The Welcome Guide
Hello! I just want to start off by saying congratulations on your engagement, I’m so glad you’re here! Thank you for choosing me to photograph special day! I’m so excited to get to know you and hopefully this welcome guide will answer any questions you may have! At little bit about me: I’m just a graphic designer who fell in love with photography but I’m also a 28 year old cat mom, and an Indiana transplant. I am engaged to my best friend. I thrive in sunshine and live for beautiful sunsets, flannel shirts, and sweater weather. I love to travel. I have a bachelors degree in graphic design and am self taught in photography. I’m a Nikon girl. My goal as a designer and photographer is to capture love in its entirety. To watch your family start and grow. To not only be your photographer, but your friend. I want to help you capture the best moments in life and give you something beautiful to remember them with for years to come. I absolutely love what I do and I am truly honored that you’ve choosen me to capture this wonderful milestone for you! Congratulations again, and I look forward to working with you!!
a s i L
Sincerely,
a little background LMDP is the ‘one stop shop’ for the Midwest bride, but that’s not all. Along with providing engagement, wedding, maternity and family photography we design custom invitations, wedding programs, save the dates, menus, favors, birth accouncements, and cards for the Indianapolis and surrounding area. We work with top stationary manufacturers to ensure professional quality each and every time. Along with photography and custom design work we also work alongside top manufacturers as a vendor to provide you with beautiful ways to display your images around your home. These include image prints, wall canvases, and custom framing options. Pricing lists for these options are available after your session.
family First things first. You will receive a client questionnaire shortly if you haven’t already. It’s a tool I use to get to know my new clients a little better before we meet for your shoot. Just fill it out to the best of your ability. You can be as specific as you’d like! Don’t be afraid that you’re writing too much or too little. Email it back when you can, and that will help me decide several factors of customizing your shoot. One of the most important being location.
the prep work Style & Location Below are some of my favorite spots around the city. Let me know if you’d like something more woodsy or urban or if you have any location ideas of your own! 1. The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres at Newfields 1850 West 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46228 2. Newfields (requires an application & a $50 fee) 4000 N Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46208 3. Eagle Creek Park (has a small admittance fee) 7840 W 56th St, Indianapolis, IN 46254 4. Fort Harrison State Park (has a small admittance fee) 6000 N Post Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46216 5. Indianapolis Canal 601 West New York Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202 5. Lockerbie Square Historic District Downtown, Indianapolis, IN Time of shoot: Please keep in mind that I’m very picky about the times of day that I shoot. I prefer shooting early morning or late afternoon only. It’s when light is the best. Early morning shoots consist of the hour the sun is rising, and evening shoots are typically 1 ½ hours before sunset. Those times change throughout the year, so I may move shoots back or forward a half hour or so to accommodate sunset.
Research Take a look at my work. Does anything stand out to you as a must have? It can be poses, locations, props. While you have booked me for my style, I also encourage you to look online at places like Pinterest, is there anything there that really speaks to you? Send it to me! My Pinterest link is below, I have boards for What to Wear and Family Photography. https://www.pinterest.com/lmdesignandphotography/boards/
what to expect The Session When you first arrive, I will go over the details of the location. Most locations have more than one or two spots that we can use. We will make our game plan on where to start, where to go and how to end. After that, we will begin! My best advice is to relax. I know you may be uncomfortable and worried but we got this. You’re going to look amazing.
Children & Pets If there are any photos with children/pets I start with those. In my experience, they won’t last more than 20 minutes, maybe 30, if we’re lucky. And that’s perfectly OK! When those shots are complete, we start with photos of everyone.
Posing I always get asked, “Will you help with posing because I don’t know what to do” and my answer is always YES! It is my job to make sure that you are posed in the most flattering positions. If something doesn’t work, we move to the next and you will never see that photo again. When you receive your gallery, I want you to see how much you are glowing, and not hate the way you look.
After Your Session Session is done, now what? You are dying to just see one sneak peek and you are in luck! Within 48 hours, you will have a sneak peek on my Facebook page. Tag yourself, share it, brag about it, just don’t edit it (this includes Instagram filters). I do edit sessions in the order it was shot. When I get to your session, I go through the gallery and select the best of the best. Turn around time for your gallery is 3 weeks.
wardrobe Tip 1: Don’t be afraid of color- Loooong gone are the days of white white white and black black black. Bright happy colors make for a bright happy shoot, I’m convinced of that! If either of you have fair skin or very blond hair, I strongly recommend not wearing any white, unless it’s covered with a shirt, jacket, vest, tie, or scarf or other item adding some depth and color. It has a tendency to wash out faces! Tip 2: Coordinating is key- Matching… not so much. Be creative with it! You’ve already put the time and effort into searching for the right photographer for your style and needs, contacting that photographer, paying your deposit and planning around that special day. Have fun with it! Tip 3: Accessorize! Find a cute, one of a kind piece to put in your daughter’s hair. One that she wouldn’t wear every day, but that would make her pictures unique and fun. Tip 4: When trying to be “lazy” when searching for wardrobe for your children (as in, not searching 12 different stores and 10 different online stores to find what you want), stick with the guaranteed cute stuff! Examples, Matilda Jane (www.matildajaneclothing.com), Zara (www.zara.com), Persnickety (www. persnicketyclothing.com), J Crew Crew Cuts (www.jcrew.com/crewcuts). Tip 5: If you have twins, don’t dress them alike! The “coordinating” rule applies here, too. Tip 6: Another rule of thumb I use when planning out family picture outfits is this: choose one or two outfits that you are absolutely 100% sure you love and want for your pictures. And then base everyone else’s outfits off of those key items. Another good idea (moms, I’m talking to you!) is finding something YOU as the mother want to wear, look good in, and love. We all have those items. So, you know you’ll look good, and jump from there outfit searching for the other members of your family. Tip 7: Don’t be afraid to go completely out of your regular comfort zone! Choose “costume-like” outfits if it applies to you. Tutus, pettiskirts, crazy hats, mismatched socks, big sunglasses, etc. Tip 8: If leaves are still green don’t wear a lot of green for your session. There is already SO MUCH green outside, try other fun colors! Green as an accent color looks great, though!
Tip 9: For the boys. Accessorizing is key. Cute hats, ties, suspenders, rolled jeans, vests, blazers, etc really play up their cuteness. Here are some great shops for boys clothing and accessories: Gap Kids | H&M | Etsy | Crew Cuts Boy no-no’s: NO neon colors. NO logos on wording on shirts. NO character shoes. I recommend barefoot or plain flip-flops before tennis shoes that have characters on them. Also, no crocs if possible. Remember, you want your child’s photos to be timeless, and shoes and shirts that date them aren’t always the best way to achieve that look. Tip 10: For the girls. Layers work just as well on kids as they do parents. Dresses, leggings, sweaters, headbands, belts, etc can make a little girl look like an adorable young lady. Here are some great shops for girls clothing and accessories: Thelma and Theo | Gap Kids | Etsy Tip 11: Please don’t wear all black for a family session outside. Or all white. Black and white, to me personally, belong in a studio setting only. Tip 12: Women, put on some dresses! Girlify (new word, coming to a dictionary soon near you) yourself up! Dresses (short, long, frilly, simple), are a great way to go for your family pictures, every time. We have every other day of the week to wear jeans.
receiving your images How do you get your images? Good question. The Answer? Well online of course! Be Anywhere: My online client site is accessible 24/7. All you need is the event password, which will be emailed to you when your event is ready for viewing. Simple Purchasing & Downloading: My online client site has made downloading super easy! You can download 1 image at a time or simply click “download all”.
Once your images are ready, you’ll receive an email detailing how to access your images. Follow the instructions in the email to access your images and then download and/or print them using the directions above. Please note when printing images yourself: I, nor Lisa Marie Design & Photography, shall not be held liable for any and all defects in printing these images should you choose a big box chain store for printing. These include: CVS, Walgreens, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart, Costco, or the like. I highly reccommend purchasing images through my online lab. Pricing and information for these can be found on my website. If you would like to receive a flash drive of your images as well as the digital downloads, it is an additional charge. Just let me know, and I’ll invoice you for that!
Website www.lmdesignandphotography.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/lisamariedesignandphotography
Instagram www.instagram.com/lmdesignandphotography
Email lisa.marie@lmdesignandphotography.com
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