Best of 2008 Portraits!!
Although we’ve always been known for our wedding photography, the portrait side of our business grew exponentially last year and we had so much fun shooting SO many babies, kids, families, seniors, models, pets & engagement sessions! It’s neat to see so many of our couples turn into families and refer their friends & families to us so a big thank you goes out to all of you for allowing us to be a special part of your life in 2008! 🙂 Here are some of my favorite portrait shots from 2008, hope you all enjoy them as much as I do!
Tips for attending this weekend’s bridal show…
Just a quick reminder to all of you – the Convention Center Bridal Show is THIS weekend! :)Â
As promised, I wanted to post some helpful hints for attending bridal shows since this may be the first time many of you have ever attended a large bridal show like this…
1. Wear comfy shoes! 🙂 Comfort outweighs the cute factor when choosing shoes ladies! 😉 Even though the Sagamore Ballroom is carpeted, you’ll probably be doing a lot of walking and standing so no uncomfy shoes that day! Also, leave your coat in the car if possible. It will be one less thing to carry in and out that day since you’ll be coming out with lots of bags of samples, brochures and information!
2. The Convention Center is located just south of the Westin and the Sagamore Ballrooms are closest to the Westin’s skywalk. The easiest way to get there is to park at the Westin (or in one of the government center garages that are less expensive) then take the Westin skywalk on the 2nd floor across to the Convention Center. Make a left once you’re inside the convention center and the ballrooms will be up on your right. Plan to be there for at least a few hours, the fashion show is usually about 45-60 minutes in length and always worth watching! (Tip: Get there early, seating is first come, first served!)
3. Unless you enjoy filling out your name, address, phone number, wedding date, etc. a million times, save yourself some time and make pre-printed labels before you go!! Vendors will appreciate it because your info will probably be more legible and you’ll save yourself a lot of time filling out the same info over and over again. Here’s what needs to be on your label: Bride’s name, Groom’s name, address, city, state, zip, phone number (if you want to be called), a valid e-mail address (a MUST!) and your wedding date. A few vendors may ask for more specific information which you can write in as needed but that will save you a lot of time.
4. Just remember, if you do NOT want to be called after the show, do NOT give out your phone number. This seems logical but I can’t tell you how many of my vendor friends have told me that brides have requested to be called after the show or they’ve given out their phone number and then treated wedding professionals like they are random telemarketers! LOL
5. Bring cash with you the day of the show. The entrance fee to the Convention Center show is $5 per person at the door and you’ll need cash again when paying for anything at the concession stand and again for parking. If you forget and are in a bind, the Westin has an ATM across from Starbucks in their lobby, just FYI. 😉
6. Bring a notebook, pen and a small digital camera with you so that you can take pictures of unique ideas and write down who you want to contact for appointments after the show. Sometimes after you’ve seen the 10th photographer, we all start to look alike and afterwards, you may forget who was who!
7. Bring your calendar with you if you’d like to book appointments at the show and bring your check book or credit card if you plan on securing services at the show. We typically do not book weddings on the spot at the shows because we like to make sure we’re a good fit (style and personality!) for each client, rather than booking dates in a frenzy. 😉 Once the show is over though, dates are booked first come, first served so call or email us ASAP! We usually have many brides with the same wedding dates calling & e-mailing after the show so the sooner you book an appointment afterwards, the more likely you’ll be able to reserve your date with us! Also, destination weddings are HUGE this year (they’re up 400% over years past) so if you’re having a destination wedding, please know that we DO travel and we LOVE to travel but we’ll need to book our arrangements early to get the best deals for your package. 😉
8. Talk to vendors & have fun! Stop by our booth, we’ll be between Sound Spectrum Entertainment and Indy Floral Designs this weekend so come see us! We will have a special giveaway that brides will be able to register for at our booth and we’ll be honoring all 2008 rates through the end of January so come see us this weekend! 🙂
P.S. Sorry for not posting photo credits above but I found these pics as stock photos on google. If anyone knows who these belong to, please let me know so I can credit them. 😉 ….couldn’t have a blog post without photos, you know?! 🙂
Merry Christmas!
Thank you to all of our friends, family, clients & colleagues for making 2008 another great year for all of us at Erin Hession Photography! Merry Christmas! 🙂
(Pictured from top to bottom, left to right: Diana – side shooter, John – side-shooter/assistant/web developer, Erin – main photographer, Elizabeth – side-shooter, April – album designer, Allie – personal assistant, Melissa – side-shooter/album assembly, Nichole – side-shooter)
October class photo shoot!
Yesterday, we held our October class photo shoot at Karen Hall & Company & we had so many amazing models for this shoot!! The first one above is Anna, you probably remember her from her senior portrait session that we photographed a few weeks ago…she’s a complete natural in front of the camera! The 2nd model below is my adorable sister Mary!! They did such an amazing job on her hair & make-up, she looked so cute!
A more retro/fun look…
GORGEOUS!! Her eyes are amazing!!
Our 3rd model was Olivia, who was there to get some head shots for White Cliffs Hair Studio. This wig looked so amazingly natural on her!! Remember she was in our last photo shoot too? Her mom brought me a copy of Indianapolis Woman magazine yesterday and my “bubble gum shot” made it in the magazine! YAY! She’s modeling a beautiful dress by Nikki Blaine Couture who was also on set for the photo shoot…I love having so many creative minds in one place at one time! 🙂
Model #4 was Barb, she’s become a regular as well and was in need of some more casual head shots for her portfolio…isn’t she gorgeous?! 🙂
She’s soooo pretty!!!
Anna modeled this dress for all of YOU!!! If you are thinking of doing a trash the dress session but don’t want to trash YOUR dress, you now have the option to wear this dress for a photo shoot with us! 🙂 Tracy from Bliss Boutique contacted me earlier this year and offered to donate this dress to us to use in photo shoots. It’s a very pretty but simple dress that will go well with just about any jewelry, flowers, veil, etc….the perfect trash the dress kind of dress!! 🙂 So if you’re interested in booking a trash the dress session with us and want to wear this dress, email me at [email protected] and we’ll get it scheduled ASAP! (The dress is about a size 10/12 and was pretty big on Anna but we pinned it in the back) 😉 By the way, Bliss Boutique is a gorgeous bridal shop in Brownsburg that carries a huge selection of gorgeous dresses, all priced under $1,500 so if you’re looking for a wedding dress, tell Tracy I sent you her way!! She’s soooo nice and super sweet to work with!!
Model #5 was Alex, he came to us from Berny Martin, the owner of Catou Couture…Berny is an AMAZING fashion designer and Alex is modeling one of his suits here. Alex was also a model in Midwest Fashion Week, the largest Midwest fashion show produced by Berny himself!
Then Anna changed into one of Berny’s amazing dresses…wow! They looked like they were ready to walk the red carpet!
Doesn’t she look like Halle Berry here!? 🙂
Model #6 was my youngest sister Leah…she is so gorgeous!! Karen & her crew wanted to go for a young/fun teen look with her and I think they pulled it off very well!
She’s soooo pretty!!
She loved the blue table so we did a few shots there for her…
Such a cute school girl look!! 🙂
Thank you to everyone who made yesterday’s photo shoot a huge success! Our next class photo shoot will probably be held in February so if you’re interested in booking a spot in the next shoot, email me at [email protected] and we’ll put you on the list to be notified when the next photo shoot date is announced!
Serena’s senior pics!
Last Sunday we photographed Serena’s senior pics at Avon Gardens!! You might recognize her from Dave & Lydia’s wedding a few weeks ago! 🙂 She is SO gorgeous!! I LOVED this shot…
And this one…doesn’t she look like a Cover Girl model!?!
Her smile is contagious!
Whoa!! Is she model material or what?! 🙂 I think right after this shot her family suggested she join an all-girls college…hehehe…
I LOVE FALL!!!
And I love it that she wanted to get WET during her shoot! This shot actually reminded me of Lydia & Dave’s trash the dress shoot! 🙂
She was such a diva! She even brought along her hair, make-up & clothing crew!! 🙂 (Hi ladies!!!)
Thanks for a great time that day, it was so much fun to hang out with all of you again!! 🙂 More pics coming soon!!