively impacting the family photography industry and readdress how to connect your customers with truly fabulous and talented independent photographers and artists. 

                  Sincerely, 

                             Rebecca Coursey

                             birth and family photographer since 2013