A: Use a little more make-up and hairspray than you normally would, you’ll want your make-up to show up a little bit more in your photos and it can get windy outside so the hairspray will help keep your hair in place. Ladies, when applying lipstick, avoid red lipstick. The red pigments in the lipstick turn black in black & white photos, making your lips appear black. Do not go to the tanning bed and overly tan before your shoot, sometimes fake skin tones appear more orange than brown which is not flattering. Natural bronzer or bronzing powder are the way to go. If you worry about the appearance of a double chin in photos, rub a little bit of bronzer or bronzer powder that is 1 shade darker than your natural skin tone under your chin and around your neck to create the appearance of a shadow on your neck. (We use this shading technique sometimes in retouching too) ​If you’d like to book a professional hair stylist and/or make-up artist, check out our list of resources HERE!

A: YES! A thin layer of bug spray should keep them off of you for an hour or two during your shoot.

A: Try to coordinate clothing as much as possible, avoid busy-looking prints and clothing logos that will distract your eyes in photos. Solid colors like khakis, black skirts, blue jeans and shirts of similar, solid colors photograph well together. Avoid white shirts if possible, if it’s sunny outside, solid white shirts can become very “contrasty” in sunlight making it harder to meter for properly exposed faces. Pinterest is also great for helping with clothing and color combinations!

A: ABSOLUTELY! We LOVE pets and since they are a part of your life, they should be in your photos! Just remember to keep your pet on a leash during your shoot and remember to bring something with you to clean up after them. Feel free to bring treats with you too, they tend to cooperate much more when they have an enticing reward in front of them.

A: In the event of bad weather, or if you have an emergency and need to reschedule, please call us ASAP! We will e-mail you our cell phone number before the shoot, feel free to e-mail us back with a number where we can reach you that day too in case anything comes up on our end. We will check the extended forecast about a week before your shoot and e-mail you to confirm and then we’ll check the radar again 24-48 hours out and re-confirm via e-mail. Indiana weather is very unpredictable though and if it looks like it might rain the morning of your shoot, we will most likely reschedule. We don’t want you walking through mud or laying in it for photos if we can avoid it.

A: If your shoot is scheduled for Holcomb Gardens, here are the directions & parking info you’ll need to know: From the north side, take Meridian Street south to 49th street. Turn right on 49th. You’ll pass a series of stoplights and stop signs. Hinkle Fieldhouse will be on your right. Turn right on Lake Road, just past Hinkle Fieldhouse. It’ll wind around until you come to Robertson Hall, at that point, make a right and continue going straight through the gates to Holcomb Gardens. We’ll meet you at the bottom of the hill at the round-about at your scheduled date & time.

A: If your shoot is scheduled for the Monument, we recommend parking on the side streets if you can find parking, but if not, there are plenty of parking garages along the side streets. (Remember to bring extra money for parking!) We will meet you on the north side steps of the Monument at your scheduled date & time.

A: Take I-465 North to Meridian Street, turn left on 116th Street. Continue west on 116th (for about 3.5 miles) until you get to Towne Road. Turn right (north) on Towne Road. Continue north on Towne, turn right on 131st Street then turn right on Broad Street. (This is the main entrance to West Clay) You’ll see a large white meetinghouse in front of you, continue driving toward the meetinghouse and park along the side streets. We’ll meet you in the gazebo in front of the meetinghouse at your scheduled date & time.

A: If your shoot is scheduled for the canal area, we recommend parking at the Indiana State Museum at 650 West Washington Street Indy 46204. They have an underground parking garage (remember to bring extra money for parking though. If there is an event going on downtown, we’ve seen up to $50 for parking in downtown Indy parking garages, just FYI) then take the elevator upstairs to the ISM or walk in from the garage level. We will meet you directly behind the museum, on the canal, at your scheduled date & time.

A: ABSOLUTELY! Those are just our most requested locations that our clients have asked about in the past. If you have a favorite location, restaurant, hang-out spot, or another place that has more meaning to you, we’ll want to go there because you’ll be more relaxed in that environment. Just call the location before booking your shoot and make sure that you get permission for us to shoot there (get the person’s name that you talked to also!) and see if they charge location fees for photo shoots. Some parks and museums will charge photographers and/or their clients an extra fee just to shoot at a particular location. (Upwards of $500+ so make sure you ask!) We offer free travel within an hour of Carmel so if you have another location in mind, just let us know.

A: We usually allow an hour for each session unless you’ve booked a mini session with us.

A: YES! Anything that you’d like to use in your photos that defines your style, personality, etc. is a great way to make your photo shoot more personalized. For children, that may mean their favorite blankets, toys, stuffed animals, etc.  For maternity shoots, you could bring baby-related items that you received at your baby shower. For boudoir photos, you could use feather boas, sexy shoes, or anything that makes you feel more confident in front of the camera.