I always try to be in-tune with what my clients are looking for and what they want during and after a session with me. Because of this I have decided to change the way I offer my sessions. I used to have a fixed session fee that would include digital images, but I have found that people would prefer my price includes prints as well. Because of this, the following changes will happen starting in June (If you'd like to lock in my current rates, just book your session with me before June and I will honor those rates)!

• I will require a $100 retainer fee and signed contract to reserve your session/date. 
• The $100 fee can later be used towards a print package purchase (And everyone rejoices!!) thus ensuring you get the most out of your sessions!
• I will offer 5 new print packages that will come with a range of prints depending on your price point. If you would like to see what they are, just message me and I can send them to you once I have them perfected!
• I will offer digital images as a separate option and price point. If you decide you want digitals and no prints, that is still a viable option! 
• Ala cart options will be available after you purchase a print package, so if you don't see a package that fits what you need exactly, you can buy the one that closest matches what you want and then add according to what you want! 

The Indianapolis Mini Marathon was over the weekend and it was my time to shine (or so I thought)! After waking up at 5 AM, showering, eating a nice healthy breakfast of oatmeal and a cliff bar it was off to the mini and we got there around 6:30 ready to go! We all got in our corrals and waited for the start. There was a beautiful 15 seconds of silence for the Boston Marathon victims, which was pretty touching. Then it was go time - I was WAY back in the corrals (seriously, when I walked into my corral, I heard a man talking to another man saying "This is the corral that they call the "lucky if you finish it" corral" - real motivating, pal - real motivating!), so it was probably about 30 minutes after the race started before I actually started.  I'm pretty sure the Kenyan's were over half way done before I even left the start line!

The corrals, before we started

It took me a while to get around all the walkers, but once I did I felt pretty good, until I got to about oh, I don't know say half a mile. The pain that had occurred in my knee a few weeks ago came back. I powered through for the first 2 miles before I felt like I shouldn't run on it anymore, so I walked a bit. I thought about quitting, but didn't really know where I was and also wanted to finish what I had started. So I began running again - I could only manage a small amount before stopping to walk as the pain became unbearable, I kept doing this for a few miles. 

Running on the track at speedway

It was going decent up until about mile 7, when the lipgloss I had put in the waistband of my pants, began to fall down (Is that just chapstick in your pants or are you happy to see me?!?) and I literally had to reach in my pants and get it out. Um...Embarrassing.  Good thing there weren't any camera men around when that happened! :) After mile 8 everything seemed to really drag on. This is probably because at this point I couldn't bring myself to run anymore and was hobbling along trying not to bend my knee. It was all so painful that it just made each mile drag on and on and on. Around mile 12 I almost lost it and was THIS close to crying, so I stopped for a minute to stretch. I can't even tell you how happy I was when the finish line was in my sights. I decided I needed to run the last little bit and really give it my all, so I did just that! I am SURE I have an awful face in my finishing pictures, probably looking like I was going to cry, but I don't care because I didn't give up - I finished that 13.1 miles and I got my medal! 

The amount of trash is incredible

Honestly I can see why people love doing this event - there is entertainment all along the route.  There were bands of all sort, belly dancers, cheerleaders, people standing along the sides of the route in costumes, cheering you on and encouraging you the whole way! I really did feel a sense of together-ness! There was even a girl near the track that was holding a sign that read "Way to go Complete Strangers!" and she would yell words of encouragement as we all ran by! It was awesome! There was even the people who would say "You can do it Abby, you're doing great!" While I will admit it worried me when I realized I didn't actually know this first person who yelled my name, I remembered my name was clearly printed on my bib! Ha! I really appreciated those people who came out to encourage this kind of crazy to run 13.1 miles - you really did motivate me to try harder! 

Chris and I after the race. He is amazing and finished in just 1 hour and 41 minutes!

Anyways, I hope my running days aren't over. I do have a Color Run at the end of May that's just a 5K - hoping my knee cooperates better than this one. I want to go back to the mini next year and try for a better time and to try and be better conditioned so I don't hurt my knee again!

Did anyone else do the mini? I want to hear your experiences too! Leave them below! -Abby

I have a lot of last minute bookings and find that I don't always have enough time to properly fill them in on what to expect, so I decided it would be a good idea to write a little post on what to expect when you book a session with me! 

1. Once you book a session with me, send me your deposit and pick a date, you will get a little welcome packet from me in your email! We will decide exactly what kind of session you'd like to have, if you want it to be a styled session or if you want me to come to your house and capture the day as it unfolds or any number of other options! 

2. Clothing ideas. Many people struggle with what to wear to a photo session. Because of that, I have written this post  with examples of what you can wear. I will say that I always recommend wearing something you are and will be comfortable in! After seeing my ideas of what you can wear, you are absolutely welcome to send me picture texts of what you are thinking about for your session and I will give you feedback! 

3. From there we will be in contact as much as you want leading up to your session! If you have ideas, great - send them my way, run them by me, bounce them off of me and we can come up with something fabulous and unique for your session! Want to know if I think you should style your hair a certain way? Ask me! 

4. It's session time!!! I will have already scouted the area we are doing pictures (unless it's in your home, because that would be creepy!) so I will have some great ideas as to where we should shoot. I will arrive early so you don't have to wait on me and we will be ready for a rockin session. Most of my sessions last around an hour, but I am not a stickler on time. If we get enough pictures in 45 minutes, cool, we can be done early - but if it takes a little longer than an hour for me to feel like I've got what I need, I will stick around until I feel we've got what you paid for! I find that having this kind of free flowing session really allows for everyone to get comfortable with me and with the camera! 

5. By now we've had a great time hanging out, playing and taking some pictures and our session has come to an end. If we didn't incorporate it into our session I recommend going to grab some ice cream to top off a lovely day! 

6. The session is over and I am sure you are already missing me and DYING to know how your pictures turned out! Don't you worry your pretty little mind, I will be posting at least 1 preview on Facebook! My typical turn around time is 2-4 weeks. During wedding season it may take closer to 6 weeks. Have no fear, it's just because I am enhancing each image and making sure it is perfect for you and yours! 

7. Once the images are done you will receive an email from me with a link to a private, password protected gallery. This is for you to view your images and decide what you would like to purchase! I offer print packages as well as the option to buy some or all of the digital negatives from your session!

8. After you've decided what images you would like, all you have to do is wait! Most prints that are purchased are received in the mail within less than a week.

9. Hang your pictures and admire your new artwork that's gracing your walls. You are beautiful, your family is fantastic - and now you have great memories to help remind you of that! 

10. What?! You think you're done now? No way! Refer me to your friends and get a kick back from me for anyone who books me! You can read about my referral program here! 

You all saw a little sneak peak of this session a few weeks ago, but I wanted to post the full blog today! I adore this little family and always look forward to spending time with them and seeing how Kennett has changed since the last time I saw him! 

Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see THE BEST cry face ever.  Seriously...it's so cute! 

Hope you've enjoyed them! If you're interested in booking a family shoot or a first birthday shoot, please contact me here! -Abby

I get asked this question frequently about what to wear to a photo session, so I thought I would elaborate on that and give my clients something to reference!  If you want to see some outfit ideas, you can visit my pinterest board that I've made specifically for inspiration! 

1. Pick out something that you are comfortable in. If you wear dresses all the time - put on a dress! If you're more of a jeans kind of gal, wear jeans! There is nothing more uncomfortable than wearing something that you don't feel yourself in and TRUST ME, it will come across in the pictures if you aren't being yourself! 

This would be good for a family of 4 - coordinated but not TOO much!

2. If you have more than 1 person going to be in pictures for your shoot, pick about 3-4 colors to base your outfits around!  It doesn't need to be matchy-matchy to look good! Being coordinated looks much better than matchy!  You can even go with a theme type of session like pastels if you want!

3. Don't wear a shirt that has a really busy pattern on it. Trust me. You just don't want that!

Family of 4 festive shoot

4. Try not to wear sleeveless. There are some cases (like a cute dress) in which this is ok, but I would say the majority look better with even a cap sleeve!

5. Layer. Layers are almost always cute, and if you do decide to wear sleeveless, it can give you variety. Bring a cardigan to the session if you aren't sure and we can play around with different looks.

This would be really cute for an engagement session, with outfit change!

6. If you choose a longer session with me and want to change outfits part way through, I recommend 1 outfit being dressier and 1 outfit being more laid back so we can get different feelings from the pictures! Heck, you can even change your hair if you want!

Basically, you want everyone's personality to come across in the pictures without having to all wear the same color shirt and pants. You also don't want to look like 1 person stepped out of the 70's, 1 person just came from a pageant and 1 person just came from the beach! 

This would be super cute for a summer shoot 

I hope these tips help and for anyone who hires me for a session I will be in contact with you every step of the way, you can even send me pictures of outfits you are thinking about wearing! My goal is to help you feel confident before even coming to the shoot! -Abby

Another weekend has come and gone and I've found some articles and tips to help get you through your work week! 

Improve: How to do food photography with 3 different lighting effects Click here

Interesting: I bet you thought these were planets (Hint: They're something you cook with!)

Fire: These lava pictures are bound to leave your mouth hanging wide open just imaging how how it must have been for the person taking these pictures!

Multiply: How to use multiple exposures in digital photography! (seriously COOL!)

Secrets + Success: Want to know the secrets to success? Don't we all?

Today I want to talk to you all about Mothers.  Mother's Day is coming up in just a few weeks and I think it's time we all start thinking about what we can do to show them how much we really care! I have a hard time coming up with what to get for my mom, especially if I can't be there to celebrate her greatness on Mother's Day. You know, Mom's give up a lot for their children, they laugh when their children are happy, cry when they are sad, are brave when they are hurt and know how to get the stain out of just about anything. They help to mold us into the fine adults we are now and that we are still to become. And yet, when you ask them what they'd like for a holiday dedicated just to them they typically answer with "Oh, I just want my family to be healthy and happy" or when we were younger we used to get "I just want my girls to get along!" Come on, Mom! I know there must be something else that you want! A nice robe, some fuzzy slippers, a home cooked meal?! Give me something to go off of!

Because many Moms are also stubborn about what to get them, I thought I would give y'all some ideas! 

1. One year we got our mom the gift of a photo session - I can't actually think of a better gift to give her. She is ALWAYS wanting updated family pictures of us, so this was perfect in many ways! If you are interested in booking a family session (or a mommy and me session) just contact me - I offer gift cards as well if you don't know when you want to do it yet! 

2. Breakfast in bed - who wouldn't love breakfast in bed? It's a nice surprise, especially if you go really early and are extremely quiet while making the food so she really has no idea that she's about to get delicious food in her belly!

3. Wine & Canvas - This may be only an Indianapolis thing, but we have fun classes where you learn how to paint a painting from an expert and drink wine at the same time! Is there anything better?!

4. Hiking and a Picnic - This is for those who have really active moms! Take her to a state park she's never been to before and go for a small hike! When you're done surprise her with a picnic that includes her favorite foods (seriously - I think being surprised with food is ALWAYS a good idea! ha!)

5. Spa Day - This might be the Mother of all Mother's Day gifts! You can either get your Mom a gift card for a local spa so she can go on her own, or you can plan a day to go and have a spa day together! 

6. Offer to clean her home - Some Mothers may not like this gift, but if you think your mom would, why not offer to vacuum, scrub the toilets and clean the dishes? 

7. DIY - Make her something! Before Pinterest was even a glimmer in someone's eye (I think I was in 6th grade maybe) I made my mom a santa face using an old light bulb! Man I was creative (This was obviously for Christmas, NOT Mother's Day)!! Haha, but seriously..we all have pinterest at our disposal, search for a cute craft and make her something OR you could plan to make something with your mom - mom's love crafting, too!

8. Get her something she won't buy herself but would enjoy - this could be a book that she doesn't know about, a steak dinner, a vacation (if you have that kind of money) or simply a hair appointment. Think of what she would love and do it for her! 

I hope this gives you some good ideas as to what you can do for your mom! Let me know if you have any other good ideas in the comments section below! -Abby 

Wedding season is officially upon us! So I thought I'd do today's post on things to help brides look more into the photography side of weddings! 

• Why are wedding photographers so expensive? Good Question! That is addressed here!
• Albums: Why every couple should at least consider buying one - even if not from your photographer!

• This article made me crack up! 32 funny tips on taking great wedding pictures!
• Tips for working with your wedding photographer - these are SERIOUSLY good! 
• Regrets from other brides - these are good things to think about! 

-Abby

I hope you are enjoying this lovely weather! It is GORGEOUS out there today! I only wish I hadn't royally hurt my knee so I could go running outside today...would be the perfect day for such a thing! 

AMAZED: These are some of the best photos from Google +. I am seriously amazed by these! Click here to see them! 

FLUFFY: I adore these photos of a little girl & her cat. It's better than you think...seriously...click this link!!

(This is me and my cat Remmi...the series featured in the link above is MUCH better than this!) 

LEARN: Want to know how to make a Panograph? Me too! Click here for the tutorial!

INNOVATIVE: Don't have a light? Use your ipad to light photos! Click here to see examples! 

POSITIVE: This is a great read for anyone in a relationship! Click here to read about how one person saved their marriage! 

Many of you know, but some of you may not, that I have (stupidly) decided to run the mini marathon in Indianapolis. After much encouragement from my boyfriend (who runs it every year) and a friend (who said she would do it with me...but then got pregnant and isn't doing it anymore. Ha!) I bought the ticket to run do it. All the while thinking "Why am I paying to run?!" The mini marathon is 13.1 miles...up until I started training for the mini I had only ran without stopping for about...oh, I don't know... .5 miles. hahaha...POINT FIVE MILES!  It's embarrassing, I know, but I wanted to set a goal for myself and get some good cardio in! I don't run. I don't exercise. I am short of breath when I walk up a flight of stairs. I adore the couch, and sitting and editing pictures and watching TV shows. It's bad people! What makes it worse is that I am naturally skinny (thank you mom!), so I don't get to see results like loosing a few lbs. 

I started training slowly. For the first few weeks I was just trying to get up to running 1 mile, so I would run/walk on the treadmill until I could work my way up to running 1 mile without stopping. Let me tell you, it is such a mental battle for me. I will make a goal like "Run to that third mailbox and then you can stop" then when I get to the second mail box I'm like "Meh...close enough!" and I stop! I'm tellin ya people, mental is 90% of the battle for me.  If you could only hear what goes on in my head. It's almost like arguing with me calling myself names trying to motivate myself to keep going! 

(My new running shoes!)

I digress, after I did the 1 mile I went for 3 miles a few weeks later when it was finally warm enough to run outside. Sure I had to stop and walk for a few minutes, but I still finished it in 30 minutes! I felt on fire...I couldn't believe I had accomplished that! The weekend after that I went for 5 miles, and did it! Again I had to walk a little in there, but I kept it steady at a 10 minute mile - Go me!!  Then something happened...the weather took a turn and it rained 3 days in a row. On top of that, the day the rain came our water heater broke. It was broken for 4 days and the only way it could work is if you had enough muscles (which I don't) to turn it on with a wrench. Well, I certainly didn't want to have to wait for my bf to get home to turn it on, and I certainly didn't want to sit in my sweat until he got home...so that was enough for me to give up running for 4 straight days. FOUR DAYS PEOPLE! That's all it took to loose everything I had built up. 

When I tried to run again I could only get in about 2 miles - and some muscle behind my knee hurt about half way through. What was happening to me? Where did my months of training go? I still don't know, as I haven't been able to do a longer run yet. I plan on trying for a longer run tomorrow morning, and am praying it all magically comes back to me!  Wish me luck! -Abby

I decided this week I am going to choose a concentrated area of weddings for a few of these Wedding Wednesdays and this Wednesday I want to concentrate on CAKES!  I love to see what people can do with cakes these days, it's such a fun way to personalize a wedding! See below for some ideas on cakes for your reception!

I think this cake is classic but in a different way!  Click here for the source

A Rustic cake for a rustic wedding! Click here for the source

For a soft feminine feel, this cake is beautiful and one of my faves - a ruffle cake! Click here for the source

Looking for something different than just a cake? How about some cake pops! Click here for the source

I think this cake is so cute! A bunch of letters but the only ones that can be seen from afar is "LOVE"! Click here for the source

Ribbons on cakes are so cute, and I love the texture of this cake! Click here for the link

I like to call this one the zipper cake! Even though it isn't zippers, I think it looks incredible!  Click here for the source

To me, this is a mix between lace and wood cut outs. I imagine a lot of hard work went into making this one. Elegance is the word that comes to mind! Click here for the source

Well, I think that's enough for my cake edition today! I'm sure I'll have another down the line. Which one is your favorite? -Abby

I shot this wedding (w/Peter Jonathan Images) during the winter at a beautiful church! Sadly, I am just getting around to posting it. I loved the candy station at the reception and the sweet detail of the grandmother's picture on the brides flowers. It's always the little things that get me! 

If you are interested in booking a wedding with me! Please contact me here!   -Abby

I don't know about you guys but I could have used another day in the weekend! Because I'm dreaming of vacation, my links are going to reflect that this week! 

Awe: I found these pictures humbling. Old war photos. Check them out here!

Daring: While I absolutely don't recommend this, I am glad someone else broke the rules and climbed this pyramid so I could see what it looks like from up there! Click here!

Tip: How to photograph people when traveling? Click this link to get some sweet tips!

Wonder: Even though so many people think Jordan is dangerous, I think it would be a great place to visit. Dreaming of visiting Petra someday! Click here for some breathtaking photos! 

Landscape: My goodness these landscapes made me want to get out and go! Check out these landscape photos here!

Well, I hope this gives you some new ideas on travel and opened your eyes to some new things! It sure made me want to go on vacation RIGHT NOW!  What is your number 1 place you are dreaming of? -Abby

One year ago today the world was blessed with a little baby named Kennett! He is precious and pretty much brightens everyone's lives just by being around them! Happy First Birthday Kennett - I can't wait to celebrate many more with you! 

-Abby

Hooray for Wedding Wednesday! I am really enjoying gathering some great finds from the internet for you all to check out! 

• Don’t want to spend the money on real flowers? Check out these new and beautiful paper flowers from West Elm
   

-Abby

Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that I am the one who controls what happens next and I can choose to change the ending at any time! What are YOU doing to change your endings?! 

-Abby

Oh, Monday...the day that starts the week and has the ability to set the tone for how the rest of the week will go! Here's hoping it's a fabulous week for all of us!  I know I am super stoked about the nice weather, so it's GOT to be a good week, right?!

Anywho, here's a rundown of some articles I found that I wanted to share:

Tips: I know that many of you are preparing for summer vacations while you're kiddies are out on summer vacation, so here are some tips for taking great theme park pictures! Click here for the article! 

Amazing: I think these photos are SO cool. Exploding Lightbulbs!? Don't mind if I do! Click here to see them! 

Thoughtful: This has nothing to do with photography, but I read this article last week and it really got me thinking! A little write up on Enjoying Where You Are.  I think it's a great little read for Monday mornings! Click here to read it!

Funny: Worst photoshop mistakes in magazines - I can't believe these were actually printed! Click here to laugh! 

Cool: How one person got their stolen gear back from a Craigslist ad, and why you should always write down your serial numbers! Click here to read this incredible story! 

I asked one of my brides for this summer to do a little modeling session for me. It was the last (I think) snow of the season about a week and a half ago and I wanted to shoot in it. Unfortunately, much of it melted and we didn't necessarily get the looks we were going for. We still had a good time though and I soooo look forward to shooting her and R's wedding in June! 

The image below was shot through a PRISM - didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it too, but I still think it's pretty cool! I can't wait until the sun isn't hiding behind clouds to really try it out! 

Seriously...she is so beautiful and has such great skin! Thanks Emilie for being a trooper and bearing the last of the snow with me! -Abby

Because I shoot a lot of weddings I thought it would be fun to add another new feature to my blog: Wedding Wednesdays! These are all things that I think can help a bride as she is navigating her way through the crazy world of wedding planning!

• These are some tips from brides who have been through it on what they think is most important to remember! Click Here
• Having trouble picking out a song to dance your first dance to? Click here to see what celebrities danced to on their wedding nights! 
• How to make your own succulent corsages and boutineers!  Click here for the tutorial! 
• While this isn't really a tip or tutorial, I think it IS a great article. Especially the last paragraphs. Click here to get some knowledge dropped on you!
• Ever seen envelopes with print ON THE INSIDE?! I think that is so cool, and this teaches you how to do it! Click here!
   

I hope you enjoy this new feature! If you are interested in getting more information on booking me for a wedding, please click here! -Abby

 I am rolling out a whole bunch of new features on my blog this month and the first one I am starting with is a compilation of great articles or photo series that I've found around the Web. I will keep it to just 5 each week (if I can help it) and give you a little description of what is featured! Check back Monday to see what I come up with - I hope you enjoy it! 

1. Beauty:  Last week was Holi week in India, also known as the Festival of Colors. These images are SO beautiful and bright! I really hope that one day I can go to Holi week - looks amazing! Click here to see Holi Week in pictures   

2.   Video:   Props to McDonalds for answering this question head on! Why does food look different in advertising then it does in real life. (side note: Can you imagine? A FOOD STYLIST??!) Click here for the short video

3. Tips: I feel that a lot of people can use this read - it's about how to capture a sunset with ANY camera - pro or not! Quick and easy tips! Click here to get the tips!

4. Create: I don't know if anyone has looked into how expensive it is to buy a custom or even cute camera strap lately, but those things can cost anywhere from $20 -$200. So here is a few tutorials on how to make your own! Click here for the tutorial

5. Knowledge: Need help understanding how many megapixels you need for a certain print size? Check out this little guide to help you find the way! click here for the guide

-Abby