Client welcome guide

We can't wait to have you in front of our cameras soon!

We are so excited that you have chosen us to capture your life’s special moments. Whether we’re photographing your pregnancy journey, your newborn, your family, or your senior photos, these moments are some of the most important in your life, and we are touched that you’ve allowed us to be a part of it in such a big way. Your photographs will be a tangible portion of your memories that you’ll be able to cherish forever.

We know that planning for these photography sessions can often be overwhelming, so we want to make sure this goes as smoothly as possible. This guide is designed to help make that happen. With it, you’ll be better able to make decisions for your photography session to ensure you receive the most amazing photographs possible.

The next steps for you are to read through this guide and get in touch with us to schedule a date for your session. We’ll stay in touch in the weeks and days leading up to it.

Welcome!

Hello there & welcome!

We are a husband and wife photography team, and since we’ll be getting to know each other more over the coming weeks, we thought it would be great to introduce ourselves!

Our photography journey started several years ago when Brian decided to tag along with Shannon to a wedding she was photographing. She handed him a camera on that day, and we’ve never looked back. Since then, we’ve photographed every single session we’ve booked together, and we’ve had the opportunity and pleasure to photograph countless weddings, engagements, maternity, newborn, and family sessions.

We’ve been in love and married for 16 years now, and we have two beautiful children together. Shannon is known for being genuine, simple, down to earth, and a good listener. Brian loves being a father and feels that it encourages him to be a better influence and person overall. He’s a storyteller and has a charming sense of humor.

We’ve already started our legacy, and now we’re so excited to help you start yours.

about Shannon and Brian

Our Photography Process

The great news is, since you’ve received this welcome guide, you’re well on your way through our photography process.

From here, your next step will be to get in touch with us to schedule a date for your session, whether it’s a maternity, newborn, family, or senior session.

Depending on your package, we’ll set a location for your session, whether it’s outdoors or in our studio.
We’ll complete your photography session, and then you’ll receive your photos edited and completed within 4 weeks.

Your Senior session

Your senior session is one of the few times when you’ll have amazing photos that reflect who you truly are as an individual. We are so honored you’ve chosen us to help you capture this proud moment in your life! Our mission with our senior sessions is to make it unique and special to you, while keeping you comfortable throughout our time together so you end up with photos you absolutely love.

Your Senior session | How to prepare

Chances are, this is your first senior session and because of that, you might not know exactly what to expect and how to prepare for it. Don’t worry! We’ll help you in any way we can leading up to your photo session with us. In the meantime, here are a few tips on how best to prepare!

Plan to book ahead of time

Especially if you’re planning on sending out invitations to your graduation, graduation announcements, or invitations to a graduation party, you’ll want to book your senior session early. This will give you plenty of time to have your session, receive your photos, and then print your cards and invitations. You won’t be scrambling at the last minute, and we won’t be booked solid when you need them done.

Have hair and makeup done

For our lady graduates, consider having your hair and makeup done professionally for your senior session. It makes such a big difference in your photos, plus it’s always a nice treat to be pampered beforehand.

Come with fresh nails

Again, for our ladies, don’t forget about your manicure. If you like to have your nails painted, be sure to do them the day before to minimize any chipping by the time your session rolls around.

Don't worry if you're nervous

Most high schoolers have never posed in front of a professional camera before, and that is perfectly okay! We’ll guide you through your session so all of your poses will feel natural. No need to study up beforehand, we’ll help you through everything. After the first ten minutes of our session, you’ll feel like a total pro.

Don't come hungry

We won’t take all day to do your senior photos, but we definitely want you to have enough energy to make it through the entire session. Since there will be plenty of standing, posing, and walking around, you’ll be surprised at how tired you might feel afterwards. Be sure to bring snacks and drinks with you to keep your energy levels up.

Try on outfits ahead of time

When you’re planning out what to wear, be sure to try everything on. Make sure all of your clothes are comfortable for you to move around in and to sit in. If you’re uncomfortable in your clothes, it will definitely translate in your photos.

Your Senior session | Styling Tips

Your senior session is the perfect time to wear exactly the kinds of clothes and outfits that fully express who you are. The whole mission of senior sessions is to capture the essence of you! Picking out clothes, though, might seem challenging. Here are our top tips for helping you make decisions on your outfits.

Avoid Bright Colors, Bold Graphics, and Clothing with Text

The focus of your senior photos should always be on you! It’s hard for anyone to look at your face when they’re too distracted by bright, neon colors, bold graphics, and any clothing with text. Avoid those kinds of clothes when deciding on your outfit.

Choose a casual and a formal outfit

To get the most variety in your senior session gallery, we suggest picking an outfit that is more casual and one that’s formal.

Go for Clothing That Fits Your Personality the Most

We want to capture photos of you! One of the best ways to do that is to make sure you’re wearing clothes that match your style. If you like to wear sundresses, absolutely bring one to your session. If you’re more of a jeans and flannel grad, be sure to wear that!

Don’t Be Afraid to Accessorize

Bring any kind of accessories along with you for your senior session. Whether it’s a nice watch, a bow tie, your letterman’s jacket, a sun hat, scarves, or jewelry, accessories add great variety and visual interest to your photos. We promise the camera will love it!

Your Senior session | Scheduling and timing

Senior sessions can be booked all throughout the year either for outdoor sessions or in our cozy studio. If you’re interested in an outdoor senior session, we suggest thinking of your favorite season and the type of scenery you prefer. If you’d rather see bright blooms and green grass, choose a date in the spring or summer. If you prefer bold colored leaves, consider having your session in the fall.

With outdoor locations, our favorite time to photograph senior sessions is during the soft glow of “golden hour,” which always makes for beautiful photos.

Your senior session start time will depend heavily on the season in which it takes place. Ultimately, plan on starting 2 hours before sunset no matter what time of year it is scheduled. However, we’ll always confirm with you before your senior session takes place.

If you’re planning to have it in our studio, the timing will be more flexible as we’ll have everything we need to get beautiful photos of you at any time of day.

Your Senior session | Locations

The location of your session depends heavily on what your interests are. If you love to hang out at the beach, we can head for a spot on one of the beaches around Lake Michigan. If you’re outdoorsy and love adventures, consider a location with plenty of woods for your backdrop.

Think of what you do in school, too, to help you choose a location. If you’re on a sports team, consider doing some of your photos on the field.

Ultimately, you won’t have to worry too much about your backdrop since we’ll be able to capture beautiful photos no matter where we are. As long as we have adequate lighting, we promise your photos will turn out great. But we still want to incorporate as much of your personality as we can into your location!

Your senior session | props for your session

There are so many ways we can make your senior photos uniquely you, especially if we incorporate props.

Props based on your hobbies

Feel free to bring props based on your hobbies through school or at home. They’ll help to add visual interest while telling the story of you! If you love to read, bring a few of your favorite books. If you're into art or music, bring the tools you use or even some cool headphones if you have them.

Props Based on Your Extracurricular Activities

For a lot of high school students, schedules revolve around extracurricular activities. And those activities help shape who they are. If you’re involved in anything through the school or outside of school, and you want to showcase it, bring props along with you! If you’re on a sports team, bring your jersey and maybe your cleats if you use them. If you’re in the band, think about bringing your instrument along.

Props based on your college of choice

If your next steps involve going to college, bring some props to show your school pride! Bring a t-shirt or a football jersey from the college football team, or even think about choosing an outfit with the colors of your school.